A special beis din has been established to prevent the leak of additional videos pertaining to Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L against Shas leader Aryeh Deri. It appears the “Shasgate” video will not be permitted to die down [yet]. According to an exclusive Kikar Shabbos report, the beis din has been formed to preserve Sephardi achdus and to prevent a repeat episode of a damaging private video finding its way to the public screen.
The report cites that leading Sephardi poskim fear additional damaging videos exist and are planned for release towards attacking Shas and its leaders as well as the Sephardi community.
As such, a special beis din was established at the behest of Shas Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael member HaGaon HaRav Shimon Ba’adani Shlita, and it convened on Monday 14 Teves including Rav Ba’adani along with Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef Shlita and Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron Shlita. The meeting took place in the home of Rav Bakshi-Doron in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Yerushalayim.
The beis din was to meet to issue a decree to the tzibur at large that persons are prohibited to deal with these videos, those from the past as well as the present and they may not distribute photos and videos taken secretly. It is yet to be announced just how the beis din will deal with those who violate the ruling.
An official psak is expected to be published by the beis din in the coming days that will include the signatures of all of the rabbonim.
One can assume the ruling will be apolitical since Rabbi Yosef may not involve himself in political matters as a senior civil servant currently serving as the nation’s Chief Sephardi Rabbi.
UPDATE: BELOW IS THE PSAK RELEASED LATE MONDAY EVENING
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
The videos are being released anonymously, so I don’t see how this is even enforceable.
I watched the video and I didn’t find any bizoyon of Rav Ovadia Ztz”l.. any sense??
they soundd like there is more to hide so does that mean there probably is?
I doubt such a decree would have any legitimacy since it seeks prior restraint against distribution of important videos or public documents the public has the right to know about. What are they afraid of?? If we invoke Rav Yosef for certain positions, we are entitled to know what he thinks about others. Now that the Sephardic tzibur knows his contempt for Deri why would these rabbonim want to hide the truth about his views of other Shas leaders, expecially before the elections when voters should have access to as much information as possible.
Trying to bury the truth? For shame.
I don’t understand. If reb ovadia said it why can’t it be known. If he didn’t like Deri let it be known. How can a bais din stop them.
The dangers of Internet. anyone can be publicly shamed
The problem is that Rav Ovadia said these things in the privacy of his own home and he knew he was being videoed. The problem is that Rav Ovadia said something that is his true opinion but yet politically sensitive.
Perhaps the Beis Din should censure Rav Ovadia for stating his true opinion?
“not all things that are written should be published.”
“not everything that is published should be read.”
Emet mehaaretz titzmach
The power and ego of one man to stop at nothing from looking bad.
I guess Rav Ovadia was wrong about deri he is innocent of everything he is blamed for of course in his own mind.
Going after yishai will only make things worst for the panel of rabbis who are deri friends.
I think its a shame that r’ yitzchak yosef can’t be head of shas he’s the best of r ovdia children and he’s the most respected rav now in Israel by the sefurdim.
The present Rishon L’Tzion Rav Yitzchok Yosef, shlita knows that surrounding his appointment as Chief Rabbi of Israel, there was plenty of dirty politics. So dirty that one of his own machatunim, Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, was distanced by his father Chacham Ovadia, ztk”l as Rav Ovadia had his son Yitzchok in mind for the position of Chief Rabbi and Rav Amar (a previous Chief Rabbi of Israel) had someone else in mind. So dirty was this politically that Rav Amar was removed from the list of Shas Rabbanim. No one and I mean no one is squeaky clean where it comes to politics.
Rav Bakshi-Darom did some interesting things while he was in office that were not appropriate but this is not the time or place to discuss them.
Rav Ba’Adani was brought into Shas by a Temeni MK. He knows nothing about politics as he’s been strictly a Rosh HaYeshiva for years and that is where he belongs not dirtying his hands and his name as he has come to the aid of a proven liar, scoundrel, fraudster, sell-out Oslo agreement, a deceiver of a Torah Giant and more.
This is a mockery of what Chacham Ovadia, ztk”l never hoped, prayed or intended that the Shas political party would turn into. Chacham Ovadia never took for personal enjoyment any of the riches that were offered to him. All he cared about his whole life was that all of the Sephardi communities be provided with all of their needs. Aryeh Deri, you will pay dearly in BetDin Shel Mala for causing this great pain and embarrassment to the neshama of Chacham Ovadia, ztk”l.