To explain his decision to endorse Republican presidential candidate John McCain, one-time Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman told the Jerusalem Post:
“The rabbis say in the Talmud that a lot of rabbinic law is to put a fence around the Torah so you don’t get near to violating it,” he told The Jerusalem Post on a break from campaigning in Southern Florida on behalf of his colleague. “Well McCain has a series of very clear-headed policies toward terrorism and Islamic extremism [that put] extra layers behind his support of Israel,” he said.
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18 Responses
I respect Joe Lieberman he is a good guy etc. But since when is he the moral authority telling us who the Torah wants us to vote for??????????
Joe we don’t want your opinion on who to vote for, last I checked you are still a good old politician and every thing you say is politically motivated. And besides, who made you a Godol to Paskin who we should vote for?
Oh! Not to mention Joe ran with Al liberal Gore back in 2000.
Joe says “McCain has clear-headed policies toward terrorism…..”, the truth is McCain has very liberal view when it comes with dealing with terrorist they are more in line with the Clinton’s views of prosecuting these terrorist in a criminal court and treating them as ordinary criminals.
Shame on Joe Lieberman, for putting politics before truth.
Leiberman’s “lomdus” is absurd. You can put up a gedder for shemeeras hamitzvose. No wall can keep out the missiles and katyushas.
actually Joe and Mccain have been liberal on everything so hey joe go back to CT
He is actualy a very decent guy who is no longer on speaking terms with that yo yo gore. and for all those like number 2 Who dont want him telling us who to vote for,cuz he is not daas torah, you can ask your Local rav or call the bais horaah.
Joe,
L’shitaascha, I think Rudy will put up a better fence.
this is the same joe leiberman who when questioned about Jews “marrying” gentiles “paskened” that it is OK.
from aish.com http://www.aish.com/societyWork/society/The_Lieberman__Legacy.asp
“Of course Lieberman is not perfect…///…to counter the Torah perspective — on late-term abortion, or his spurious comment on the permissibility of intermarriage”
Joe Lieberman used to call himself an “Orthodox Jew.”
The, when he ran for Vice-President, and was caught on the Imus Show saying that he has nothing against intermarriage, he told the NY Times that he isn’t really Orthodox–He’s just “Observant”–Whatever that means!
Now, he’s playing “Lamdan”–while enthusiastically supporting every immoral piece of legislation inthe Senate, just like his close friend Hillary.
This man is a walking and talking Chilul HaShem!
Sorry Joe but I dont take political advise from a Democrat.
to #1 joli…where did he say the “torah said to whom to vote for” ? #2 y2r..Lieberman is entitled to his opinion you don’t have to follow it! yes i want to hear his opinion…
McCain is a leftist, and Lieberman who is a leftist as well endorses McCain. Vos is Nayes?!
TO nfgo (no. 11):
Please read my post again. Lieberman was caught advocating intrmarriage–a distinctly non-Orthodox-Jewish position.
In fact, even most Reform Jews oppose intermarriage.
So, when asked how could an Orthodox Jew advocte intermarriage, he said he’s not Orthodox–rather, he’s “Observant.”
In Lieberman’s own context, we are forced to conclude that “Observant” means the he observes what the Torah says and does the opposite.
That, Mr. TownCrier, is the definition of Chilul HaShem.
To: nfgo (so much more personal than saying #11) and anyone else questioning use of “Observant.”
Yes, one to whom “observant” means he learns Torah and keeps ALL the Mitzvos means the same thing as Orthodox, but using “observant” as a watered-down version of Orthodox, where-in certain mitzvos aren’t kept is not only unorthodox, but it is not Judaism.
We all often use such phrases as, “I’m not that frum,” or “I’m middle of the road” but by categorizing ourselves, we are preventing growth and giving ourselves a heter not to follow the Torah.
It’s hard to be a politician and curry public favor when popular opinion doesn’t correspond to Torah and Daas Torah. That’s why he got caught up in the mess referred to.
#16 he shomer shabbos, shomer kashrus and his daughter attends yeshiva. He is not any less of yid than you are” you are right in that all Yidden by definition are no less of a Yid then you, I or any other Halachically qualified Yid. this particular Yid in question claims to be observant of Torah Law, yet his position on intermarriage is anti-Torah.
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to all that are saying that jl was not claiming to be stating a Torah position:
when you quote are Chachamim to make your point as in “The rabbis say in the Talmud that a lot of rabbinic law…” and you connect that to “…McCain has a series of very clear-headed policies toward…” essentially what you are saying is: from a Torah perspective because of this principle, this person is the right one.
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Now if you were to ask me about building fences, I would say, stay away from that one with mccain – it was only after much backlash over his ammnesty program (with ted kennedy) did he finally come around to boarder security. he does not appear to be much of a fence builder to me.
Town Crier, you have serious issues with Orthodox Judaism.
OK time to state the obvious
ttc #18:
either you observe the precepts as set forth in the Torah or you don’t.
You do not make up halacha to follow your particular needs at the time be it for political or any other reason and call yourself observant – what exactly are you observant of — certainly not Authentic Torah True Judaism.
this is not a difficult concept.
Nothing to EXPLAIN, Town Crier. Your comment #18 [in addition to roughly 90% of your recent comments] makes my comment #19 SELF-EXPLANATORY.
supporting intermarriage and saying that it is fine is not the view of an observant person NO matter where they live or where there family comes from. what you fail to understand is that this is not a question of sin, rather it is a question of haskafah.
an aveirah either comitted through commission or ommission does not invalidate a person as being observant. people slip, they do T’suvah (with all that is entailed) and they more forward.
A person with skewed haskafos that validates actions and behaviors that are not allowed removes a person from the category of observant. would you call conservative or reform observant of Authentic Torah True Judaism?