The Center for Religion and State Reform, the Reform Movement and other organizations are joining together in a petition to the High Court of Justice to put Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Yosef Elitzur on trial for their role in the sefer Toras HaMelech which addresses the 7 Mitzvos of Bnei Noach, as well as killing a goy who threatens Eretz Yisrael.
The petitioners believe the book contains statements that violate Israel’s laws prohibiting incitement to racism and violence and that portions are simply racist and unacceptable. The petition calls to try the rabbis mentioned as well seeking a court order barring the distribution and/or sale of the book.
The sefer was released in the summer of 2010. At that time, the author, Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira was questioned by police after being arrested during a raid on the Ohd Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar. Rabbi Ginsburgh was also questioned regarding his approbation for the book.
Rav Dov Lior was also summoned for questioning, but refused to comply, insisting the action of police was an assault against kovod HaTorah. Also questioned was Rabbi Yaakov Yosef.
Rabbi Shapira explained repeatedly his sefer is not a manual for murder, but a Halachic discussion surrounding the laws pertaining to killing a non-Jew who threatens Eretz Yisrael.
The sefer states one may not take the law into one’s hands, but this did not stop police and others from the media circus surrounding the book and the arrest and questioning of talmidei chachamim.
Rabbi Elitzur was even banned from entering the UK due his co-authoring of the book.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
I wonder if these orgenizations do the same to all the Arab literature…
the reform movement, long known as the deform movement, exhibts its fear of the goyim and hatred of the yidden. When a Jewish rabbi states his opinion, and it is against the grain of the goyim, the deform movement feels compelled to defend the honor of the church and islam.
Pheeh, upon them. May G-d pour His wrath out upon the deform movement and of the nations that not know Him.
Why don’t they just “man-up” and join the intafada!
Of course if a bunch of law professors were to write a similar book discussing the question from the perspective of secular or international law, they would not be subject to any sort of investigation. It would be self-evident that there was nothing to investigate, and they are covered by freedom of speech. But because “Torat Hamelech” discusses the Torah rather than the Geneva Conventions, it does not enjoy the same immunity. That very fact is an indictment of the State of Israel, and calls into question its very legitimacy. Rav Lior was quite right to refuse to cooperate with this investigation; merely answering the police’s questions would be a bizayon hatorah.
Israel doesn’t allow freedom of expression. In the USA they’ld be protected by the First Amendment, but they are within Israel. Israel is a secular zionist state, and the authors views are therefore considered sedition, and since it is sedition that might have an impact on the public, it is all the more dangerous than some maginalized Arab or some left-wing nutcase.
In America, the rule developed that truth was a defense against sedious libel. The old rule was the greater the trust, the greater the libel.
Akuperma, all that you wrote is true, and yet even with all that they would never consider questioning a law professor who contributed to a similar book from the perspective of secular or international law. It’s only because this sefer examines the question from the perspective of Torah law that the authorities are investigating. So even by Israeli standards this is a bizyon hatorah.
Reminds me of the censors in czarist Russia.