Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana was verbally attacked as he arrived at an azkara for HaRav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, z’tl, at Har Hazeisim on Wednesday.
Members of Chazon, a Chardal (Chareidi Dati Leumi) organization that is adamantly opposed to the religious reforms that Kahana is advancing, yelled at him: “Rasha, Sheigitz, Tamei – leave! How do you dare come here? Don’t desecrate the kever of Rav Kook!”
They also distributed flyers excoriating Kahana for his disrespect of the Rabbanut, which is associated with HaRav Kook, z’tl, as he served as the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel when the British was in power.
“It’s impossible to be silent about the terrible chillul Hashem caused by your disgraceful behavior toward the Rabbanut, forcing their hand on religious matters against their will and contrary to their opinions,” the flyer said.
The flyer also quoted the words of HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, z’tl, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook’s son, at a kenes in 1960. “The instructions of my father HaRav, z’tl, are clear and explicit, that the obligation of mesirus nefesh regarding ‘Yeharog v’al yaavor’ for being forced to do something against the Torah, is not only against goyim but is also the din if a Jew, privately or publicly, tries to force a fellow Jew to do something against the Torah.”
Noam MK Avi Maoz, who was also present at the azkara, called to Kahana: “Take back your reforms and ask for mechila from HaRav Kook, zt’l.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
Kahane is not “forcing” anyone to do anything. And nothing he has proposed is in any way against the Torah.
It is shameful that YWN omitted to report that that the current Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, rabbi Lau, was at the azkara and quickly silenced the people who were speaking against Matan Kahana, essentially telling them to cease their disgraceful behavior or leave.
While I do not agree with Kahana’s kashrut proposal, and still less with the manner in which he formulated it, I recognize that he is genuinely attempting to solve some very serious issues that the Rabbanut has failed for years to address or even acknowledge. And I would venture that harav Kook zt”l would be at least as concerned with these substantive issues as he would be with Kahana’s proposed solution to the issues.
So let’s please stop with the name calling and with the incitement and deal with the issues, and with the people involved on all sides, seriously and respectfully.
With all due respect to all of you people jumping on him, “Rav Kook” was NO Tzadik, in fact he was a big ….. He instigated the Muslims with his famous Zionistic propoganda by the Kosel and the Muslim animals went on a live killing spree. On his fingers lies the blood of the Kedoshim of Chevron. He incited violence although he was warned from the biggest Gedolim of his times to simmer his rhetoric. He refused. He was NO Tzadik. He was a a religious Zionist dressed in Chasidish clothing that made him appear holy and carried out his shameful acts. All BS.
He is not only a rascha but also a am haaretz.
Many rabbanut-appointed rabbanim, and many more people involved in the protests, do not themselves eat at places with a rabbanut hechsher. Contrast this with the widespread acceptance of the kashrus of the OU, OK, Chof-K, Star-K, etc in the US. Can such people of integrity sincerely protest proposed changes?
@Milhouse: Kahana is not “forcing” to do anything, just trying to dismantle the Jewish character of Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel by causing havoc in the Kashrus and Yichus/marriage/geirus system.
@Yagel Libi: Kahana is not trying to solve any problem, doing so would entail the consultation of the people involved i.e. the Rabbanut, he is trying to destroy anything holy!
Kahane represents the dictum, “Where the is a rabbinic will, there is a halachic way.” which means “Where the is a [Reform] rabbinic will, there is a [false] halachic way.”
There are serious issues that the Rabbanut cannot address because are no true halachic solutions, for example, converting people who have no intention to live Torah lives. Serving in the IDF or losing a loved one due to his/her IDF service does not confer upon a person the privilege to convert to Judaism unless his/her intention is to follow the dictates of halacha starting with the very basics such as Shabbos, kashrus and taharas hamishpacha. If there is a ‘rabbinic’ will to ‘help’ these people convert, that doesn’t give them license to bend halacha.
Must the Rabbanut address the issue of enabling mixed-gender prayer at the Kosel? It is the Rabbanut’s experience to put a kosher stamp on unkosher behavior, food and relationships? Tzohar and Open Orthodoxy want to set new borders to ‘halacha’ that are so open as to be nearly borderless. Redefining halacha turns it into a meaningless term.
Charda”l is Chareidi Leumi, not Chareidi Dati Le’umi.
Milhouse: its funny because rav Shmuel Eliyahu and Rav Yitzchak Yosef hardly ever agree on anything but they agree that his proposal are against the Torah.
Yagel: Rabbi Lau simply felt that it was not the right time and place to be protesting. I have little doubt Rabbi Lau agreed with the protesters in principle. Since this was not really an article about the azkara but rather an article on how pretty much all of the religious in Israel are united against the reforms, Rabbi’s Lau’s message (about time and place) was not very relevant to the story being reported.
Am I missing something? Isn’t Kahane a Cohen? What is he doing at the cemetery???
which kind of pseudo Judaism do YL,Millhouse pay lip service to
as the essentials are obviously left out
Geirus
Marriage
Dayanus
AS this is the destruction of his Collective cohesive Unified vision of the jewish people
I would venture that harav Kook zt”l would be as concerned with Kahana’s proposed solution to the issues & fight more vehemently than the chareidim !
Did the Rabbanut in R Kook’s time have a monopoly on kashrut supervision in all of Israel?
AS this portends the destruction of his Collective cohesive Unified vision of the jewish people
I would venture that harav Kook zt”l would be as concerned with Kahana’s proposed issues & fight more vehemently than the chareidim