Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef Rabbi Shalom Cohen Shlita, who also serves as a member of Shas’ Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael told a tzibur that he loves Minister of Religious Services Naftali Bennett, calling upon him to do teshuvah.
The rosh yeshiva has over recent weeks targeted Bayit Yehudi and the dati leumi tzibur numerous times, stating they are destined for Gehenom, comparing them to Amalek and more.
In the rav’s latest public comments regarding Minister of Religious Services Naftali Bennett, on Sunday, 28 Menachem Av 5773 that he loves Bennett who must do teshuvah along with Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan.
Rav Cohen spoke of the new situation and how HKBH gave them new chareidi chief rabbis to work with and he remains hopeful that both the minister and his deputy will take advantage of the new reality bestowed upon them by Hashem to do teshuvah and work hand in hand with the rabbonim.
The rosh yeshiva added a gematria, that Bennett’s name is 61, Zadim (זדים), an evil person. He then continued, citing there yet another gematria, Ani (אני) with the same numerical equivalent leading to תהיה אני לדודי ודודי לי and doing teshuvah.
“You should merit doing teshuvah in Elul and then all the crazy and evil people will follow, you and your deputy and with Hashem’s help if you both return, then Lapid and Bibi will follow”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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26 Responses
IY”H! To all those anti-rabbonim/anti-Torah posters who have attacked Gedolei Yisroel shlit”a — including Chacham Ovadia and HaRav Cohen — as you see they love the sinners but hate the sins. They are begging these reshoyim to do teshuva. They are NOT hoping they burn in Gehenim. They are publicly lowering themselves and beseeching the likes of Bennett, Lapid and Netanyahu to do teshuva.
#1 Those that seem to post anti-Torah/anti-Rabbonim are just begging for ‘Darkai Noam’ and peaceful discourse on issues rather than name calling and mud slinging.
There are those rabbonim who believe that giving over Mussar in our day and age is impossible due to agendas and a lack of true ahavas yisroel.
#2 — That is the same claim made by the Reform with their “Tikkun Olam” business.
Tochacha is a Halachic obligation not an option.
Because someone favored a particular Rav – a Rav who is Shomer Torah uMitzvos – for the position of Chief Rabbi of Israel, he is a Rasha??? I’m not in favor of an American-style separation of religion and state for Israel, but the abuse of religion by Shas at times makes me reconsider. “Vote for us or you’ll burn” – even when there are Rabbonim on the other side – is the Shas approach, and only serves to turn people off from Yiddishkeit.
I never learned a Gemara where Beis Shamai told Beis Hillel, or Rava told Abaye, they were going to Gehenom because they disagreed. Does Shas know better?
an Israeli Yid
To #1 – I love you too, you don’t have to continue being an evil person! Do tshuva right now!!! Right now you’re krum for using the internet, which is asur (unless maybe your posts are required for work? and even then it’s not so clear from the Shulchan Aruch that it would be mutar), but I love you and don’t want you to go to gehenom!!! Just log off, turn off your computer and throw it away. Really, I don’t hate you, I just hate your sins. And here I am lowering myself to beseech you to please do tshuva because I love you and want you to listen to the Gedolei Yisroel shlit”a and not go to gehenom chas v’shalom.
You are welcome.
He calls Bennett “Amalek” and “Evil” and then still says he “loves” him.
To the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t ever apologized for his remarks.
I have nothing else to add.
As someone up top mentioned, a Shas rabbi has no business talking like this.
#2 Is ahavat yisrael only from Charedim towards Religious Zionists/chilonim? How about – for a change – ahavat yisrael and tolerance and stopping the name calling from these kind of people towards Charedim?
If evil people do something against Torah, Gedolei Yisrael cannot look at ahavat yisrael but have to condemn it with the strongest force whether pleasant or not.
#4 Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel are like hot Gemara disagreements in yeshiva, nothing comparable להבדל to reshaim in ממשלת לב”ן who are out to destroy yiddishkeit.
Bklynmom, not giving anybody mussar nowdays is also too extreme. I agree though that calling DM Amaleik is absolutely out of the pale.
THE BIG ONE: Check out Rav Wolpe on the qualifications of reprimanding & giving mussar in our generation. (Option it surely is NOT!!)
Btw, people, hating the sin and not the sinners is not a Jewish concept.
Zionflag, Rav Wolbe is not the only Rabbi out there.
Am Yisroel need to wake up and pay heed to the words of even the Arizal who stated in his time that it will come a time in the end of time that many will have the face and be called “wise-men” but they will be far from wise…..Looks can be deceiving.
It is outrageous to continue seeing posters defending Rav Cohen. His “new” gematria is eve more insulting ! He continues to compare Naftali bennett to a rosho (“zeidim”) so his comments are hypocritical and should be condemned.
#8 A Thought – Why do you think that the disagreements between DL and Chareidi Rabbanim are not like the disagreements between different Tana’im and Amora’im? Is it because in the Chareidi view, only Chareidi Rabonnim “count” as “real” Rabbanim?
There are different Shitos between the DL and Chareidi Rabbanim – and between different subgroups of both DL and Chareidim – as to how certain issues (including those related to government) should be dealt with. Each side can and should support and defend its positions as strongly as possible – but with Derech Eretz toward the other. Such Derech Eretz has been sorely lacking in those who refer to their opponents as “Amalek” “Resha’im”.
I’m not asking you to agree with the DL. I’m asking you to show some basic Mentchlichkeit when you disagree with them. Is that too much to ask?
an Israeli Yid
#15 anIsraeli: Why do you think that the disagreements between Reform and Orthodox Rabbanim are not like the disagreements between different Tana’im and Amora’im? The answer to that is the same answer as to your question.
Still no condemnation from all the regulars around here…
So many people are so quick condemn anything non-chareidi.
Why aren’t they condemning this Chilul Hashem?
#11 יתמו חטאים ולא חוטאים, hate the sin not the sinner is a Chazal in Gemara Brachot.
#15 “Why do you think that the disagreements between DL and Chareidi Rabbanim are not like the disagreements between different Tana’im and Amora’im? Is it because in the Chareidi view, only Chareidi Rabonnim “count” as “real” Rabbanim?”
Yes. The disagreements is more like between the Tzedokim and Prushim; DL as the Tzedokim and Chareidm the Prushim.
According to your shita, perhaps we should count Reform Rabbis as real rabbis too?
In short, anyone reforming yiddishkeit cannot be counted as a Rabbi. It’s for this reason that charedim have been elected as Chief Rabbis again.
Athought ##18: Your comments are-as ususal- outrageous. But maybe the one who laughs laugh, will laugh best! Your new ‘chareidi” Chief rabbi may just have to resign in ther days to come!
#16 and #18 – if you can’t see the difference between DL and Reform then you have serious ahavas yisroel issues. Take a lesson from Rabbi Akiva’s talmidim who didn’t show each other respect. I’m sure ALL of his talmidim were shomer shabbos, kashrus, and niddah, just as DL are (and even Chareidim!).
Chumros can be wonderful tools to improve your yiras shomayim – or they can be tools of the yetzer hora, when they cause you to say lashon hara al haklal, make a chilul hashem, and shame others publicly.
#20 Yiddishkeit is NOT only about ahavat yisrael. The DL “candidate” for Chief Rabbi of Israel’s main matter was “to bring leniency in religious laws”, in other words, to “reform” religious laws, which with time will resemble the current Reform/Conservatives.
A chillul Hashem are “Rabbis” who want to regulate Torah to suit the needs of “their” people. That’s a chillul Hashem!
Charedim are the only ones faithful to yiddishkeit and Torah because they don’t compromise on matters of Torah and halachah.
#16 and 18 – You’ve just proven my point that you only consider Chareidi Rabbanim to be “real” Rabbanim. If so, there’s nothing to talk to you about – you’ve left normative Yiddishkeit and joined a new religion called “Chareidism”. I, on the other hand, continue to participate in our ancestral religion, and recognize that just because I don’t agree with someone on an area of Halacha or Hashkafa, I don’t have to Passul him as not practicing Judaism.
Your comparison to Conservative or Reform, or to Tzedokim, is a clearly false analogy as well – it’s so far out, it’s almost funny. Those groups rejected some or all of Torah as being from Sinai, while the DL/Chareidi disagreement is on how to interpret or apply certain aspects of Torah in a given situation. If you go into Merkaz HaRav in Yerushalayim, would tell the boys and Kolel men learning there that they’re not practicing Judaism? What about the parents of the eight boys killed there while in a Beis Medrash several years ago – would you say the same to them?
Like I said, you can agree or disagree strongly, but showing some Derech Eretz wouldn’t hurt.
an Israeli Yid
AThought, suddenly you became a liberal? It is an open Gemora at the end of Pesochim that if someone does an avierah (a REAL one) be’mezid, it is a mitzvah to hate him. Chofets Chaim brings it down in his sefer. There are numerous pesukim about it in Tehilim and Mishlei. The Gemorah in Brochos is not a rayah — it is a different matter to d a v e n for the fellow’s petirah.
AThought, what about kannaim pogim bo? It comes from rov ahavah according to you?
#16 and #18 well said. Yasher koach.
BTW just for FACTS, half of the DL olem’s candidate for Chief Rabbi was Harav Yakov Shapiro, talmid chochem, ish emes who 12 voters of UTJ/SHAS voted for.