In his weekly shiur given on Sunday, 26 Adar-I, HaGaon HaRav David Yosef Shlita, a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, announced he issued a psak halacha to Minister of Religious Services David Azoulai prohibiting him from signing off on the cabinet decision to allocate the egalitarian prayer area near the Kosel. Without the minister’s signature, the cabinet decision lacks legal backing.

Azoulai has recently been quoted saying that had he known he would be at the epicenter of this machlokes, he would have not accepted the cabinet post.

Rabbi Yosef once again used harsh terms in reference to the Reform movement and their ‘rabbis’ whom he refers to as Rav Bariach (name of Israeli door company).

He explained the overwhelming number of these rabbis are “burim and amei haaretz who cannot even read from a chumash with vowels and understand, yet alone write a Sefer Torah”. “They don’t even know loshon haKodesh” he added.

The rav stated he writes about the matter in his halachic seforim, whether one should burn their Sifrei Torah or place them in genizah. He stated one of the major problems is too often they will buy a kosher Sefer Torah from a recognized sofer, “paying a great deal of money”, adding the sofrim must be warned against this. “It is prohibited to sell a Sefer Torah to the Reform and one doing this insults halacha. It is also prohibited to write one that is pasul and sell it for it may find its way to religious Jews”.

Rav Yosef explains Minister Azoulai approached him this week, in obvious pain, asking “How can I sign on this? How can I act against the Torah”, with Rabbi Yosef explaining he told him he may not, siting this is in the category of ‘יהרג ואל יעבור’. He had words of praise for Azoulai, whom he regards a “true Yiras Shomayim”.

The rav repeated numerous times that it is absolutely forbidden to sell Sifrei Torah to any Reform person, telling the tzibur “They don’t believe in Chazal and they do not believe in anything. Anyone selling them a Torah, mezuzos or tefilin is responsible for desecrating these items”.

The rav adds that both an Ashkenazi and Sephardi Sefer Torah is kosher for both Ashkenazim and Sephardim for reading of Parshas Zachor and a Reform Sefer Torah is pasul under any circumstances.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)