Burn Baby, Burn

Burn Baby, Burn. This was the rallying cry of the Black Panthers, a revolutionary movement of the sixties committed to an armed insurrection and the establishment of a black socialist government in the United States. Apparently they are the new role models for a segment of Klal Yisroel. They are role models for the people who are burning cars and throwing stones. We’ve all seen the pictures by now of the burning streets in Jerusalem with Charedim standing around the fires. We’ve seen the torched police cars. But it isn’t the hooligans this time. It isn’t a group of fanatics protesting mixed seating on a bus. It is a group of normal looking Yeshiva Bachurim protesting the upcoming Gay Pride parade.

Yes the protest is just. But the stone throwing is not only unjust it is a reckless disregard for human life and property. It is wanton destruction. And if aimed specifically at another human being, it is attempted murder! I have heard that Edah HaCharedis head, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, has come out in favor of protesting this parade strongly but has opposed violence in doing so. But I don’t think his admonition against violence has been strong enough. Apparently these Yeshiva Bachurim are only listening to half of what he said. They are protesting. But they are doing so violently.

Instead of just the Gay Pride parade being Mechalel the streets of Jerusalem, it will be defiled by Charedim too. The violent clash will be between the gay paraders and the new “Black Panthers: Charedi Yeshiva bachurim. This takes the Chilul HaShem of a homosexual parade in Jerusalem and raises it to a far greater level of Chilul HaShem.

I don’t know what they think they are going to accomplish with such violence. The paraders aren’t going to back down. They are going to fight back. Blood will flow. And a sympathetic world will see a violent group of otherwise normal looking Yeshiva students burning down the city and throwing rocks at people.

If these violent protestors just want to show the world that the Torah is against homosexual behavior, the world already knows that. Nothing new will be learned by the world about the Torah’s position on homosexual sex. What they will now learn is that religious Jews can be just as violent and deadly as anyone else. We will indeed have fulfilled Ben Gurion's prophecy that we are a nation like all other nations... K’Chol HaGoyim. There is nothing special about Torah Jews. Our claim that “the ways of the Torah are pleasant and all its paths peaceful” will be dismissed as just another platitude. The ways of the Torah, they will say, are violent.

Of course there are those that will claim that the Torah often calls for violence. Look at our directives about Amalek, for example... or what Pinchas did to Zimri. But this is not one of those cases the Torah calls for violence. No where does it say in the Torah She B’ksav and Torah SheBal Peh that one must protest a gay pride parade with violence... a violence that endangers innocent people!

As for what Pinchas did, that too is not the same thing as now. Pinchas killed a leader in Israel, a prince, while he was committing an abominable act in public. If anyone catches a Gadol doing in public what Zimri did, then he may make a comparison. There is no such comparison to be made here.

If the past is prologue, I can predict what is going to happen. It is almost a Charedi ritual. When such things occur, there will be clashes between police and protestors. People are going to get hurt. The next thing you hear will be cries of “police brutality!

But before anyone screams police brutality if and when it the clashes happen, be assured that this has not been the case in the violence perpetrated thus far, at least in one instance. Here is an excerpt of a letter I received from a Charedi individual via e-mail. It tells his personal story. The story and the above picture speak volumes:

To be quite honest, even though I look like a Charedi, I unfortunately feel that I also hate Charedim to a large degree.

Allow me to relate a true story that happened to me today. I was riding my scooter on Rechov Herzel and I saw a big green dumpster in middle of the road in front of me. I had reached the corner of Rechov Hapisga of the Bayit Vegan neighborhood) and it seems that the dumpster had been set on fire and pushed to the middle of the street in order to protest the Gay Parade that is to take place on Friday. There was a police officer directing traffic, and I asked him if I could simply go around the dumpster (as I was on a scooter), and he agreed.

As I approached the dumpster, I found myself in the middle of a hail of stones. Actually, "stones" is an understatement - what was being thrown were cinder blocks. One after another - and they were being aimed at a police officer who was trying to direct traffic. The police officer left his car and ran for his life - literally. I made sure to move out of harms way, yet the stoning continued. I looked at who was throwing the stones - and I was surprised to see that the youths throwing the stones looked like normal Yeshiva boys. They were not neturei karta or semi-off the derech youth; they looked like standard Yeshiva boys.

After a while they stopped, and I was able to pass.

Before I am told that they are the tiny minority, and that most people don't agree with them: Why have no Charedi Rabbonim spoken out against the violence that is being directed at police, journalists, or anyone else in their way? Why is it that they have allowed the mob to go loose and feel that what they are doing is justified?

Yes, I know that all of the apologists will spin this however they want to, but at the end of the day, the Chareidi society in Israel is very, very sick - it would be wise of the American 'chariedim' in the USA to stop trying to defend people who are simply insane and out of control.

My advice: Heed this man’s call.

Another One Rides the Bus

What should a community do if a buss company does not respond to reasonable requests for accommodating the sensibilities of the Charedi community? Why throw rocks at them of course. Isn’t this what Pinchas would do? After all who should they listen to, God or Egged? ‘Nuff said.

What? You say such activity is not justified? Of course it is. If the Reshaim at Egged won’t listen to reason what choice do they have? If we want to live their lives on the standard of “taharas hakodesh” one must sometimes fight for it. This is what is what happened in the city of Bet Shemesh. A bus driver got hurt? He probably deserved it. He should know better than to work for the devil (Egged).

Anyway, as my Satmar friend always say, “It’s time we taught these Reshaim a little Kavod HaTorah!” You know what I mean?

NOT!

Unfortunately far too many Charedim believe this stuff. And their rabbinic leadership tolerates it. I don’t mean to say that they support or advocate it. They of course don’t. But they certainly tolerate it it enough to allow it to happen. Numerous times. Without consequences.

And it does happen quite frequently. I cannot ask this question enough times. Why is this behavior tolerated? Why do these hooligans feel they have a license to do this? There can be only one answer. It is a special type of hooliganism which is based on just demands (according to them) It is the type of Chinuch that equates sitting on a bus that does not segregate the men from the women is tantamount to Giluy Arayos, Shfichas Damim, and Avodah Zara. The way they look at even the slightest infraction of of even the most outlandish Chumra puts them into a mindset that makes them think they have a right to cuase general destruction of property and risk causing bodily harm to others. They are “Pinchas” to Egged’s “Zimri”.

Now of course their rabbinic leadership does not believe this behavior is justified. But it is a tepid belief. The fact that not even the most Charedi amongst them really believes that men and women sitting mixed on a bus equates to what Zimri did with Cosby Bas Tzur. But there is a hooligan element within their ranks that uses this as an excuse to cause mischief and mayhem.

The truth is it is not correct to call these people hooligans. They aren’t your typical gangster types. These are not your gun toting, drug dealing, thugs from the poor side of town who would just as easily kill you as look at you. These are people for whom violating Shabbos is unthinkable. People who Daven three times a day. .. people who would not be caught any where near a gangster. These people are “Frum” in the most commonly understood use of the word. But they are thugs never-the-less. Frum Thugs who think they are doing a Mitzvah by standing up for their principles… fighting for their ideals.

So the public condemnation by their own rabbis just passes right through them. They probably think all it is done with a wink and a nod… and that it is just stated for public consumption.

Those who would dispute that is must ask themselves why they are so defensive of that community. Why do they say, as they often do, “You can’t judge a community by the actions of the hooligans within it”? I think you can if that community tolerates enough of Apologists galore appear after an event like this in their defense saying things like “OK, they were wrong. But you have to understand…” Attitudes like this is what produces such “Kanoim”.

If their leadership would come down forcefully instead of tepidly against these people and stop apologizing for their actions, things might change. Then when someone says “Charedi hooligan” it might actually be a real hooligan.

And that’s what makes these events so bad. These hooligans actually think they are doing something good.

Chalk One up for the Good Guys

Informed sources have told me that Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman will not be addressing the upcoming Agudah convention. It is not 100% confirmed, but I am told that Rabbi Yissocher Frand, of Ner Israel will be speaking in his place. If this is true it is a huge victory for moderation and Achdus.

I am personally glad to hear this news and hope that more steps like this follow. The time to end exclusionism is long overdue. There is far more to be gained by inclusiveness. How wonderful it would be if we could all learn from all of each other in friendship, harmony, and respect even if we might disagree …all in the spirit of Elu VeElu.

To paraphrase astronaut Neil Armstrong, this is one small step for Agudah, but one large step for Klal Yisroel. We’ll have to wait and see, whether it happens and, if it does, whether this is indeed the beginning of more inclusive policy and less a divisive one on the part of Agudah.

I am not sure what generated this change of heart. I suspect it was more internal, than external pressure. But who ever brought it about, I salute them!

One more thing. I want to make clear that I do not Chas VeShalom wish Rabbi Wachsman any ill. My opposition to his speaking at Agudah does not diminish my respect for him as a Marbitz Torah. I instead wish Rabbi Wachsman only a bright and glorious future in doing so.

Rav Shach and Hesder

I had always looked at the hesder program as a shining example of how a Jew living in Israel conduct his life: The Hesder program provides opportunity for those committed to Torah learning and observance to both physically defend his people who are surrounded by mortal enemies while continuing to learn b’hasmada rabba. To me this was the epitome of how a Jew should live. How idealistic it must be to want to serve God and country in this way. One must be willing to put one’s life on the line and still stay committed to learning as much as possible in the process.

As I understand it the commitment by a Hesder student is a six year long one which alternates every six months between learning and army service. This commitment is twice as long as the three year commitment one must give to regular army service upon being drafted. Six years of danger protecting his people.

According to a documentary I saw quite some time ago, Hesder boys do not only commit to the six year time frame, they are usually the ones to volunteer for the most dangerous assignment as a group. This is further testament of their idealism. I remember watching that documentary with tears welling up in my eyes thinking how courageous and wonderful these soldiers were.What a Kiddush HaShem, I thought! It was they who were living up to the full potential as a member of Klal Yisroel, not I. These were the real role models. Learning Torah fulltime and protecting their fellow citizens beyond the call of duty.

I do not mean to take away from the Bnei Torah who learn full time without serving, nor do I want to diminish the contributions of the secular members IDF who put their lives on the line every day. Both deserve credit for what they do. But in my mind Hesder is the highest form of service. Those who serve that way are the best of the best. And I reject the oft heard accusations that the hesder boys are not really all that dedicated to Limud HaTorah. That is a canard! Who is anyone to judge that? How does anyone know that?

And that is why an article in the Yated so upset me. I can’t understand the attitude expressed by Rav Schach in so completely rejecting Hesder. I can understand his Shittah, with which I disagree. But... to such an extent?! In an article designed to celebrate the fifth Yahzeit of his, Rav Dovid Cohen tells of a discussion he had with Rav Shach on this very issue:

“I was once informed that Maran had gone to see an eye specialist in Shaarei Zedek Hospital but that he wished to tell me something. I went there at once and Maran began speaking to me. I accompanied him on his way and when we entered the office, the doctor asked Maran if he would allow his son, who was studying in a yeshivas hesder, to attend the Ponovezh Yeshiva for a week... Maran would not back down. He could not, under any circumstances, allow a boy from a hesder yeshiva to come during the regular session, not even for one week.”

He wouldn’t allow a Hesder student to attend his Yeshiva?! I’m sorry, this insults me. But more importantly it insults the Hesder boys and their program! A Hesder boy who is the prototype of sincerity and devotion to God and country and Rav Shach does not allow him to attend his Yeshiva for even a week? Why? What does he gain by this? What is gained for Klal Yisroel? A sincere young man who has demonstrated a willingness to give up his life for Am Yisroel, wants to further his Torah knowledge by learning in Ponevezh. And Rav Schach would not allow him to learn there during the regular session, for one week?!

It really upsets me when I read something like this. Rav Schach didn’t believe in Hesder. OK, I understand. But it was the Chazon Ish himself who told his Talmid and founder of the Hesder program, Rav Chaim Goldvicht, ZTL, to go ahead with it and how to go about implementing it. I will never forget when Rav Goldvicht told me that story. Yet, Rav Shach forbade such students from entering his Yeshiva. Why was his attitude about these students so negative that he barred hthem entry to his yeshiva for even a week? Were these students to be denied learning Torah just because they were willing to spill blood on behalf of Klal Yisroel... which included his Yeshivaleit as well? How could he treat fellow Ehrilche Jews that way? What principle was he protecting that was worth such stridency?

Small wonder that Rav Shach’s only son rebelled against his father’s Hashkafa to serve in the army himself. He must have felt the same way I do.

Men of Principle

My good friend, Rabbi Shael Siegel, has written a thought provoking post dealing with issues that are affecting his life currently and the choices he has made. What interested me the most is the biographical portion about how he went about making a decision early in his adult life that has affects him to this day. For those who don’t know, I will breifly repeat what I have written before and perhaps add a bit.

Rabbi Shael Siegel is a brilliant thinker. I have admired his mind for a long time and I respect his views, although I do not agree with some them.

He and I attended Rav Aaron Soloveichk’s Shiurim when we were talmidim at HTC. We were in his shiur for four years, one “blatt” year and three years in the Smicha Shiur. Shael was one of the top students in the class, always “acing” the Bechinos, something I was quite jealous of. He was also the beneficiary of Rav Ahron’s great compassion and understanding when Rav Ahron defended his right to be who he was and not conform to artificial dress codes. I also remember Sheal asking a Shaila to Rav Ahron when during sfira he needed a heter to shave off a rather bushy beard so that he could look his best for an interview with respect to getting accepted to a masters program at a local university here.

But as a man of great courage and integrity he parted company with his rebbe and after three years of studying for Smicha, and acing all the Bechinos, he did not receive Smicha from Rav Ahron. (He does have Smicha from the Yeshiva signed by other Roshei Yeshiva there if I recall correctly.) Both Rav Ahron a man of great principle... and one of his top Talmidim, also a man of great principle clashed. Shael tells his story in this post and it is fascinating. I admire Shael for maintaining the courage of his conviction, even though I disagree with his position on this issue. He sacrificed getting Smicha from his rebbe because he didn’t want to compromise his beliefs. Would that we could all have such courage to always act in harmony with our principles. Many of us all too often compromise. Shael most often does not. This post tells the insightful story.

Message to Agudath Israel of America

I owe a debt of gratitude to the Internet version of the Yated Ne’eman. They often give me the best material for my blog. And they have done so again. This time they have written about the upcoming Agudah convention and have included a very predictable critique of Orthodox blogs. It is a quote of Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel an executive vice president of Agudah. Here is the quote:

"In recent years, though due to a variety of factors, the authority of daas Torah has been significantly undermined, even within our own chareidi circles. Most troubling has been the proliferation of Internet 'blogs' where misguided individuals feel free to spread every bit of rechilus and loshon hora about rabbonim and roshei yeshiva, all with the intended effect of undermining any semblance of Torah authority in our community. It is most appropriate for an organization like Agudath Israel, whose very essence was built on the recognition of the authority of Torah leaders, to address this issue head on, and formulate concrete plans to reinvigorate public awareness of this essential element of the Torah way of life."

I’m not sure how he would characterize my own blog but my very strong feeling is that he would not like it. That being said, I agree that some Orthodox blogs do cross some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. And that is equally true of the commenters on these blogs, perhaps even more so because of the anonymity feature available to them. But I don’t think that Rabbi Zweibel is talking about only those blogs or those commenters. I believe he is talking about blogs like mine as well. That remains to be seen.

At this point I do not feel the need yet to specifically defend what I write. I’ll wait until after the convention and see what they say. But if my suspicions are correct they are going to blast bogs like mine and by implication people like me for lacking Kavod HaTorah and undermining Daas Torah. They will accuse me of an agenda to “undermine any semblance of Torah authority”. This is of course untrue. Although my approach to Daas Torah is not their approach, I have absolutely no agenda to undermine it. My intent is only to improve it, and make it more inclusive. And to define what, who, and when I believe that Daas Torah even applies. I differ with Agudah on that. But that is not undermining it. It is only defining it differently. And I base my beliefs on those of Gedolim outside of Agudah like those of my Rebbe, Rav Aaron Soloveichik.

It is really too bad that Agudah chose to address Orthodox blogs and bloggers in this indirect way. Don’t they realize that we are all on the same team here? Most of the respectable blogs like Hirhurim and Cross currents want to promote Kavod haTorah not denigrate it. The only question is how to do it properly.

All this is related to the famous essay written by Ner Israel Rosh HaYeshiva, Rav Aharon Feldman who blamed Rabbi Nosson Slifkin and the bloggers for the deterioration of Kavod HaTorah. Yes, this entire episode has generated a tremendous denigration of Kavod HaTorah. But the blame cannot be placed on only one side. The denigration by one side was caused by the denigration of it by other.

The genesis for this horrible condition is not Rabbi Slifkin and his supporters, although I freely admit that there is a lot of that going on there. But it is mostly reaction. The genesis of the denigration is the Charedi condemnations of what was until then mainstream thought on issues of science and Torah on the part of educated people. This is what has caused this backlash.

Doesn’t Agudah leadership like Rabbi Zwiebel see that? You can’t call beliefs of sincere and educated Orthodox Jews heretical and expect them to just say… OK, sorry about that. I’ll change my beliefs now. You cannot expect intelligent people to suddenly reject everything they’ve learned about the origins of the universe that was perfectly acceptable until that point. No intelligent person is going to do that, including most educated Charedim. Not everyone is going to get down on their knees and ask forgiveness and say, “What can I do to atone for my here-to-fore heretical beliefs?” And it doesn’t help when they try and absolve large portions of Orthodox Klal Yisroel by saying, “You can’t blame them for believing in heresy, they know what they do!” This only makes matters worse and puts a cloud over geniuses who are accepted by the Charedi world, like Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan who had those self same beliefs.

No, this is not the way to win friends and influence people. Trashing those of us who seek Emes without even talking to us isn’t the way to promote Kavod HaTorah.

A far better approach (and it’s not too late to do this) would be to invite successful and intelligent bloggers like Rabbi Gil Student to address the Agudah Convention. Rabbi Student would give the convention the much needed balance it is missing. What is to be gained after all by preaching to the choir? Agudah knows full well that its audience generally rubber stamps its pronouncements. Why not be the broader based umbrella institution of Orthodoxy that Agudah claims to be? Why not include non-Charedi rabbinic leaders to address the crowd on these issues? Why not Include Rabbinic leaders of Modern Orthodoxy, like Rav Hershel Shachter or Rabbi Yosef Blau to speak about these issues as well? Why not bring other perspectives to the fore? If the goal is to increase Kaovod HaTorah this would be a far better and broader way of doing it.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a version of an address I wished an Aguda keynoter might say. I wrote it tongue firmly implanted in cheek. I wish it would happen, although I know it won’t, certainly not after reading this quote from Rabbi Zweibel. And that’s too bad.

The Yated article states that Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman is going to be addressing the convention as a featured speaker. He is a dynamic and very entertaining speaker. I have heard him speak here in Chicago and can testify to that. But if history is any indicator of what to expect, this won’t be good. Rabbi Wachsman is guilty of precisely what Agudah wants to stop. He alienates all people whose Hashkafos are different than his which will cause even more denigration of Kavod HaTroah. He will likely condemn most, if not all Orthodox blogs. He will be very convincing and derogatory with his words. I hope I’m wrong. But I doubt that I am. The convention is worthy of boycotting based just on this man alone.

Gay Pride, Rabbis, and Muslim Clerics

Will there ever be a time where Jews and Arab Muslims will work together in harmony for the same goal? In light of the avowed hatred Muslim Clerics have been preaching aginst Jews since the advent of Modern Zionism, it would seem highly unlikely. And, frankly, the very thought of it turns my stomach. How could we? Muslim Religious leaders are almost single handedly responsible for all the suicide bombings. It is they who preach Jihad and martyrdom in the madrosses and mosques. It is they who use publications like “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” as historical textbooks.

But that is precisely what is happening. Not only is it Jews who are working with Muslims it is Charedi Rabbanim.

As repugnant as the idea seems, I find it interesting that there can be any common ground between these two groups. But of course if one really thinks about it, there is a lot of common ground. The two religions share a great deal of religious values. One of those values is the Issur of performing homosexual acts. And this is the area that has drawn Charedi Rabbanim and Muslim clerics together.

On November 10th of this year, the World Pride Gay Parade is scheduled to take place in Jerusalem.

This event is an abomination. It should be protested. All efforts must be made to prevent it from taking place. And there is no better time for a joint effort between Muslims and Jews to join forces. Who knows? Maybe this can lead to something… like a better understanding of each other and acceptance and tolerance. Maybe Muslim clerics will see that the dangers posed to them by secular-humanist agendas are greater than the dangers posed to them by Torah Judaism. Who really knows?... But what is most important at the moment is the prevention of this parade in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Most people who read this blog regularly know my position on homosexuality. Briefly stated, I am opposed to the sin and not the sinner. Furthermore I have great sympathy and understanding for those who have a physical attraction to the same sex. And I support their right tom live with dignity and respect. I do not judge their sexuality. I only judge their actions. Homosexuals who do not act on their inclinations are no different than heterosexuals who do not act on their own forbidden inclinations. It is not our job to follow our fellow human beings into the bedroom and see whether they follow the Torah’s laws on sexuality. That is between man and God. Certainly in our day we have no recourse to do anything about it even when it is witnessed and the perpetrators are properly warned. All that we can to do is live by the laws of the Torah. We are not required to hate a fellow human being because of his inclinations. In fact, that would be entirely Assur.

So why am I opposed to the gay parade? After all, isn’t the parade precisely about their wanting respect and to be able to live in dignity? Well… the answer to that is no. It isn’t.

This parade is not about being left alone to do what ever one will in the privacy of their own bedroom. It is about the desire to change the absolute values of the Torah. It is about changing the Torah’s clear characterization that homosexual acts are an abomination. The organizers of this parade do not want acceptance of the proclivity. They want acceptance of the act itself. This is why a Jerusalem location is so important to them. They know frm where the religious objections stem. They stem from Torah MiTzion. And it is Tzion that they want to make their stand. They want the imprimatur of Yerushalyim Ir HaKodesh. And we must do everything we can to prevent it.

Not that they will ever get God’s imprimatur. God is very clear about homosexual acts in His Torah. And parading in His holy city won’t change that. But they know the symbolism of a massive, well organized and well attended parade there. It will be seen by them as a sort of biblical approval of their lifestyle. The thought of Jerusalem hosting the flamboyant “flaming” behavior this type of parade generates on the part of its participants is disgusting! The prospect of Jerusalem’s children inadvertently seeing these people “act out” in the streets of Jerusalem is nauseating. This must be fought with everything we have. We must not allow it to happen.

But what if it does? What if all of our best efforts are for naught and the parade takes place? What are our options then?

The one thing that is even worse than having this parade in Jerusalem is to create a Chilul HaShem in the process. It is one thing to try and prevent it by all legal means. And it is proper and right to protest it loudly and clearly if it can not be prevented. But it is not OK to do it violently. This cannot be emphasized enough. Last time a parade like this happened, blood flowed; people were stabbed. The the propensity for this to happen again is very great, it cannot be allowed to happen again. It is a clear Issur to injure anyone participating in the parade and it is a Chilul HaShem. And it will undermine any legitimate protest.

With all the exhortations by religious leaders about the abomination of a parade this taking place in the holy city of Jerusalem I do not believe enough has been said about peaceful protest. Yes, there should be demonstrations across the city. Speakers of all segments of Orthodoxy which should include those Muslim clerics who have joined us as well should take place on that day all over the city. But any violence should be completely rejected. And should it occur, it needs to be swiftly dealt with. It would be wise, in my view for the rabbinic leadership and the police to meet beforehand and organize a coordinated effort to deal with violent protesters effectively. Those who are violent on that day should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and the rabbinic leadership should be first in line to see that it happens.

The stakes are high. Kavod Shamayim demands a response. But it also demands that it be done in ways that will generate a Kiddush HaShem and not a Chilul HaShem.

Evanston Jew

One of the new and truly bright spots in the blogosphere is one entitled Evanston Jew. He is bright, articulate, and informed. I highly reccomend reading his blog on a regular basis, as I have started doing. The current post is so good that it needs no further comment from me (although I did comment there). I don't usually do this, but this post is so good, I consider it a must read and have devoted an entire post to just that purpose.

Rabbi Mendy

What is it with Rabbi Mendy Muskall? How can an individual who claims to be a follower of the Torah go ahead and apparently dupe someone the way he seems to have? Is it something the Rebbe said?... or didn’t say? Why must the Torah world be embarrassed by the shenanigans of such people?

One thing we know about Lubavitch (aside from the fact that a great number of them wave Moshicah flags) is that they venerate the Rebbe. They believe him to be next to God. (and in some, albeit rare cases, God Himself Melubash BaGuf). But either way, even if they deny their Meshichist tendencies, they still proclaim that the Rebbe was… or is… the greatest Jewish figure to grace the planet earth in the 20th century. Perhaps even the greatest human being who ever lived. Such loyalty most also hold that the Rebbe was the most ethical man who ever lived as well. And yet so often they use deceptive techniques like this. Is this what the Rebbe taught? One would think so by the number of times stories like this pop up.

From an article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, here’s what happened. The husband of a congregant by the name Loretta Miller died in October 2003. Rabbi Muskall suggested she donate an Aron Kodesh in his memory. The fee would be $18,000. The problem is the Aron Kodesh only cost $2000. Complicating matters further, the donor said that it was a terrible job. "It looked like somebody did it as a hobby and it just looked horrible," said Mrs. Miller.

Of course Rabbi Muskall claims he did nothing wrong. It’s true that often people “buy” religious artifacts for exorbitantly high prices as a form of donation in memoriam for a deceased loved one. And those buying those artifacts usually know that they are paying for that honor. It is a time honored tradition. This is one of the ways in which instituions like Yeshivos raise money.

But what transpired here was not exactly that. Apparently Rabbi Muskall used that money for personal expense. While a Palm Beach County judge had ordered Mendy Muskall to pay $12,945 to MBNA America Bank for defaulting on his debt, court records show… and while the judgment still hasn't been satisfied, “Rabbi Muskall took his entire family on an extended trip to Israel in June 2004, staying for two months.

Complicating matters even further, the Shul’s tax exempt status had been dissolved during the period she made the donation so a receipt containing the synagogue's Tax ID number did not even qualify for a tax write-off.

How sad it is when something like this happens. An individual’s grief is exploited for money, and then improperly used.

I do not know what the disposition of this case will be. Perhaps he will be vindicated in court. I don’t know. But even if the money did not go directly into his pocket, he still misled this poor woman. The money most certainly was not used as advertised. The woman was deceived.

This Shaliach of Lubavitch… who venerates the Rebbe… who no doubt came with the best of intentions… to build a Jewish presence reflective of Torah… to be Mekarev the natives… has had this ugly side of Lubavitch exposed. And based on the history of how Lubavitch operates, I suspect the Rabbi misled his congregant. The ends justify the means. This is how they operate. I’ve seen it time and time again.

Of course every time I write about it… all the apologists come out of the woodwork with statements like: How can you trust this secular newspaper? They are biased! Or… there you go bashing Lubavitch again. Or… you don’t know the facts of the case, how can you judge? Or… look at all the good they do! Or… that has never been my experience, which has all been wonderful!

All true. But if stories like this keep popping up repeatedly they can’t all be false. You can fool some of the people some of the time…

Instead of becoming a beacon of the light of Torah to this woman, he showed himself to be a charlatan. Instead of getting a Jew to say Ma Tovu Ma Naim about our Torah he has elicited the following statement from her:

"He preyed on my goodness, my grief, my charity," she said. "He and his wife were like a vulture that came down and went after me."

Atheists and Morality

There has been some discussion on Hirhurim and Cross-Currents about the morality of an atheist versus a believer in a God. The question raised is whether an atheist can be a moral person even though he does not believe in God. One might say that indeed an atheist is moral because at the end of the day atheists are for example as averse to killing or stealing as believers are. This is true, but I think one must define morality better.

I do not think an Atheist can have an absolute moral code that is more than humanistic in value. It is humanism that will tell him that it's wrong to murder. That's because he knows that he does not want to be killed. Hence he can can reasonably conclude that neither do other humans want to be killed. It's kind of an inductive type of reasoning. And such is the reasoning behind all types of human behavior that is not based in a religious moral code.

Therefore, it is not just murder, but all Halachos Bein Adam L'Chavero which do not need God as a rationale. One can devise a moral code of behavior in the realm of human relations and be a very moral person in tht sense, without any religious values dictated by God. One simply adheres to Hillel’s “Golden Rule”: “Do not unto other what you would not have them do unto you”. But when it comes to Mitzvos Bein Adam L’Makom, that is where God comes in. Shabbos, for example, is one area that will not be a basis for behavior to an atheist. But that is not really a moral issue. Sexual behavior is.

What about the morality of sexual behavior? Sexual conduct is one area where there would be a broad difference between an atheist and a believer in God. When it comes to sexual acts, both issues of Bein Adam L’Makom and Bein Adam L’Chavero come into play. If one accepts the concepts of absolute morality that are dictated by God, then there are acts which are forbidden as immoral... irrespective of whether the impact on a participating party is positive.

Let us take homosexual acts as an example. To an atheist whose view of morality is based on Bein Adam L’Chaevro, a homosexual act will only be evil if a participant objects to it. If on the other hand he has a willing partner, then there will be nothing immoral about it. But to one who believes in a God who has taught us that there is such a thing as absolutes with rspect to sexual morality, homosexual behavior is by religious definition immoral, no matter whether a partner in the act is consenting or not. There is a correlation between belief in a religious based morality and whether one cosinders homosexual behavior moral.

But then one might ask why an atheist is repulsed by incest for example. I doubt that any atheist will see incest as acceptable behavior, even if it involves two consenting adults. How does this explain the revulsion an atheist might have to it? To me the answer seems obvious. It is a part of the culture. The cultural milieu in which we live will dictate that such behavior is repugnant. But in fact, in a humanistic sense, it is not. In that sense there is nothing wrong with it as long as no one is hurt. This is a form of indoctrination an atheist will have living in a civilized ciulture. He will repulsed by.

But in a vaccum, would such behavior be repulsive? I think not. In my view civilization has determined such behavior to be immoral only because of its historic religious beliefs of a God based absolute morality. I do not believe it possible to explain it any other way.

So it isn’t correct to say that Atheists have no moral standards. They most certainly do. But I think the standards are based on a humanistic system combined with a civilization that has been indoctrinated over time to consider acts immoral that have no apparent reason attached to them except as dictated by society's millenia old belief in a God based morality.

So the bottom line is that one needs to define their terms. If morality is based on humanism, one can be a very moral person within those limits. And at the same time be morally depraved in religion based, God centered terms.