He spoke
valiantly about his frustration he has with the way a Charedi magazine
(Mishpacha)
sympathized with the “plight” of Charedim now being harassed by the Israeli
government, as though they were the only ones suffering in Israel right now.
While completely ignoring the exponentially greater suffering of the rest of
Israel during a time of war, whose citizens are subject to the draft while
Charedim remain exempt.
Sadly, I think I know the answer to that question. It is the
fear that expressing a view contrary to “Daas Torah” is tantamount to defying
God. For which they fear they will have to pay for dearly in the world to come.
That fear is an essential component of what motivates the Charedi world. It is,
in fact, why they use the term “Charedi” as their identity. The word is based
on a phrase taken from Tanach of being Chareid L’Dvar HaShem -
trembling at the word of God. It reflects the belief that Divine justice will
ultimately prevail over those who defy His will.
They see their Gedolim as the final authority on any subject
about which they express an opinion. Even though they know those leaders are
human and, in theory, can make mistakes, they consider those views to be a far
more accurate expression of God’s will because of their vast Torah knowledge
and great piety.
When their own consciences lead them in a different
direction, they do something truly remarkable. It is called being mevatel
daas—subordinating their own judgment. They simply deny the validity of
their own rational conclusions on subjects where the Gedolim have expressed a
unified contrary opinion, considering their own carefully thought-out views to
be mistaken. How could they not be, in the face of a unified rabbinic view that
disagrees with them? Being Chareid L’dvar Hashem requires them
to take that approach.
It doesn’t help that this mindset is reinforced by Charedi
social sanctions. Those who openly disagree with the Gedolim on matters deemed
vital to the Jewish people risk being ostracized from the community and viewed
as being Chutz LaMachaneh - outside the camp of
Torah.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard members of the
Agudah’s Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah described that way by speaker after speaker at
Agudah conventions. No matter how prominent the speaker, they all proclaim that
they are mevatel daas to the Gedolim. Why? Because they
are Chareid L’dvar Hashem.
This phenomenon was vividly illustrated by what happened to
Rabbi Natan (Nosson) Slifkin, who at the time was a Charedi author of several
popular books reconciling science and Torah…
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