The head of the Meretz party in Knesset, MK Zahava Gal-On, responded to a statement made by the head of the Knesset Law Committee, MK (Bayit Yehudi) Nissim Slomiansky, who said “The State of Israel has a constitution and that is the Tanach”. Slomiansky added that to date, no laws legislated by Knesset contradict halacha.
Gal-On said “I am sorry to burst Slomiansky’s medieval fantasy but in Israel’s law books there are indeed laws that are contrary to halacha and it a good thing”.
Gal-On cited a number of examples, including laws prohibiting human trafficking, which she says is not prohibited by the Torah vis-à-vis owning slaves. She added that “the fact that homosexuality is not a violation of the penal code in the merit of Shulamit Aloni does not sit well with Torah Law and there are more”.
Gal-On continued “The truth is there is nothing to get excited about for Slomiansky does not really want a government run by Torah in which his wife, as a woman, cannot vote and elections would not be held because it would be a religious dictatorship headed by a king. Slomiansky must understand that the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens, religious and secular, want a democratic nation, one of law and order based on full equality for all its citizens and when legislation is with sense and a great deal of thought for the citizens for today and the future rather than relying on religious law, even if written with good intentions and much thought, many [of the religious laws] are no longer applicable for this era and in line with the values that we the citizens of the democratic state prefer”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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13 Responses
Gal-On continued “The truth is there is nothing to get excited about for Slomiansky does not really want a government run by Torah in which his wife, as a woman, cannot vote and elections would not be held because it would be a religious dictatorship headed by a king.”
What in the world is this lowlife Kofer talking about?
Wonderful news
The torah theocracy of the future will be established when the entire nation accepts Hashem as the King of the World. This is not an Isis type of conversion. The entire nation as one and with a unified heart (read mind) accepting Him as the ruler of the universe.
Until that time we have to have social laws to maintain order in society.
The talmudic code of law as summarized into practical application by the Shulchan Aruch is adequate to run any society in all situations.
Where, due to changes in technology a new ruling has to be found, there are many volumes of rabinic responsa to have covered anything that comes up.
The ogre of a ‘Taliban’ type of society is just cheap talk showing complete ignorance or deliberate misrepresentation of Torah law, which, having Divine origins is perfect.
How does YWN even repost such a statement???? somethings off.
Never mind the fact that the Torah was written by Hashem. He doesn’t really get a say in what goes on in His Land!
We’ll just have to try to up for this by ravening working on ourselves I suppose. What else is there to do?
There’s no Torah law against women voting. It is a tzniyut issue or a 614th commandment added by ultra-chareidim.
meretz is evil and they have toievas and Arabs in the party but no frum Jews, the party if they could would force all Jews to eat on yom kippur they are the maskilim of today, this is typical of Zionism.
Well here is the bad news: the witch Gal-On is correct “there are indeed laws that are contrary to halacha”. There is flagrant and blatant chillul Shabbos with the explicit approval of the State. Try getting a bus in Eilat or flying to Frankfurt on a Shabbos. Both are possible with the full approval of the State of Israel. The State of Israel is not a place where the Torah reigns supreme. Forget Gal-On’s filthy rabble rousing comments, just look at the base truth of what she is saying. Reb Yoel was and is right: no Torah true Yid should have anything to do with the treif State.
He does have a point about the torah condoning slavery. Anyone care to comment on that?
I think as long as the State of Israel doesn’t force the good of us to violate halacha then things aren’t so bad… just because we technically “can” violate halacha, Hashem created us with free will and we use it to not violate halacha.
There are lots of arabs, non-Jews, and other nationalities living in the State of Israel. Forcing them to submit to torah law is not something we believe in as Jews or as a civilized nation, so we don’t.
Un/fortunately the same law makes it that we can’t force Israel’s Jews to follow Torah law either. King Chizkiyahu did it but I don’t know if any human today has the standing. One thing for certain, one place to help the Jewish nation to be better Jews is to start with oneself. Every one of us Jews is a Jew, “a member of the Jewish nation’s body” so anything good we do ultimate assists in “making the Jewish nation better”.
@9.
The Torah provides certain methods of dealing within slavery, a staple of the past. Slavery was such a common and normal practice, that should a follower of the Torah have slaves, there were ways things he had to do and not do.
I’m not sure if it is considered a mitzva to own a slave??? It probably isn’t an aveira to not own a slave.
He does have a point about the Torah condoning slavery. Anyone care to comment on that.
OK I’ll comment. comparing slavery as permitted by the Torah to modern day human trafficking is obscene. People involved in human trafficking would be guilty for capital crimes under Torah law.
Also comparing slavery as permitted by the Torah to slavery in general is ridicules. Many laws protected the rights and conditions of slaves far surpassing what is allotted to so called free people both past and present.
Comment by ModernGuy: He does have a point about the torah condoning slavery. Anyone care to comment on that?
The gemara saya that when one buys a slave, one buys a master, meaning that the obligations of a master are so onerous towards his slave that it is like he has a master above him. E.g. Only one cushion or bed available – it goes to the slave. Torah doesn’t allow one to give the slave harsh labor. Knock out an eye or tooth of the slave by accident – ther egoes your entire investment down the drain – the slave goes free.
Slavery according to the Torah is a chesed project for the master – nothing comparible to what is modernly known as slavery.