The recent election of new Chief Rabbis of Israel has led to legislation calling to eliminate one of the positions. The Knesset on Monday, 25 Sivan 5774 approved a bill in its first reading that in the next election, only one chief rabbi will be elected and that person will serve both the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities.
A second rabbi with certification as a dayan will be selected to serve as president (av beis din) of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, the post held today by Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita. This dayan will be selected by the Committee to Appoint Dayanim and then appointed by the President of Israel.
It was also decided that an av beis din in the Chief Rabbinical batei din will only be selected by avos beis din and not automatically fill the post by the fact he is as a city’s chief rabbi.
The logic behind the legislation is that one rav is capable of giving piskei halacha for both Ashkenazim and Sephardim and by selecting an Av Beis Din as the head of the Rabbinical Supreme Court that is responsible for the court exclusively, without the responsibilities of being chief rabbi too, that person will have more time to devote to judicial duties and this will best serve the batei din system. This also will remove the av beis din of the highest rabbinical court from any possible political and public affairs involvement as sometimes occurs with the chief rabbis.
This bill was pushed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett. They are of the belief that in Israel today there is one prime minister, one president, one IDF chief of staff and therefore, there only needs to be one chief rabbi.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Wasn’t there a time not too long ago that there was only one Chief Rabbi at a time and they took turns? Why didn’t that work?
The function of the Chief Rabbi is to serve the government. Frum Jews, be they Asheknazi or Sefardi, Hareidi or Zionists, are served by their own rabbanim.
iyH the reason will be bc moshiach came and there wont be a need for two rabbonim
“Knesset Favors Only 1 Chief Rabbi”
Actually the Knesset favors NO chief rabbi of any sort.
This is just a stepping stone towards that goal.
Since the creation of the state there were two. I propose 1 chaver Knesset for the whole country.
“The logic behind the legislation is that one rav is capable of giving piskei halacha for both Ashkenazim and Sephardim…”
This is absolutely not true! The real reason is that they want to cause machlokes between the Ashkenazim and Sephardim during election time, thus weakening a chareidi stronghold so that they can place a puppet rabbi in office that will bow to their pressure and make significant detrimental changes. It will start by voting in a mizrachi rabbi and eventually be taken over by a reform rabbi.
This is called “divide and conquer”. We must greatly oppose this!
Chicago Maven – before Rav Kook zt”l founded the Rabbanut, there was only a Sepharadic Rishon LeTzion in Israel. When in our history did they take turns?
Akuperma – grow up. The Sepharadim have always taken the Rishon LeTzion seriously. HaRav Uziel, HaRav Nissim, HaRav Ovadia, HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu, HaRav Bakshi Doron. Ashkenazim never took any ONE rabbi seriously.
Coffee Addict – Amen.
akuperma – You are correct somewhat but not fully the Chief Rabbi specifically in Israel was made to serve the people but as an emissary and to speak to the government on behalf of the people so they have a say. Today is no different than when it originated over 300 years ago in Palestine. However they were always Sephardic and talmidei chachamim. Even today they are only from the greatest Sephardic rabbanim compared to their ashkenazic counterpart.
It is too bad though if the ashkenaz try to take what does not belong to them. Besides an ashkenaz is not wise enough to poskin halachos of the Sephardim compared to the Sephardic rishon letzion. If they are for Hashem they would back off.
Knesset Favors Only 1 Chief Rabbi”
Actually the Knesset favors NO chief rabbi of any sort.
This is just a stepping stone towards that goal.
Correct. Just like the Tzedukim claimed they believed in only one Torah – the written Torah – and not the oral one, but their real reason for this claim was to get the people to forsake the Torah entirely.