HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Aviner Shlita commented on the dati leumi MKs involving themselves in Halachic matters. He said “not everyone with a small kippa sruga on his head is a talmid chacham and not even every rav is a talmid chacham who is suited to render piskei Halacha, even one who brings significant benefit o his kehilla”.
The rav warns that opening the gates of Am Yisrael to converts who do not accept Torah and Mitzvos will divide the nation and compel maintaining sifrei yuchasin. He rejects efforts to have non-Jews buried in a Jewish beis chaim, and is critical of the planned elimination of one Chief Rabbi of Israel as well as the involvement in many other matters that directly impact Halacha in Israel.
Other examples cited by the rav include:
· Efforts to turn state kashrus over to an outside contractor
· Limiting the body which elects the chief rabbis
· Permitting the Justice Ministry to appoint dayanim
· Permitting the Justice Ministry to appoint the director of the batei din
· Legislation to recognize to’eva couples
· The surrogacy law to permit to’eva couples to legally have a child
· Centralized marriage registration
· The new draft law
· The upcoming shmitah year
The rav calls on MKs “please address matters that are in your realm of responsibility, those matters that you were elected to address; security, policy, society and the economy”. The rav asks the MKs not to become involved in medical matter, science or Halacha. “You should have some sense and humility not to engage in matters that you are unqualified to address. Leave piskei Halacha to the talmidei chacham, to the rabbonim and the Chief Rabbinate, and HKBH should bless you and you should be successful in all your undertakings”. He advises them to make sure the poor do not go hungry and they should cooperate with gedolei hador not “out of compulsion but out of fear and respect”. He adds “compelling the people won’t work for those with faith will never accept you as the poskei hador”.
The rav also leveled criticism against “small and moderate rabbonim” who do not seem to hesitate rendering Halachic rulings exceeding their abilities, decisions that are to be left to the poskei hador, not mundane rabbis. He warns such rulings are especially problematic when released to find favor in the eyes of one’s congregants.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
14 Responses
Well said by one of our gedolei hador. Even though most readers here may not consider Rav Aviner one of the gedolei hador because he is not “chareidi”, there is no basis to think that a gadol has to be “chareidi”. This what meant to give chizuk to those who associate themselves as “dati leumi” to realize that your Rebbeim are gedolim as well. We all just have to learn to respect and love one another despite the fact that we may disagree on some small things. A machlokes l’shem shamayim is a good and healthy thing. In the end of the day we all follow the same Torah and mitzvos.
A yarmulke is a fashion statement, or at most a political statement. It has nothing to do with halacha. It’s a matter of style, not a matter of whether you are a Talmid Chacham or an Am ha-Aretz.
Most people who wear big black yarmulkes are not talmidei chachamim either, for that matter. Same for shtreimels. Who ever said that everyone who wears a ‘small kippa sruga’ is?
I’m very surprised that akuperma said that the type of kippa you wear is a fashion statement. Until I first went to Israel for my year there, which was only 2 and a half years ago, I never even realized that there was a difference what kind of kippa you wore. When I got there, all the Israelis looked at me like I was crazy for wearing a black velvet kippa and I had no idea why. Even now when I am back in America I don’t see a difference in what kind of kippa you wear
“all the Israelis looked at me like I was crazy for wearing a black velvet kippa and I had no idea why”
I also wear only a black velvet kippa.
Yagel Libi, if you read the article carefully, you’ll realize the Rav had a certain person in mind.
I think that the chareidi rabbanim will also agree with the above. As usual, akuperma had to say
He was sending a message to certain Mk whio wears a kippa and is in the process of writing a law to change giyur. Were the same mk not to wear a kippa at all, the law would have no chance. So it’s mk stern who the rabbi is referring to here, and the Rabbi is Rabbi Stav, who is a great purim rav, see the video, but not a gadol by any means. He placed the plumba claiming it’s kosher. Just on case you guys want some background.
leave it to yagel to start name calling.
rav aviner was saying it in a manner as politicains shouldnt decide halachic shaylohs without asking their rav (which it seems like they aren’t based on his statement) whereas the chareidi mks ask their rav
If all religious Jews were like Rav Aviner, we wouldn’t have any problems.
I may not have exactly his hashgafa but he realizes the most important things:
Respect for the talmidei hachamim
Love for your fellow Jew
Support for the Jewish family and children
And not every guy with s’micha and a beard isn’t a moron.
Mitzva Man 613:
Unfortunately, your comment is almost entirely false.
By definition, a “gadol haDor” cannot be one who follows a path that is alien to the Torah.
While there may be much in common between the confused faith of “Religious Zionism” and, lihavdil, the Truth that is Judaism, Religious Zionism absolutely does NOT follow “the same Torah and Mitzvos” as does, lihavdil, traditional Orthodox Judaism.
This is as opposed to, for example, the sometimes differing traditions between Ashkenazic and Sefardic Jews, both of whom do follow the same Torah and Mitzvos and whose gedolim are respected and whose Torah is learned by each “side”.
Rav Aviner’s brilliant statement is very similar to the opinions recently expressed by some of the roshei yeshiva at YU. They are also strongly against rank and file rabbis paskening major shaylahs that should only be paskened by morei hora’ah. They do not have the same breadth of knowledge as the gedolei haposkim who have been learning lishma yomam v’layla for decades and whose psakim are not tainted by the twisted agenda of the outside world or minority factions who claim to be Orthodox.
#6- Of course I realize that he was alluding to MK Stern. I was reacting to the attempt of harav Aviner to cut the man down by insulting his kippa.
Hakatan’s statements are a joke. Does this idiot have an idea about what Judaism oris he just a raving lunatic???