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| Left wing columnist and author, Ari Shavit |
When speaking of entitlements in the current political climate,
one may think of government programs that offer free services or money to individual
groups of people which are paid for by the taxpayer. Medicare for the elderly
is a prime example of that. Although a worthy entitlement program that deserves
to be supported, one may argue that giving people something for nothing - even
in noble cause - is an untenable enterprise. It will ultimately be unsustainable.
Put another way, there is no such things as a free lunch.
But there is another kind of entitlement that is far worse.
And it often accompanies celebrity. Which at the end of the day exposes the
moral failings of people once seen as virtuous .The truth is that true virtue is incorruptible. A truly virtuous person will
not take advantage of their celebrity when the temptations of the flesh occur.
The Gemarah actually deals with temptations of the flesh: Ayn
Apitropus L’Arayos – there is no guardian for matters of the flesh! Everyone
has their own personal ‘devils’ that are difficult to fend off when they present
themselves. There are in fact discussions in the Gemerah about various sages
that had their temptations and overcame them only with great effort. They had
virtue. They are our role models. But celebrity is a strong devil. It is an
enabler that few who achive it overcome, no matter how virtuous they may be in
other ways.
In a surprising turn of events, left wing author and Ha’artez former columnist Ari Shavit recently admitted that he was the individual described by journalist
Danielle Berrin, that sexually assaulted her during an interview in 2014. He
apologized but claimed his advances were misunderstood. He claims he was only
trying to ‘date’ her. But the actions described by Berrin can hardly be
described as an attempt at courtship. What is ironic about this is that Shavit has
been a champion for women’s rights. Turns out he is a sexual predator preying on
the very people whose rights he claims to champion.
That sense of entitlement people like Shavit results in shedding
any inhibitions they might otherwise have. They feel entitled to do whatever
they want and indulge themselves thinking they are invincible. No one expressed
this sense of entitlement better than
Donald Trump in an off the cuff conversation
with former Access Hollywood host, Billy Bush:
(W)hen you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything,"
In a similar vein, is what former US senator and Presidential candidate,
John Edwards said in a public apology after getting caught cheating on his sick
wife. The sense of power and celebrity he achieved as a public figure led
him to a false sense of invincibility. Like Trump, he too thought he could do
anything.
When celebrities get caught their true character gets
exposed. Just think of all the prominent people this applies to. Some of whom
were once viewed as paragons of virtue:
John Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, John
Edwards, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Bill Cosby, Anthony Weiner, Moshe
Katzav, Moti Elon...
And that – by far - is just a partial list. (Note that there
are no women on this list. There are of course women that are guilty of this kind
of behavior, too. Sexual harassment works both ways. But I believe that in the vast
majority of cases – men are the most likely culprits.)
I’d like to believe that most of us would resist such
temptation were we to become celebrities. But as mentioned above - the Gemarah
tells us, Ayn Apitropus L’Aryaos. If the sages could be tempted, it is
reasonable to assume that those of us that are not sages could be tempted too.
The question arises, if my analysis is true, what are we to
do with all this information? Is there anything we can do to prevent this
phenomenon? I think that the concept of Ayn Apitropus L’Aryos is instructive.
Halacha actually deals with it in a way that would help prevent this kind of
behavior. A way that is not lost on one non Jew who uses it himself. It’s called
Hilchos Yichud. One should never seclude themselves with a member of the
opposite sex. Even for the most innocuous of reasons. Even though most of the
time nothing will happen, those times when it does make it imperative that we strictly observe this very important Halacha.
Evangelist preacher Billy Graham once said that he was never
alone with a woman that was not his wife any kind of secluded area. I hate
to use a Christian preacher that may have been an antisemite as a role model. But on this
issue, he was right.
