Rabbi Dovid Stav, the chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Association, filed a NIS 292,000 lawsuit against HaRav Yitzchak Levi, for defamation and damage to his good name by calling him “Reform,” among other things, Yisrael Hayom reported.
HaRav Yitzchak Levi, the Rav of the city of Nesher, located in the Haifa District, and a member of the Motetzes HaRabbnut HaReishis, has come out strongly against Rabbi Stav for his support of the kashrus reforms advanced by Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana.
Rabbi Stav’s lawyer wrote: “The defendant damaged Rav Stav’s name, citing him as an example of Rabbanim that cannot be relied upon to establish halachic directives regarding kashrus because he ‘went off the derech’ and attributed to him so-called inappropriate and irresponsible halachic rulings that Rav Stav never paskened, while linking him to the Reform stream of Yahadus.”
In response to an inquiry by Yisrael Hayom, HaRav Levi said that he is aware of the lawsuit: “They sent me a letter of warning and I said that he should sue me in a Din Torah. I don’t believe that a city Rav will prosecute another city Rav in a secular court and not in a Din Torah. In any event, I’m not interested in having a dispute across the pages of a newspaper.”
Shas MK Yinon Azulai responded to the report by stating: “We should welcome the fact that the chairman of Tzohar understands that ‘Reform’ is not a respectable profession but it is unfortunate that he turned to the secular courts. After he served as the patron for the elimination of the Rabbanut with his friends Kahana and [Reform MK] Kariv, he is now seeking to be the patron for the elimination of the Rabbinical Courts.”
Last month, Kahana sent a letter to HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, the Nasi of the Moetzes HaRabbanut, asking him to condemn HaRav Levi for his words against Rav Stav and Rav Aryeh Stern in connection to the kashrus reforms. Instead, HaRav Yosef invited HaRav Levi to speak at his Motzei Shabbos shiur and publicly praised him for his fight against the reforms.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
Politics
Anyone still wondering why the bais hamildash was destroyed?
Same story just 2k years later
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Mr Stav only has himself to blame for defamation of his name & his defrocking & no-one else.
Guy trying to reform something, whether “Reform” or not”, has become a moser.
Yes Hymish.
And its the same answer why its still not built:
“Al ozvom es TOIRAHSI”
Nebech reform is oichit reform….
Exactly what the tzionim hope for, slowly drag them to the left.
It will become very crowded outside HaRav Stav’s office as many of the folks on this blog line up to ask for mechilah. Rav Stav had the backing of RAL ztl for chief rabbi
I see, so only Rebbe’s are allowed to fight in secular courts?
the very fact that his lawyer said “Reform stream of Yahadus.” in and of itself makes him reform!
reform is NOT a stream of yahadus.
that would be like saying – the Christian or Zionist stream of yahadus……
Adh- defaulting to the bucket of kool aid . Unfortunately your line can very well be translated quite contrary to your point . Derech Eretz… we’ve been down this road . Grab r berel wein this shabbos and familiarize a tad w ur history .
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I hope he takes Levi to the cleaners. These do-nothing Shas types are a disgrace to Rav Ovadia Yosef, Z”L.
1. Mr. Stav believes Reform deserve respectability in Judaism. As such, it makes no sense that he suddenly feels being called Reform is unrespectable.
2. Mr. Stav is an apikors for suing in secular court.
Is it defamation to call someone “Reform”? Is that any different than calling some a “Republican”, when they are in fact a “Democrat”? What damages did it cause (e.g. do some Modern Orthodox turn away in horror at the thought they had been listing to a “Reform rabbi” when they thought he was “Modern Orthodox”)?
And,if you prohibited politicians from name-calling and insulting each other, how would they communicate?
The Brisker Rav commented that “Religious Zionism” (education) is a sea of heresy mixed in with a drop of Torah. Rav Aharon Kotler stated that “Modern Orthodox” has the same essence as Reform.
So, Rabbi Levi is, of course, right, and the chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Association is not.
MR Stav, the truth hurts, yeh? (note: I am NOT CALLING him rabbi)
thank you HaKatan____there are many that do not deserve the term Mr. either or even Mrs….yet, we respect and that is final….
Levi may have legitimate policy differences with Stav but he has also continued repeating untrue allegations attributing various psak din to Stav that the latter had no involvement with after being made aware his statements were blatant lies. If he is bankrupted by this lawsuit, than he and others might think twice about defamation of others.
Many years ago after Rav Ovadia Yosef criticized Rabbi Stab, I wanted to give Rabbi Stab the benefit of the doubt. But after reading what Stab said, I concluded that he is an apikoros.
MDG, why don’t you tell us what led daitecha ha-kelushah to that conclusion?
Sara Rifka, I think I know the title you deserve.
apdsyvs, Note I am not calling you a mentch.
HaKatan, the passuk does not apply to you. Anyone who equates Modern orthodoxy to the Reform movement is an abject fool.
ujm, run to RAL ztk’s kever and beg mechilah and then find HaRav Stav and do the same