Thursday, January 13, 2022

Message to Agudah - Put Them in Cherem!

Above::Rabbis Mirvis & Sacks - Below: Reuven and Mizrachi (Rationalist Judaism)
Rabbi Natan Slifkin’s latest post says it all. Better than I ever could. I will however add the following thoughts.

The two individuals he condemns are more than worthy of it. I have written about Yosef Mizrachi and Yaron Reuven before. More than once in the case of Mizrachi. My opinion of those two has not changed. They continue to be the epitome of evil disguised as Tzadikim. Making public statements like - if they could they would murder people they don’t agree with. This is so so evil that it qualifies them for the Godly characteristic of ‘Mida K’neged Mida – the poetic justice of doing to them what they want to do to others.

I am of course not God forbid suggesting that anyone should go out and kill them. I am merely using their own words against them.

Mizrachi has tried to defend his ‘Fire and Brimstone’  Kiruv style as telling the truth about Judaism. Accusing most Kiruv organizations sugar coating Judaism and not telling it like it is by leaving out the consequences of sin.  

It is true that there are consequences to sin. There are consequences to all of our actions. When Jewish law is properly fulfilled we are rewarded. When Jewish law is violated we are punished. Sometimes by an earthly court and sometimes by a heavenly court. It’s all there in the Torah as interpreted by the sages.

To focus only on punishment and not reward is disingenuous.  It characterizes Judaism in negative terms only. And instills fear rather than love as the means of bringing Jews closer to Judaism. That is both wrong and stupid. You start with love. The rest will follow as one becomes more educated Jewishly.

But even if one can justify the ‘Fire and Brimstone’ approach - these 2 Reshaim have taken it to new low. A level of depravity that defies description. To suggest (as Reuven has) that Hitler was justified in killing 6 million Jews because they deserved it, is so dark – so evil it defies description. There are no words that can describe how depraved such comments are. 

Here is their latest bit of mischief: 

And now, Reuven and Mizrachi returned with another way to harm the Jewish People. One prominent rabbi that these little jackals are particularly jealous of and despise is the very successful Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of Boca Raton Synagogue. Yesterday, Rabbi Goldberg hosted an important event about celebrating solidarity with Israel, which included Pastor Mario Bramnick. Reuven and Mizrachi saw an opportunity to attack Rabbi Goldberg, and started campaigning about how Rabbi Goldberg is inviting "proselytizing Christian missionaries" to his synagogue. One of Reuven's associates even faked a letter from Rav Hershel Schechter condemning the event. And other followers sent graphic death threats to Rabbi Goldberg.

That letter was proven to be a fake. When Rav Shachter was contacted about it he confirmed it was fake and endorsed what his Talmid, Rabbi Goldberg was doing. 

(I have long ago been convinced by Orthodox rabbis like Yitchok Adlerstein and the late Yechiel Eckstein - who both worked closely with Evengelical preachers and understood their true motives better than anyone - of the following. Their support for Israel and the Jewish people was genuine and sincere. And although they would like us to accept their religious views - as any good Christian believer would, their support is in no way an attempt to convert us. But I digress.)

As I said, I am so disgusted with Mizrachi and Reuven that there is nothing I can say that would show how deep my contempt is. 

I have in the past suggested that if there was one thing that members of the Agudah Moetzes could do that would be beneficial to the entire Jewish community, it would be to put these two evil Jews into complete Cherem – as it is practiced today. And then warn people to stay away from them. They need to be completely ostracized in the strongest possible language.  They should publicly declare that anyone that follows them in the belief that they are espousing ‘Torah True’ values should be disabused of that notion. And insist they stop listening to them.

This was actually more or less done by a few courageous rabbis a few years ago. But not nearly enough of them. I don’t recall if any of the Agudah Moetzes members were involved. ( don’t think they were.) They absolutely should be. There needs to be universal unambiguous rejection and condemnation of both Mizrachi and Reuven. Religious leaders across the board of Orthodoxy need to ALL be on the same page. Mizrachi and Reuven must never be allowed the cover of any rabbi’s silence as some sort of implied approval of what they do.