An editorial written by Yisrael Friedman appearing in the Tuesday 7 Cheshvan Hebrew Yated Neeman is earning a place in the Israeli media as Friedman explains the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin is analogous with Reform Jewry and its [mis]interpretation of Torah and halacha.
He points out that while convicted Rabin assassin Yigal Amir may or may not be a member of the Reform Movement, his justification for the assassination is based on sources that are synonymous with a Reform hashkafa. He explains that at the end of the day, the Reform Movement is simply the result of the effort to bring Torah down to a level one feels s/he can understand as s/he perceives to be correct in line with one’s lifestyle. Hence, Friedman extrapolates that in his mind, Amir may have believed he was correct and this was not so. The Reform he opines are like Amir, believing to be correct while this is not the case, labeling the actions of Amir as “Reform-type behavior”.
He feels the slippery slope applies in other areas as well, citing it is applicable wherever there is an effort to trample halacha as it has been upheld throughout the generations. Another example is the ongoing machlokes surrounding an egalitarian prayer area at the Kosel. He points out there regarding the Kosel the same holds true, a group is trying to redefine Torah and tradition to meet their lifestyle and despite the fact they are distorting Torah and halacha.
Friedman specifies “Reform isn’t murder”, making sure to clarify that while he draws an analogy, the two are not synonymous and the Reform Movement does not condone murder. He warns that the distorted interpretation of Torah however leads one down a foreign path and one cannot know where this path leads.
He warns that nationalism is not a replacement for Torah and adhering to halacha and when strays chas v’sholom, one may interpret Torah to fit one’s own needs and this can lead to anything.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
My mehalach in life is to pay due attention to the ‘yesh omrim”, even when it is labeled and dismissed by forced narrative and group think as conspiracy theory. It can be observed that when TPTB are face with existential sized embarrassment, they will expend huge effort and exotic means to pump out the right story and control the reality. Often they leave clues to the falsehood, perhaps because of “emes mearetz titzmach.
In the Rabin case, there was early sound bites, the early uncut video, and early communiques, visual and spoken, from the hospital indicating that Amir was a nutcase patsy serving a larger and darker game. This is something the average yossel can comfortably contemplate, and thus the government story carries the day. It is still sad though that the Yated author builds his mussar construction on a foundation that is less than אמת לאמיתו
Another example of Yated’s overt swipe at Religious Zionism.