Reports from Bnei Brak on Sunday 23 Adar I 5774 signal the expected announcement of a large atzeres tefilla against the new draft law may not occur. While on erev Shabbos it appeared HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita was going to back such a move, the reports from Chazon Ish Street on Sunday show a different picture.
It appears MK Moshe Gafne is tenacious in his opposition to the event for he feels such an event will only serve to strengthen Yesh Atid leader Finance Minister Yair Lapid. In what appears to be a lone voice, Gafne feels at present, “we must lower the tone” and permit events to pass quietly. He feels this is the only way to limit the media damage that will occur for the media in this case will be quite hostile towards the chareidim.
The gadol hador is yet to make a final decision on the matter. The gadol hador feels the atzeres tefilla should be held in response to the awesome Chilul Hashem. Such reasoning is not built on Gafne’s lose/gain formula vis-à-vis the media portrayal of the chareidi tzibur.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
I don’t understand — if HaGaon HaRav Shteinman Shlita wants this atzeres and some MK doesn’t, why would we listen to the MK?!!?! Why are we not listening to our gedolim?!!??!
So its Moshe Gafne instructing HaRav Shteinman
It is a complicated issue and reasonable people will disagree. It is important for the frum tzibbur to feel united. It is important to send a message to the zionists that that are starting a serious fight (at present, based on the zionist media, they expect almost all hareidim to eventually end up serving in the army and the many will leave as good zionists). To many hilonim, a large demonstration would “prove” that frum people have too much time on their hands.
The stakes are very high since many in frum community are very hawkish (pro-settlements, anti-Arab), and it looks very bad to be a hawk if you won’t want to serve in the military (in the USA, neo-cons who never were in the military were called “chicken hawks”- its not a complement) – and it could easily end up that the path to prevent conscription will involve alliance with the Israeli left (who are anti-settlement), or perhaps with the Arabs (who have nothing against Jews learning in yeshiva as long as they get to run the government).
While all the above opinions make sense to me. I think we can all agree that rav steinman is greatly respected and revered by perhaps every faction in judaism. Perhaps he’s not everybodys posek, but I think we can all agree that we should at least give kovod where it is due.
And by the way, this mk is totally within his right to point out and discuss something to even this posek. It is in no way disrespectfull but rather human.