UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler, who serves as the chairman of the Knesset’s Labor and Welfare Committee, began a meeting of the committee on Wednesday by talking about HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, z’tl.
“I had the zechus to know HaRav Edelstein, z’tl for many years,” he said. “One of the times I went to visit him, he asked me to learn a passage from the Chazon Ish with him. I thought it was a little strange but that’s what happened. He took out the sefer of the Chazon Ish, opened it, sat me down next to him and we began learning.”
“Among the things we learned, the Chazon Ish referred to the obligation to love every Jew and discussed the question of how to relate to a Jew who is not Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos. He quoted the Rambam who paskens that they have a din of ‘tinokos sheneshbu.’ And he quotes the Rambam that it’s a mitzvah to be mekareiv them to Torah. He taught me the lesson that it’s obligatory to love every Jew.”
Eichler proceeded to give a brief hesped about HaRav Edelstein, ending with: “We tell about these Gedolim in order to learn from them. I personally learned a lesson in how to love every Jew. He should be a meilitz yosher for all of Am Yisrael.”
After Eichler’s words were publicized, one of HaRav Edelstein’s family members surprised him by sending him a photo of the rare learning session with the Rosh Yeshivah, z’tl.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Made sure to listen to the video, because the article sounded wrong… the Rambam never paskened that all Jews in general who are not frum are tinokos shenishbi’u! That would be ridiculous! There certainly is a concept of a non-frum Jew who is classified as a rasha! In fact, generally, throughout most generations, non-frum Jews have always, indeed, been the opposite of tinokos shenishbi’u; they have been resha’im. So, for the Rambam to say that would be ridiculous, incorrect, illogical… and a blatant erasure of many halachos in the torah that pertain to such individuals.
A careful listen to the video, however, shows that, as I suspected, Rabbi Eichler said that the CHAZON ISH, not the Rambam, paskened that such individuals were tinokos shenishbi’u (that is logical, because — even though many poskim disagreed; let’s not forget — the Chazon Ish was paskening for his, and perhaps, or perhaps not, arguably — our — particular generation, as well)… and the Rambam was simply being mentioned in regard to his discussion of the halachos pertaining to tinokos shenishbi’u IN GENERAL– the Chazon Ish was simply saying that in his (and again, perhaps our, as well) dor, non-frum Jews are generally deemed to be tinokos shenishbi’u.
In fact, YWN, you really should edit that part of the article, because it is false torah and therefore assur to leave in the article; you’re implying that the Rambam held that all non-rum Jews in all situations and generations are tinokos shenishbi’u, which, as I said above, is ludicrous.
And very misleading, as well, to any non-well-versed readers here, who may get their hashkafos very dangerously confused…
Please change it!
The rambam was long before the Zionist and the chosen ish was not talking about them but it’s just lovely that this political rabbi should be with bunch of women and say that they are all “tinuk” what does he know and how can he say that was he in the gym with them maybe rav Gershon was talking about Americans just does not make sense for a rabbi to give a speech and say what the people are politicaly
Malkieli also spoke about Rav Gershon in the Knesset yesterday. He spoke about the gadol’s insight into chinuch.
“…t’s just lovely that this political rabbi should be with bunch of women and say that they are all “tinuk” what does he know and how can he say that was he in the gym with them …”
. Really stupid comment. The women at the table are elected MKs, including at least one from the right wing coalition. If he doesn’t like it, he can resign from the Knesset. All the UTJ/Shas MKs sit with women in the Knesset chamber and in the committee hearing rooms. Also, there are separate fitness centers for men/women in the adjacent Knesset office building.
I don’t know but there certainly are people in Israel that are not “tinuk” and what does he gain from his speech to the gay pride parade