According to a JTA report, Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau reportedly plans to run for the Israeli presidency. They claim that Rabbi Lau was expected to announce his candidacy within days to succeed Moshe Katsav, whose term officially ends in July.
Interestingly enough, YW reported (HERE) that Rabbi Lau was considering running for president. He then issued a statement (reported HERE) “that running for President is not on my daily agenda.”
It can also be noted that Hagoen Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita issued a statement (reported HERE on YW) expressing his opposition to a member of the Chareidi community serving as president of Israel. The statement was directed at the candidacy of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.
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15 Responses
this is going to be very interesting. will shas vote for him?( sharon suported him. so…) will kidema suport him to?
Interesting
Is it good, bad or parave for a chasuva RAV to be president of Israel? Will there be any opinions from other gedolim?
Who really cares? It makes no difference in the end who holds that office or who is’chief rabbi.’
He’ll just be moving from being a symbolic, insignificant figurehead of religion in Israel to the political.
Rabbi Lau has universal respect among the religous and chiloni alike. It would be a very good thing for him to be a symbolic political figure head.
He also has internationl respect and he is also a brilliant man.
HE IS A GREAT MAN INDEED, HOWEVER THIS POSITION HAS NEVER BEEN OF ANY SGNIFCACE, SO WHY HE WOULD WANT TO BE IN THAT POSITION BEATS ME
LKWDR:
Thats just the point! Its a ‘title’ , its still a respectable status with a lot less stress and responsiblity than that of the PM……… wHAT COULD BE BETTER???
Perhaps this is part of the preparation of the Ribono Shel Olam for the Geulah Shleimah, BB”A.
I sincerely believe that the elections two prominent Torah Jews in Israel — Moshe Katsav to President and Uri Lupoliansky to Mayor of Yerushalaim — are significant. The Torah HaKedoshah calls Shem Ben Noach “Malki Tzedek Melech Shalem.” Mayor Lupoliansky LOY”T, a great Baal Chesed, is a very worthy successor.
The Navi Yechezkel refers to the Melech HaMashiach as the Nasi. Until he fell into disfavor, HaNasi Katsav LOY”T would have been an appropriate predecessor. Apparently the Ribono Shel Olam had Charatah regarding Mr. Katsav (perhaps because he did not protest the uprooting of Yidden from their homes in parts of Eretz Yisrael). Regardless of the role HASHEM has assigned him, HaRav Lau SHLIT”A will be a wonderful Mashiach or his predecessor as Nasi Yisrael!
I agree with a23. I also believe that it is a big mistake for the following reason.
If a Rabbi is the head of anything, the public perception is that what goes on there in all kosher.
Zionism in general and Israel in particular is too much of a mess for this to turn out good.
Avraham Says: SEEMS LIKE YOU KNOW EXACTLY THE REASON WHY HASHEM DOES EVERYTHING… INTERSTING, YOU HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT
This is gevaldik. Katzav was much more religious than his predessors but nothing compared to Rav Lau. He would make a terrific president. I have one question if he becomes president will he give up his frock and hamberg for a business suit (except maybe at very formal affairs)? I hope that he does not.
He will have opposition from Rivlin and Peres. B’ezras Hashem he will win.
To Avraham:
I am not a buki in hilchos mashiach but I don’t think Moshe Katzav fits the position, not even before his disgrace.
Avraham: Moshe Katsav is a “prominent Torah Jew”???? Wow. That is news to me.
He was a very good figure-head Rabbi (no disrespect to him as a person/talmid chacham etc., rather to the position of chief-Rabbi) Probably would make a good figure-head president!
To “Think Straight” (BiLeshon Sagi Nahor):
How dare you be Motzi Shem Ra on a Frum Jew! Based on my conversation with someone who knows him, President Katsav LOY”T is a very nice and distinguished Shomer Torah UMitzvos. In addition to Hotzaas Shem Ra (which is much worse than Lashon HaRa), you are transgressing on “Nasi BeAmchah Lo Saor”!
YW Editor, please do not post such negative comments in the future, especially when they are made against good Jews like Mr. Katsav!
All through his term as “Rav Harashi”, an office for which he was far too good, Rav Lau shlita was dogged by nonsense reports of corruption that were cooked up by the sonei Yisroel and poirkei oil of the Left in order to “keep him in his place.” (I had even seen his photo manipulated in Am Ha’aretz online so that his expression looked as nasty and foreboding as possible, almost like a Der Stuermer caricature of a frum Yid chas vesholom). He tried to be far more than a figurehead, which is why the press, manipulated as it is by the heirs of those who literally cut the payos off of yaldei Teiman in the maabarot, was constantly nipping at him.
Why this odom godol would want to be President at this time of hatred for Torah in yenne medine, especially after what the left did to Moshe Katzav, is beyond me.