In the background of the growing tensions between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the chareidi parties in Knesset over Israel Railways Chilul Shabbos, Likud MK Yehuda Glick feels a need to comment and intervene.
The young Glick, known for his Har Habayis activism adds, “Our Torah is a Toras Chaim and religion is not a list of prohibitions ( לא דת של רשימת חוקים של אסור אסור אסור)”, adding, “pikuach nefesh pushes Shabbos aside and is not a compromise but an integral portion of our Toras Chaim”.
Glick further explains “Our Torah is broad and not focused only on the private individual and relations with others, but it is broad and addresses running the nation”.
When asked about Israel Railways being ‘Mechalel Shabbos’ for maintenance and upgrades Glick responded that the Israel Electric Company, the IDF, and the healthcare system all operate on Shabbos and this is not necessary chilul Shabbos but shmiras Shabbos and fulfillment of “live by them” (‘וחי בהם’). He feels these are part of the essential infrastructure of the modern state and the necessary work will not compromise kedushas Shabbos but in fact, it will increase Kedushas Chaim of the nation and the state.
Finally, he adds “The time has come to write a Shulchan Aruch for the modern world and address the halachos of the state and needs of the State of Israel, its leaders and representatives, allegedly Yahadut Hatorah, which will finally raise its voice in matter of halachos governing relations between one another, (בין אדם לחברו). Labor laws, preventing prostitution, moral conduct, and laws to prevent vehicular accidents”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
I’m certain that Glick’s views will elicit considerable debate given both the source and content. I’m generally not a big fan of his stunts on har habayis which have the potential to trigger rioting and bloodshed. His comments refltct the reality that in a modern society, government-owned utilities providing essential services must operate 24×7 and cannot simply suspend operations on Shabbos. His theme is that the torah must be interpreted in the context of modern technology and social norms is somewhat reminiscent of the secular debate in the U.S. regarding constitutional interpretation and the Scalia “originialists” who would adhere to the literal meaning of the original wording. would having the government divest these utilities and railways to a private sector ownership solve the problem of a “Jewish State” appearing to be mechallel Shabbos? I would think transferring the problem to private ownership would NOT solve the issue in the eyes of the Chareidi politiicans.
I always knew that guy who insists on going to the Temple Mount after being shot, while told by so many Rabbonim not to, must be out of his mind… נעבך
Great idea MK Glick… we have a modern shulchan aruch..it”s called……..SHULCHAN ARUCH…
In other news, I hear that MK Glick is being honoured by the Open Orthodox union, and the center for Reform Judaism..
The odea of religion in general , is that an ideology that’s been around for many years will dictate how you live your life, you can find ways to integrate your life with the religion , you can even find leniencies. But you can’t change the rules on a constant basis, to make it easier on the people . These people are looking for excuses not to follow the religion. They want to do what yhe want to do , and say its a modern twist on halacha.
The minute you want to write a new “shulchan Aruch” what you are basically saying is “lets make a new religion “
Young Glick, what am I missing here? If a person suffers heart attack, chas v’shalom, and needs to be transported to a hospital by ambulance on Shabbat where the medical staff there turn on and off electrical machines in an effort to save his life, that is pikuach nefesh. If the Israel Government permits work on upgrading the railway system, a much needed upgrade, and does it on Shabbat rather than allow the undoubted great inconvenience closing sections of the Tel Aviv highway system during the week would cause, how is that pikuach nefesh? It is just convenience. Don’t be a hypocrite. Call a spade a spade. The highway could easily have been closed on Sunday night and Monday instead of Friday night and Saturday.
Glick is losing it. Maybe his injuries from his near death assassination were more serious than originally thought. He is not talking coherently like a Torah observant Jew. Nebach.
What the heck is he thinking by going against Hashems will?!?? It’s apikorsus what he’s saying. Ywn- please don’t tell us these crazy ideas without having someone say that it’s wrong, it is convincing us that maybe the mkis cvs right
The last couple of weeks this guy has been making absurd statements. What does he mean A Modern Day Shulchan Aruch? Every orthodox rov from a tzohar or dati Leumi rov to an Eidah charadis rov, if you believe that torah is from Sinai if you believe Torah is nischiyus, then you apply what you learned from your rebbbi your morah derech to the modern world. The problem starts when you start applying your own personal or political agendas. And then if you don’t believe Torah is from Hashem and you can “reform” the Torah Then you are making a mockery of our holy Torah L”a.
Sounds like open orthodox or reform to me. We all know that chasam sofer said in his time “Chodosh ossur min hatorah” meaning to say that anything new ( meaning to say creating something new …) is ossur !! I really hope he’s not saying what it sounds like he’s saying …
If someone who doesn’t listen to the rabunim when they say that all rabonim paskent that your not allowed to walk on the har habies. Who is he to tell us we should modrernize the halucha. What does that mean, we should write a new tora.
a NUT CASE…he desperately is in need of psychiatric help…
He’s nuts
IT seems like this Glick guy has gone off the deep end. Nebach
Glick should change his name to UMglick!
WADR, the difference is that the Shulchan Aruch was not MiSinai.
I think (maybe it’s I hope) that everyone here is misunderstanding him. It’s not anti-Torah or Apikorsus to write the Mishnah Berurah, for example. I think (hope) he was not saying that we need to change Halachos and such. Rather, I think (hope) that he was aiming to point out that there are lots of new Shailos that come up with modern technology and a Jewish state. So instead of having random Teshuvos here and there from R’ Moshe, R’ Shlomo Zalman, R’ Elashiv, R’ Ovadia, etc., we should try to have an agreed-upon set of Halachos for the country to follow, at least as much as they can get agreement on. I wonder why he’s ignoring the Tzitz Eliezer’s Hilchos Medinah, though.
Very sad