18 Responses

1. The American army actually has rule on yarmulkes (not allowing political writing or logos). If they are also banning yarmulkes with pro-zionist slogans (such as an Israeli flag logo), banning all slogans is quite reasonable. Presumably they also don’t allow soldiers to wear buttons with private messages on it. If such a rule is applied uniformly, it really isn’t an issue. Rules prohibiting soldiers from engaging in politics on duty or in uniform are fairly standard.

2. Well I’m sure the comments that follow won’t have even a hint of lashon hara.

3. One time I agree with the the zionist military.
   It is difficult to generalize, but usually a moshichist is worse than dati-leumi.

4. Article is a little slanted, it probably affects Na Nachs more than “Mesichist” Chabadniks. Plenty of the latter don’t bother with Yechi Kippot.

   Regardless it’s not really a big deal.

5. Is it loshon hora or a mitzvah to point out theological deviations?

6. #2 its not so poshut there is an issur loshon horah on meshichnists. there is none on freier jews see chofetz chaim hilchos loshon harah. i once asked my rosh yeshiva is it better to be a baal teshuva “by chabad” or to stay frei and he said its a good sheilah.

7. #2- ok, ill bite. im not sure what the big deal is. seeing as this army in no way identifies with frumkeit or the torah, why not allow heresy as well? in a western, religion-free society, we should accept all forms of kfira as valid and let them put what thet want on yarmulkas.

8. All kipot should be as solid as possible or with slight stripes, all messages are distracting. Hope that there will be a T SHIRT ruling also..

9. To #6, nit everyone with the title of Rosh Yeshiva is worthy of that title, there’e gedolim that we respect and care for klal yisroel like the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l, and then there’s gedolim that we send in the sewer, your RY falls into the category of the latter,.

10. lbj:
    What I see in the Chofetz Chaim seems to say otherwise:
    ח”ח כלל ד’:ג’ ובמ”ח י”א
    Assuming being a meishachist is assur, most meshichists are just following their rav’s opinion and are therefore in that category mentioned in the Be’air Mayim Chaim quoted above.

11. #10:
    There are several categories of meshichistim:
    1) Those who believe the rebbe is definitely moshiach
    but are not convinced he is still alive, their
    stupidity must be exposed generally, but to deride
    them individually is forbidden.
    2) Those who claim the rebbe never died, while not
    absolute heresy, borders on christianity.
    3) Those who actually pray to the rebbe, or publically
    eat on fast days are apikorsim, and it is a mitzvah
    to degrade them individually and collectively.
    4) Worse of all are the boreinunikes, shem reshoim
    yirkov.
    The fact that nos 2, 3, 4 exists, proves no 1 also a disaster.
    Famous comment of Rav Schach zy”a in his war against neo-lubavitch, he does not defend the honor of the vilna gaon, he is defending the honor of the baal hatanyeh.

12. #6 i once asked my rosh yeshiva is it better to be a baal teshuva “by chabad” or to stay frei and he said its a good sheilah.

    Well if you want to open up a Pandora’s box — what about someone who becomes baal teshuva through YU, etc — 2 days after Tish B’Av we shouldn’t be making divisions.
    Ahavas Yisroel extends even to yidden you disagree with (or in the case of this Rosh Yeshiva, can’t or don’t want to understand)

13. Toi-

    Why don’t you tell us exactly how much time you spent in the IDF, being that you know that this army in no way identifies with frumkeit or the Torah?

    When you let us know that, I will tell you how much frumkeit my brother and (numerous) nephews encountered in the IDF.

14. To number 6. It is a mitsvah according to you to publicize the name of the Rosh Yeshiva . You never heard that a person who says a saying brings redemption to the world.

    To number 11. Virtually every Chabad person goes to the Ohel on the Rebbe’s Yahrzeit. Only one Baal Teshuvah Yeshiva promotes this in Israel and they are shunned by the Chabad establishment.

15. i think all of you are making a mountain out of a molehill and thats a realists oppinion and someone who has his ear to the ground.

    my opinion is whether you wanted to hear it or not youre all making a big deal from MAMESH NOTHING.

    MAKING A MOUNTAIN FROM A MOLEHILL.
    luz zich arup

    FUGGEDABOUTIT.

    ITS NOT A ISSUE OR A BIG DEAL.

    its a cute joke
    besides did you know that the words od moshiach chai is bigimatriya taamuz? check it out.

16. and because discussions like that we still mourn… it´s not enough that we have enimies all around the world?

17. #14:

    Only one Yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel b’shita promotes not going to the Ohel and that is for ffb’s — and only a handful of smaller ones in the United States.

18. #11, for all practical purposes categories 3 and 4 don’t exist. The number of people in them is statistically equal to zero.

    In any population one can expect a certain number of meshugoim who say crazy things; among goyim it used to be common for meshugoim to think they were Napoleon, today they think they were abducted by flying saucesrs, and among Jews traditionally they would think they were moshiach. I will bet that you can find more people in Lakewood who think they are Moshiach, or that some person is Moshiach, or that the lamppost is talking to them, than you will find categories #3 and #4 in Lubavitch. Unless, of course, Lakewood simply drives them away and sends them to Lubavitch!

    Since the number of people in your problematic categories is no greater than random chance would produce, that proves that the mainstream meshichist beliefs, whether you agree with them or not (and I don’t) don’t produce #3 or #4. If they did, you’d find statistically significant numbers in those categories, and there just aren’t.