Breaking from policy, Tzohar Rabbonim’s weekly “Tzohar” Shabbos publication this coming week, Parshas Balak 5773, addresses the attacks against Rabbi David Stav, a leading candidate in the race to become the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. The publication to date has set a policy to refrain from commenting on the elections for new Chief Rabbis of Israel. However, in light of the scathing attack leveled against Rabbi Stav by Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita in his motzei Shabbos drasha, labeling Rav Stav a “rosha”, Tzohar felt compelled to respond.
Rabbi Rafi Feuerstein, a mora d’asra in Har Nof and a leading figure in Tzohar writes “Recent statements about Rabbi Stav are not just a matter of style that seemed ‘out of control’.
“This is part systematically humiliating attitude regarding religious Zionism. If Rabbi Stav after decades of studying Torah, disseminating Torah, serving as the chief rabbi of a city and public actions; all part of a holy effort to maintain the Jewish identity of Israel now merits being labeled a “rosha/evil”. If this is so, we are all a ‘rosha’ for we are able to bring the Torah values to the darkest corners of life, enlighten them in the eternal values with our passion. We are ‘evil’ that we were able to design a full life according to our holy Torah and despite all this we still have a long way to go.”
Adding to Rabbi Feuerstein’s words is Rabbi Aryeh Stern, the leading dati leumi candidate to become the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim. In response to Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef’s Shlita attack against Rabbi Stav, Rabbi Stern adds “The most puzzling phenomenon is when scholars come out loudly in personal attacks against people they do not even know”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
I don’t get the notion that you have to know someone personally to say anything. When someone is a public figur, who writes rulings, and hires etc. etc. etc. – what would meeting him add???
exactly Rav Ovadia looked at his sefer and based his decision on that.
Some of the Psakkim i heard on Rav Ben Ezri’s weekly radio show on kol barama
Watching movies and covering your eyes when seeing somtheing un-tznius
Dancing boys and girls in separate circles without a mechitza
He quoted a speech that for in order to be accepted as a ger one only has to be mekabel certain mitzvos NOt all mitzvos such as lighting candles on friday night, making kiddush or occasionally going to Shul.
Changing the whole current status of Giyur will endanger the future of klal Yisrael, so I think Rav Ovadia examined this Rav carefully before saying such a think about him.
Just like there’s a Sephardic Chief Rabbi and an Ashkenazic one, why can’t there be a Daati Leumi Chief Rabbi as well?
I’ll answer my own question #3. If we allow someone to modify and modernize halachot (like #2 said), the next Chief Rabbi might G-d forbid even be a Reform or Conservative.
From an article on Rabbi Stav’s book, Bein HaZmanim:
“Bein Hazemanim, released a year ago, frames the question as what to do with one’s leisure time. . . Here are some of Rabbi Stav’s bottom lines: one can attend a non-religious wedding but no mixed dancing, you can play basketball without tzizit, you may hit a friend in a wrestling match, you can swim without a kippah, and talk about Torah in the pool. You can also do yoga (but not Transcendental Meditation), are allowed to read newspapers, and to watch sports competitions. The ostensive reason for opposition to Rabbi Stav is that he states that one can watch movies as long as you close your eyes at the “problematic scenes.” (page 208). . . He also allows all classical music even religious music such as masses and requiems, expanding Rav Lichtenstein’s leniency.”
No wonder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Shlita, is upset. Making little “adjustments” like this to Judaism is how the road to Reform started.
beceause the dati leumi folks seem to have sold out all thier values in the interest of comfort and expedience
To number 5. So Rabbi Stav is a rasha because he allows swimming without a yarmulka? Do you swin in your hat and jacket?
Every ״ psak ״ mentioned in your post is in reality followed by the majority of frum yiden whether you or they would like to admit it or not.
#5, do you swim with a kippah?!?! He did not pasken anything so bad.
Its amazing how everyone thinks that a rabbi who is not part of the main stream Gedolim don’t have a right to an opinion.
The Gemara says that each generation we should follow the words of the gedolim of their generation.
Who are we to decide who is not a Gadol? Just because one wears a different Yamulka or paskens halachas that are different from what other Gedolim paskin, does that make him someone who doesn’t know what he is talking about?
Since when have we become so arrogant and narrow minded that we can decide who is and who isn’t a Gadol? Lets leave that up to Hashem to decide.
Im not saying that we have to agree with what rav stav says but it doesn’t give us a right to disrespect him.
Its one thing for a Gadol to attack another rabbi but its an entirely different thing for laymen such as ourselves to get involved in the attacking.
#6 That’s nonsense. no one sold out anything. I see you don’t mention the “Chumrah of the month Club,” when many Chareidim take on chumrahs to a point that it’s like a different religion.
Then their is the Jewish Burka women and now the ones that put cones on their heads, so no form at all is scene. It never ends.
Just like we don’t want all Chareidim painted with the same brush, we shouldn’t do the same to the Dati community. It seems to me that Datim are keeping the mitzvos of Yishuv HaAretz better than Chareidim. We are not in the Midbar any more.
A person should be objective enough to tell the truth, irrespective of while group they belong.