Speaking on Monday, Auerbach’s personal assistant Rabbi Yosef Petrov issued a statement saying Auerbach “did not give instructions to vote and, therefore, the law of ‘you shall do as they instruct’ does not apply.”

Voting in the haredi world is based on the concept of adhering to the instructions of rabbis, a concept very loosely derived from a verse in the Bible that instructs the people to act in accordance with the rulings given by judges.

Petrov said that since Auerbach gave no instructions there was, therefore, “no permission to vote,” in Tuesday’s election.

“The clear meaning of the Rosh Yeshiva [an institutional rabbinic leader] two days before the elections without instructions to vote is his way of saying there is no one to vote for,” Petrov said.

The ambiguous wording of Auerbach’s message does not explicitly instruct his followers not to vote, and the rabbi has deliberately shied away from instructing his loyalists outright not to vote since it could expose him to accusations that he weakened haredi Knesset representation to the detriment of the entire haredi community.

Dissenting voices within the faction urged Auerbach to endorse either Yahad or Shas in the last few days so as to avoid this charge, but they seemingly were overruled by Auerbach and his senior advisers.

In his message, Petrov said the rabbi in no way had given his blessing to Yahad and said he has no connection to the party.

Auerbach also has a history of bad blood with the Shas party. One source in the Jerusalem Faction told The Jerusalem Post that although the rabbi respects the Shas spiritual guide and head of the movement’s Council of Torah Sages Rabbi Shalom Cohen, he does not trust party chairman Arye Deri.

The source said that Auerbach is of the opinion that “it is not Rabbi Shalom Cohen and the Council of Torah Sages that gives instructions to the political echelon but rather Deri who instructs the rabbis on what to say.”