Once again Rosh Yeshiva Porat Yosef Rabbi Shalom Cohen Shlita, a member of Shas’ Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah is in the news. Rabbi Cohen has now stated that anyone who voted for the Bayit Yehudi party will go to Gehenom. It was the same Rav Cohen who recently compared the dati leumi tzibur with Amalek. The rosh yeshiva’s comments were clarified the following week by Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita.
That was followed by a meeting of chareidi and dati leumi rabbonim, arranged by Gershon Mesika, who felt the desperate need to lower the flames of dispute.
In an audio of a shiur delivered by the rav, Rabbi Cohen explains to talmidim that he received a letter from a dati leumi rav in the area who questioned how he could make such harsh remarks. The rav went on to explain that he is not interested in addressing the rav’s issue, asking rhetorically who he voted for in the elections. Rabbi Cohen stated that those who voted for Bayit Yehudi are heading for Gehenom.
This remark was made in passing as the rav focused on the issue of Bayit Yehudi’s decision to team with Yesh Atid, explaining Shai Piron is intent on destroying Yiddishkheit. “Piron wants to uproot the talmidei torah that the world rests upon and you, Bayit Yehudi, wish to be partner to this? Lapid promises them that hesder yeshivot will not be harmed” adds the rav.
“I don’t know who everyone voted for but who voted for them believes he is going to Olam Haba but is headed for Gehenom.”
Rabbi Cohen then made reference to the dati leumi rabbonim who signed a letter giving Bayit Yehudi chizuk and calling on the party to save the yeshivos. He told his talmidim one of the dati leumi rabbonim who davens locally and was among those who signed the letter gave a shiur in which he discussed the issues. He calls on that rav and others who are critical of the party’s behavior to stop remaining silent and take appropriate action – to shout at the “Bayit of Goyim” to leave the coalition.
Rabbi Cohen continues to explain that many see them, those who are critical of Bayit Yehudi and think they are one in the same. He stresses his words are only for Kovod Shomayim, and that those who voted for Bayit Yehudi are wretched, truly wretched, and others blame this all on Rav Kook, “poor Rav Kook” he concludes.
The rav closes by calling on dati leumi rabbonim to break the silence and protest and remove Bayit Yehudi from its coalition seats.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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39 Responses
The Rov shlita is absolutely correct.
Yasher Koach to Rav Cohen shlit”a for fearlessly saying the truth even though he knows he will be attacked.
(See below. The barrage is coming.)
I’m certain that this “oheiv yisrael” has the Badatz seal of Kashrut branded on his rump.
For SHAME!
The only one who we know for certain is headed in that direction is the one who makes such hateful and mindless comments. With such sinas chinam coming from among the so called leadership of the charedi movement with comparisons to Amalek and other rabbonim calling a competitor for the chief rav position “evil”, is it no surprise that we have such pain and sorrow within klal yisroel? I suspect the art of expressing disagreement in a respectful way has been lost and insteady its easier to resort to such mindless hyperbole.
Thank You for the clarification, Rav Cohen.
Now we know that, as most suspected, you meant what you said and that Shas’s clarifications that tried to make you seem less hateful were lies.
So which one is Hamas and which one is Fatah? All these Palestinian mullahs look the same to me.
This man is an idiot
Shkoach to the rav for having courage to speak up.
Some “yeshish” people had no problem 20 years ago painting a Rebbe as dimented, crazy and even evil. Were they only so discerning about this kind of stupidity.
“yeshivish”
Shas is the wing of the hareidi community that was trying the hardest to integrate into the zionist world as well. Most of their supporters serve in the IDF. If what the hilonim objected to was hareidim not serving in the army and not integrating into the army, they should have loved Shas. In fact, their fury is most strongly directed against Shas (probably because on top of being hareidi, and having the chutzpah to try to integrate into mainstream Israel, they have the outrage of being Sefardi and proud of it).
THe goyim have a phrase to the effect that there is no fury greater than that of a scorned lover. That Shas is beginning to sound like the Eidah Hareidis should make the zionists very worried.
ממשלת לבן (Lapid/Bennett/Natanyahu) are desperate for civil war (after all it’s in style in the Middle East). This civil war between charedim and Daati Leumi “Religious” Zionists / chilonim will prove to all how right Rabbi Shalom Cohen shlit”a was all along, causing Daati Leumi to hide for shame.
We need more such Gedolim like Rabbi Cohen shlit”a who have the courage to say it the way it is.
Did he address why SHAS would not meet with Bayit Yehudi to set up a coalition force for entering the government? or why SHAS were the voters for OSLO?
Personally too much attention is being given to speeches, shiurim, schmoozim, that are said in Eretz Yisroel. Our model of dibur in USA is so different from theirs. Can not be taken seriously!!!
Given that the majority of those who vote for Sha”s wear kippot srugot (or no kippot at all), serve in the IDF, identify with the tenets of Religious Zionism and have many classmates, friends and family members who have voted for HaBayit HaYehudi, Chacham Cohen and his inflammatory remarks may cost Sha”s yet several more Knesset seats.
If all who voted for Bayit Yehudi are headed for Gehenom, they’ll have some pretty good company there. There are hundreds of Talmidei Chachamim who voted for BY – and based on their history, they’ll set up a good Yeshiva and numerous outreach programs there.
an Israeli Yid
Remove them from the coalition? Why Soo $ha$ could join in instead?
daddeutsch who said “I’m certain that this “oheiv yisrael” has the Badatz seal of Kashrut branded on his rump.”
Actually he (and his movement) were the anti-Badatz. For generations they claimed that the zionists are good Jews who are only a bit misguided in certain matters, but they are people we should work with, and that we should support the zionist state (and except for full time Torah students, serve in their army and fight their wars). The badatz (i.e. the Eidot hareidiot), by way of contrast, said that the zionists were mortal enemies of Torah and of the Jewish people, and the less we have to do with their evil follies, the better.
And now Rav Cohen, and his movement, are reluctantly and sorrowfully admitting they they have been horribly wrong, that it was a mistake to collaborate with the zionists, and that the Eidiot Hareidiot were right all along.
I suspect this is both a “feeler” and a “warning” and that Shas hopes the zionists will change their policy, and that Shas would be happier to be the frum wing of the zionists rather than having to be the disloyal (meaning treacherous, as in committing treason) opposition – but that decision is in the hands of the people running Israel who at present at Netanyahu, Lapid and Bennett. He wants the zoinists to consider their actions before they carry through their plans for a full scale war against the Torah community.
#12. Don’t confused them with the truth.
The Zohar says that we are gilgulim of Dor Hamidbor and that the leaders of the generation will be the Erev Rav. Don’t make the mistake that the Zohar is only speaking of secular leaders. This seems like some proof that it’s not the case.
What’s worse is to put one’s 5 cents in and possibly, very possibly to go to Grhinnom oneself, simply by speaking Loshon Hora about a Talmud chochom. Who is even entitled to an opinion before knowing cold entire shas and shulchan oruch? Anyone has ideas?!
Yagel Libi: Shas keeps increasing their Kenneset seats. Eat your heart out.
that rav cohen does not like bayit yehudi is his prerogative. what troubles me the most is the assertion that rav cohen knows who will get into heaven and who will not. even more troubling is this idea that the party one votes for plays such a deciding factor. i am assuming he also subscribes to the view that anyone who votes shas will go to heaven. does this man really believe that heaven and hell are places one needs to vote his way into? rav cohen has lost his way.
#3
So you really think that any Rav/Rosh Yeshiva etc. has no right to say his opinion before YOU will approve it?! Reb E. Wasserman brings what the Chofetz Chaim said regarding the Misrachi movement which is the dati leumi that they are MACHTYIM ES HORABIM UMECHALLELIM SHEM SHOMAYIM! I have a copy of this letter in front of me!
This year I dont think anyone had any doubt that we would be commemorating Tisha Ba’Av as Sinas Chinam is at alltime high.
I think the American model of keeping one’s mouth shut if they have nothing nice to say, is one that our brethren worldwide can follow.
Before we get to Ahavas Chinam – lets get to saying nothing negative.
The fact that there are readers here who are praising these words of hatred is surprising and saddening to me.
Maybe there is no hope for Am Yisrael.
You dont need to know Shas cold in order to disagree with words of sinas chinam and hatred.
I would expect even my 8 year old to refuse to hear words like these – even (and perhaps especially) if spoken from someone who people think is gadol.
I for one do not believe in a G-d who rewards such statements and ways of thinking. Sometime people miss the main point and catch some unimportant details.
my kids were taught in yeshiva to respect and believe everything our gedolim say.
I dont have the heart to tell them they were duped.
#19- Sha”s has dropped from 17 MKs in 1999 to 11 Mks in 2013.
It came to a situation where silk gloves are removed. Chilonim and Religious Zionists show their true face without a mask and are not embarrassed to publicize their hatred of charedim and take action with their full chutzpah. So it’s about time the Rabbanim take off their silk gloves too and speak with the same language saying clearly and publicly whatever was said and known about Religious Zionists throughout the generations.
#19 HUH HUH….. did you notice the reduction in seats since the last election?
#12 Charedim are not like Daati Leumi who compromise on Torah. As a result they were not able to enter the coalition.
#20 Talmidei chachamim have the knowledge and understanding what such little people like you don’t.
And here I thought my shmiras mitzvos would bring me to Gan Edan!
I once met a christian missionary who told me that I have to believe in J in order to get into heaven. I told him that I’d rather go to hell. Seems I’m going there anyway. Who could have believed that Rav Cohen and Christians had similar hashkafos!
bklynmom who wrote: “HUH HUH….. did you notice the reduction in seats since the last election?”
The most recent polls, which are all from hiloni media that usually undercount Shas, show only a slight decline, at most. This suggest that Shas voters are NOT outraged over the party’s opposition to conscription, and perhaps the see Shasa as party most consistently opposed to Lapid’s austerity program. Remember that have chosen Shas over Likud already suggests a strongly pro-Torah bias in voters, so Lapid’s anti-Torah policies (combined with his anti-poor and anti-Sefardi views) probably mean Shas will hold its own.
why if someone says you are going to gehonnim is he a hater or is is “hateful” if someone says “amoleikim are going to gehennim” is it hateful no its the truth
this rav is saying that some one who votes for a party that aligns itself with yesh atid is going to gehennim now mr lapid is going to gehennim is that hateful?? thats a fact! rav cohen is saying if you align yourself, support or abade, eyn atid in any way you have the same din as them.
can we calm down with all the rhetoric that is what this godol says and how do you disprove it it is sound to me
Before he can give mussar to others he should first do his house cleaning ,let him start with the head of his holy party DERI and continue with …
I hear lots of talk on sinas chinam. Please allow me to translate: sinas chinum = gratuitous hatred.
Hatred of the wicked is not only not sinas chinum, but required. David HaMelech said : I have hated sinners in the extreme – they are enemies to me!
“This remark was made in passing as the rav focused on the issue of Bayit Yehudi’s decision to team with Yesh Atid, explaining Shai Piron is intent on destroying Yiddishkheit. “Piron wants to uproot the talmidei torah that the world rests upon and you, Bayit Yehudi, wish to be partner to this?”
Couldn’t agree more. Piron is a Dog! I’m surprised the Rav didn’t mention little Dovy as well. When the attacks on Torah Hakdosha are intensified by those who wish to destroy it, one must fight back with all his Koche’s. I’m sick & tired about hearing the left claim “the nine days”, “Lashon Hara”, “Ahavat Yisrael” garbage! Why should any of that matter to you hypocrites? Its only written in the Torah, and you want to destroy it!
Yagel Libi: 1999 was an abnormally high for Shas. Currently they are doing as good as ever, sans ’99.
#27: There was no reduction in seats from the last election for Shas. UTJ increased seats.
#25, #19 #33: In the 1999 elections, (and only that one year) voters were permitted to cast one vote for parliament and a separate vote for prime minister. therefore, 1999 is not a good benchmark.
Charedi parties always teamed up with who ever brought them money. More Yeshiva students in the army, means less money to Charedim.
I guess that Rabbi Cohen forgot when his Charedi friends barred Sepahardic girls from entering Ashkenazic yeshivas.
kippa Serugu guys who put their life on the line for people who dont appreciate them are nuts.
Oh yeah, Kippa Seruga guys dont comprimise on halacha like child molestation and rape.
All of a sudden the Askkinazim love the Sepahrdic Rabbis, whose follower are Kippot Serugot.
Be honest, if the army was just for 3 days, you guys still wouldnt serve.
I love Chareim in the USA. Those in Isreal will be left in the cold.
#28 Are you serious? The Chareidim have been in just about every government since the Nation was re-founded. That didn’t stop Shas and other from supporting Oslo, that led to Jewish deaths, or violation Torah principles in their financial dealings, or in speaking vile Loshon Horoh. (Oh I know, everyone does it) Good excuse NOT!!
Let’s not forget throwing garbage in the Kotel Plaza and attacking those that are preventing them from getting massacred.