Shomron Chief Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Elyakim Levanon Shlita attacked the government, stating “it does not have a right to exist. The rav made his remarks during a kenos of senior dati leumi community rabbonim on Thursday, 11 Adar II in Bayit Vegan Yerushalayim. The rabbonim discussed matters of religion and the State of Israel.
The kenos was opened by HaGaon HaRav Dov Lior Shlita, who called on MKs not to cooperate and to fight against the newly amended bills. He added “We are witness to rocket attacks that include laws that are more inclined to impair the status of the Rabbanut and the religious character of the state”.
Rosh Yeshivat Har HaMor HaGaon HaRav Mordechai Sternberg Shlita spoke harshly against the legislation in Knesset. “There is a Torah in Israel and there is a Rabbanut. There cannot be any other religious legislation under any circumstances. The Ministry of Religious Services is subordinate to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and not the other way around. One does not consult with rabbis but one asks [what to do].”
Rav Levanon decided to address the giyur bill. “The party capable of passing the giyur bull into law has no right to exist and the Bayit Yehudi Party must leave the coalition. I the interim, we must awaken and fight to apply the brakes to stop these civil laws and to push the Knesset to sop the processes. I call to stop these draconian civil laws.”
Some of the other rabbonim present were Rabbi Moshe Gantz, Rabbi Chaim Gantz, and Rabbi Baruch Efrati.
Rabbi Efrati added “The laws are a symptom and the root of the problem is religious identity. There are those who do not view the Torah as the source for our entire lives and culture. Therefore, the same problematic laws are consistent with their worldview”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
“it does not have a right to exist”
This is Purim Torah, right?
Neither should any rav who makes such a statement about the government of eretz yisroel. We can strongly disagree with the policies of the government on the issue of drafting Chareidim and other issues but such a statement is disgusting a a reminder of the pervasive hatred of the government among small segments of the Charedi tzibur.
Notice that in the listing of reasons why the State does not exist, he does not say drafting charedim. All the reasons he gave are to protect Jewish lives and Judaism.
Unfortunately not Purim Torah or any Torah but rather quite elementary !
NOson, learning Torah is part of “protect Jewish lives and Judaism”
From a Dati Leumi perspective, Israel must be a Jewish state, and therefore the Kenesset lacks authority to legislate in matters contrary to halacha. In effect, Torah is the constitution of the State of Israel, and laws contrary to halacha are void.
However the people who founded the State of Israel rejected that. That puts people such as R.Levanon in a status of those who argue that the British government is illegal since the rightful king is the Stuart pretender (who is a Bavarian prince), or perhaps the Yorkish pretended (who is a republican farmer in Australia). He may think the government should be different, but in reality Israel has elections and the zionists carry the day. Had the zionist movement been a Torah movement it would have been different, from from the outset over 100 years the “ikar” of zionism is rejection of Torah.
Just as many hareidim who had grown accustomed to being good Israelis now have to choose between being hareidi and being Israel, the Dati Leumi now have to choose between being Dati and being Leumi.
“All the reasons he gave are to protect Jewish lives and Judaism.”
I don’t want to think about how many Jewish lives would be lost were it not for the Israeli government and its Israeli Defense Forces. The Arab rashaim would not distinguish between Torah learners and the atheists.