The Vaad Rabbonim on Shabbos has invited the members of Yahadut Hatorah in Jerusalem City Hall to discuss the increase in chilul Shabbos in Yerushalayim.
According to committee members, more stores are opening with each passing Shabbos and they feel the situation demands a more aggressive response. The vaad members presented facts and figures to the councilmen to permit them to present their case and pressure the mayor to act as he should by enforcing the law.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
We must respond to this very aggressively – let us daven harder that this chillul shabbos stops immediately. If that doesn’t work we should say more tehillim and also give more tzedakah and do more mitzvose. We must not rest until this stops.
When chillul shabbos has been stopped, we should work equally aggressively to stop lashon horah and bittul Torah. If the people in the article succeed with this, perhaps they can also enact laws forbidding all issurei Torah, or at least those for which there is a chiyuv missah.
In Israel, unless you make an aggressive response they will ignore you. If you fight Chillul Shabbos with complaints they’ll laugh you off unless you take to the streets.
Instead of all these demonstrations and violence which create a bigger chilul hashem than than the underlying issue of some storekeepers staying open on Shabbos, perhaps gives these people some reason they should want to be closed on Shabbos kodesh. Trying to force people to be shomer Shabbos or other mitzvos won’t ever work. Teach them the beauty of Shabbos and then you will have done something. There demonstrators are worse than the storekeepers.
Aggressive campaigns didn’t work in the past nor will they work in the future. When a chiloni gets hit in the head with a rock he doesn’t say, “Well golly gee, I guess this Shabbos thing is a great idea, I’m in”! Perhaps a better response would be to strengthen our own shmiras Shabbos by learning hilchos Shabbos and sharing the beauty of Shabbos with fellow Yidden. Why isn’t this obvious?
I agree with the need to prevent Chillul Shabbos. At the same time, is it just possible that all the acts of Chillul Hashem by these same people is what’s causing it?