Speaking Truth to Power

Rabbi Natan Slifkin (Mizrachi)

In the Charedi world, the thought of contradicting what the Gedolim say is tantamount to Kefira - denial of the truth of Torah! Unless there are differences of opinion among them, one must adhere to what they say and consider their views to be Daas Torah – the wisdom of the Torah.  The consequences of keeping one’s mouth shut on matters vital to the Charedi community - be damned. Rejecting this notion is the subject of a recent post by Rabbi Natan Slifkin.

Unfortunately, it this kind of thinking  that prevents Charedi leaders from publicizing a personal view that is contrary to the prevailing Daas Torah. They tend to not say anything for fear of losing their credentials. I recall an article by Jonathan Rosenblum a few years ago where he related that he spoke to a  member of the Agudah Moetzes how to deal with a partiuclar problem plaguing the Charedi community. That Gadol agrede with him privately but asked that his views not be made public for fear of being accused of being a fake Gadol. (I believe this is the same article Rabbi Slifkin referenced.)

The idea of not daring to challenge the conventional wisdom of the Gedolim is what made Rabbi Slifkin himself a victim of a vicious campaign to smear his reputation in the Charedi world to which he belonged at the time. In what was one of the biggest upheavals in the Orthodox world Rabbi Slifkin’s books attempting to reconcile Torah and science were banned as Apikurusus (heresy) by the late R’ Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, ZTL. He was at the time considered THE Gadol HaDor by the Charedi world which meant that his view was THE view of Daas Torah.

That declaration  by R’ Elyashiv was an earthquake reverberated throughout the entire Orthodox world.  Up until that time even the Charedi world accepted the ideas expressed in Rabbi Slifkin’s books as a legitimate Torah Hashkafa. One could, for example, believe that the universe was 15 billion years old which is more or less the current scientific thinking on this matter. That view was so accepted, that I recall the Chicago Community Kollel (Lakewood) hosting Rav Shalom Kamenetsky to speak about this issue. He too considered it perfectly acceptable. 

After R’ Elyashiv’s ban, the Charedi world delegitimized Rabbi Slifkin’s books. I recall speaking to one of the CCK Roshei Kollel at the time who told me that he was quite pained by  R’ Elyashiv’s ban, but that it didn’t matter. He had to defer to Daas Torah and stopped advocating those views as acceptable Torah views.  R’ Aharon Feldman who is a member of the Agudah Moetzes and had originally endorsed Rabbi Slifkin’s books withdrew it after personally speaking to  R’ Elyashiv about it

Daas Torah had spoken. Explanations galore started coming out about why R’ Elyashiv was right and those views could not accepted in our day. Disagreement was considered Kefira - denying the truth of the Torah. 

That is how things work on all issues. Especially those that directly affect the Charedi world. When well known respected Charedi Talmid Chacham (who did not fear being considered a fake Gadol) suggested at a public lecture that it is as perfectly fine to choose to work for a living as it is to learn full time - the following (as reported by Rabbi Slifkin) was the response of the brilliant Charedi lmid Chacham in whose Shul that opinion was stated: 

(He) wrote an article denouncing charedi schools that provide secular education. His reason? “The Gedolim are against them.” And what about the endless yeshiva high schools in the US which do provide secular education? “The Gedolim are for them… (He did not) articulate the reasons for his policies, and just defers to the Secret Reasons of the Gedolim. 

So where does that leave me? I have been forever endorsing the idea of providing a decent secular studies curriculum for all Jewish children – including Charedim in Israel. Does that make me an Apikores?

I don’t think so. Not because I am the equal in Torah knowledge to any of the Gedolim of the Charedi world. On the contrary, I pale in comparison to them. I am just a plain old run of the mill Am Ha’aretz who doesn’t know he's talking about. No one of any consequence will listen to me. My views will not lead anyone ‘astray’. 

But that doesn’t make me wrong. Nor does it make speaking the truth to power wrong as did  that denounced speaker who advocated working for a living and getting an education that would better enable it. 

It’s just too bad that here are not more people like him. As I have also always said, if a rabbinic leader is afraid of the truth for purposes of his image, than he is not much a leader, if at all.