The HaPeles newspaper last week carried an interview with HaRav Tzvi Friedman Shlita, a member of the newspaper’s Vaad Ruchniyus and a Torah authority who gave the green light for the launching of the Netzach Party.
The rav addressed the actions of Maran Rav Shach ZT”L as we marked the gadol hador’s yahrzeit, emphasizing the late posek’s total unparalleled concern for everyone.
“He was truly concerned with kovod Shomayim and had no tolerance for compromising Hashem’s kovod or kovod HaTorah.”
Rabbi Friedman was asked to explain why Rav Shach did not permit the forming of a left-wing government even after receiving the necessary promises for the yeshivos and Torah community.
RABBI FRIEDMAN:
Among the left-wing camp are people who display true anti-Semitism but there was an additional reason why he preferred a right-wing government. He felt there are those simple Jews that if they hear a prime minister speaking about issues pertaining to yiddishkheit, it would bring them closer.
During the first years following the establishment of the state, the Chazon Ish ZT”L supported a party despite the fact it was known this party would not pass the minimum threshold to enter into Knesset. When they tried to persuade him to back another party he refused, as was the case with Rav Shach in tens and hundreds of similar cases.
The difference between us and Neturei Karta is on the practical level.
Regarding Rav Shach’s hashkafa, those who seek to explain and those who wished to be lenient were outside of the acceptable norm for us, to prevent them from taking a foothold or have any cooperation with them. Rav Shach did not hold from the Zionist state and had no common ground with it.
We must sharpen the point that the difference between us and Neturei Karta is only on the practical level but there is absolutely no difference between our hashkofos.
As far as the newspaper HaPeles, the editors are prohibited to praise or elevate the actions of the secular tzibur or the members of the kippa sruga community. We must place a separation between us and them. They are there and we are here. Those commentators must be met with a stern uncompromising sharp response and we mustn’t turn a blind eye [to their words].
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
These attitudes are certain to hasten the arrival of Moshiach…
I presume that Hashem explained to Rabbi Friedman EXACTLY what He wants every Jew to look like, what color his hat should be, and the proper “shiur” for the rocks to throw at cars on Shabbos.
Don’t we EVER learn?
The gap between Neturei Karta and the “kippah srugah” community isn’t all that great. Consider what would happen if the Arabs were to offer that in exchange for giving up “sovereignty” (i.e. a flag at the UN, our own money, a team at the Olympics) we could get the opportunity to live anywhere in Eretz Yisrael in peace and complete freedom to be frum as long as the yishuv was part of the Islamic middle east (not making an issue with Islamic law except when halacha is different) The hiloni Jews, horrified at what we would lose (ribit, drugs, abortions, pornography, etc.). Most of the modern orthodox would find the deal acceptable.
Frankly, the hilonim have shown their love for the fellow zionists (the kippah srugah types) is not much different than the love those with beard and pe’os.
Note that we learn the same Torah, often together, and the rabbanim of all groups are cousins.
The gap between Shomer Shabbos Jews isn’t that great, even if you compare Neturei Karta to the fanatic “settlers”.
I totally understand, and totally agree: We are still in Golus, and part of that Golus is being under a government apose to Torah. Being in EY is only another Golus, but there’s no Mitzva in trying to hold on to land etc. unless it saves lives… All these are not what the Mizrachi believes, but the Neturei Karta do.
However,other NK Hashkafah include talking deragitory about Talmidei Chachomim, holding up a Palestinian flag, viewing anyone with a different hashkafah as a ‘Kofer’ etc.and I’m sure he doesn’t mean those things, he just means how we view the Zionist government.
This kind of talk might be bad for achdut and kiruv, and I doubt Rav Shlomo Zalman, or the former Rabbanut employee Rav Elyahshev, would approve.
Another difference:
We used to wear yellow stars, they still do.
#3,
I don’t think Neturei Karta says “there’s no Mitzva in trying to hold on to land etc. unless it saves lives” they say even if it saves lives there is no mitzva
There are huge differences bt NK and Torah-true Jews especially in the formers embrace of the Arab leadership and disdain for any settlers in the entire Land of Israel.
this article and the comments seem ignorant of NK visa vi the new peles. Peles is an extreme political group that have little feeling except for politics whereas NK are extremely anti politics. what there is in common is extreme feeling that they are correct, whereas most people look at both of them as being off the wall.
Politics requires on the ground common sense not extreme idealism that causes internal damage. Both NK and peles would do better by realizing that their extremism causes themselves and klal yisroel damage.