Prominent rabbonim affiliated with the dati leumi community have decided to break their silence and speak out about government sponsored Chilul Shabbos. The rabbonim, including Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel Shlita, Rabbi Dov Lior Shlita, Rabbi Aryeh Stern Shlita and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita, spoke of the long-standing Shabbos status quo that has been maintained in Israel throughout the years.
The rabbonim speak of the fact that government mosdos and agencies always kept Shabbos publicly, adding today there are efforts to operate buses Shabbos and the state is about to sanction soccer on Shabbos. They express fears that if soccer obtains official approval for Chilul Shabbos along with Israel Railways maintenance, the situation will result in widespread deterioration of Shmiras Shabbos, which must maintain of paramount importance.
They call on the prime minister to continue in the path of publicly maintaining Shabbos and limiting Chilul Shabbos as has been the practice to date.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Why cite the opinions of people who have no standing in the Chareidi community here. This is an Israeli matter, nothing to do with Boro Park, Flatbush, Monsey, Lakewood, etc. So, over here, the opinions of said rabbis carries practically no weight. Are you still trying to re-educate the Chareidi tzibbur through not-so-subtle articles — of which there are many — that the differences between the 2 communities are not so deep, and if only the divisive, machmir Chareidim would accept the peace-loving Dati Leumi, well, Moshiach might come a little sooner.
To the best of my knowledge, this is not the opinion of the gedolei Torah. While we strive to limit strife, yet on nearly all major issues, the gedolim do not agree with the “Dati Leumi Rabbis” — non of whom are in a position to argue with the gedolei hador. So, OK, in the matter of Chilul Shabbos r”l, they also are speaking out against it, which is of course, the right thing to do. As for rapprochement between Chareidi and Dati Leumi approaches to Torah and mitzvos, well, probably only Moshiach will be able to deal with that.