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Rechilus? If Rabbi Sternbuch wasn't a Gadol HaDor who said these harsh words against Naftali Bennett which in turn generated much Lashon Hara, than one can argue that perpetuating this Machlokes is Rechilus and I should not be posting about it..
In addition, based on the tone of these harsh words, one does not get the impression that they were given with Ahava, love in order to be Metaken, correct an alleged wrongdoing of this small Kipa bearing MK. .
Can one give Mussar, rebuke a Gadol Hador, a well known and respected Rabbinic Leader? If the Gadol Hador himself preaches to his followers to end Machlokes, controversy, and to have Ichpatiyut concern for a fellow Jew how is it possible that he himself doesn't seem to practice what he preaches? http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2016/01/israel-police-state-please-contact.html
What triggered this outburst against a Dati Leumi, Religious Zionist MK?
On a simple level, probably, Naftali Bennett's efforts to assimilate the Chareidi, religious ultra orthodox community into the Israeli workforce is threatening. Perhaps the underlying fear is that Chareidim integrated into Israeli society will feel indebted to the source of their newly acquired sustenance and this naturally will weaken and threaten the influence of the Chareidi Leadership over their chassidim, followers. In addition, being exposed to alien ideas of the Chareidi society, such as a positive take on the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force will somehow penetrate the mindset of the Chosid alienating them from their Chareidi mindset. In addition, the internet and the evils of secular society will also be more accessible. Rather than showing Chareidim how to embrace modern day technology which empowers negative and positive energies for both good and evil and instruct and teach them how to channel it for the good, Chareidim have been advised and educated to avoid the temptations altogether and rather to isolate themselves and be removed from any medium which can generate negative influence.
Unfortunately, this also removes them from the powerful tools that are needed in today's society to counter the powerful forces of evil. Chareidim pride themselves in succeeding in overcoming the test of our Internet generation by not succumbing to it's tentacles that has entrapped so many people to do bad stuff. .
This is not completely accurate on various levels. Firstly, we are One Nation. So if the majority of the people have been infected with the evils of the internet, then Am Yisroel as a Nation is infected. We never truly escape but rather by osmosis absorb it. Of course, the damage is not as severe as one who is badly infected.
Perhaps more troublesome is that we can not dismember an entire community because they are part of us and we are part of them. This goes for Chareidim as well as Dati Leumi. One can not dismember a part of his/her body because we need each part of our body and by doing so we only hurt ourselves.
The Chareidim need the Dati Leumi community and visa versa. In fact we need each and every Jew, secular or religious.
Perhaps more troublesome is that we can not dismember an entire community because they are part of us and we are part of them. This goes for Chareidim as well as Dati Leumi. One can not dismember a part of his/her body because we need each part of our body and by doing so we only hurt ourselves.
The Chareidim need the Dati Leumi community and visa versa. In fact we need each and every Jew, secular or religious.
Secondly, the evil is not uprooted simply because someone succeeded in hiding it under the rug temporarily. Out of sight, out of mind is not a permanent solution. If evil is empowered with technology we need to be able to use technology to empower good even more so.
And by minimizing our exposure to fellow Jews exposed to outside influences we also limit and minimize our positive influence of an elevated consciousness of sanctity upon our fellow Jew by not interacting with them.
There needs to be a healthy balance rather than total abstention and separation.
We don't abstain from wine but rather we elevate it and thus sanctify the mundane with holiness.
And by minimizing our exposure to fellow Jews exposed to outside influences we also limit and minimize our positive influence of an elevated consciousness of sanctity upon our fellow Jew by not interacting with them.
There needs to be a healthy balance rather than total abstention and separation.
We don't abstain from wine but rather we elevate it and thus sanctify the mundane with holiness.
This having been said, allow me to perhaps suggest another deeper explanation for Rabbi Sternbuch's character assassination of Naftali Bennett.
From an outsider perspective, and I am not G-d to understand His ways, there does seem to be some poetic justice in the powerful character assassination attack on Naftali Bennett. It was somewhat deserved though not for the reasons Rabbi Sternbuch mentioned.
Yesh Din veYesh Dayan.
Yesh Din veYesh Dayan.
Naftali Bennett himself engaged in character assassination of the hilltop youth having an extremely horrible article portraying the hilltop youth as "Jewish Terrorist" published in the New York Times an antisemitic paper In August 2015. http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2016/01/duma-blood-libel-calling-hilltop-youth.html. This article was the life blood of a blood libel that originally happened in Duma.
Naftali Bennett, Prosecutor and Judge on Israel's Jewish Terrorists By NAFTALI BENNETT AUG. 7, 2015 They killed the baby and his parents....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/opinion/naftali-bennett-on-israels-jewish-terrorists.html?_r=0 ...The terrorists who killed Shira and Ali do not represent Israel or its people. They are a fringe group, made up of radical extremists who do not only seek to kill. Their ultimate goal is the destruction of the State of Israel. They act against and threaten the very premise of what the Zionist movement envisioned when returning to the Land of Israel after 2,000 years in exile — a Jewish and democratic state committed to equality and freedom for all its citizens. They are anarchists, a fifth column within Israel and like Hamas and Hezbollah, they must face the full force of Israel's justice system and its defense establishment.
But they are also a tiny group. They do not represent the 400,000 residents of Jewish communities throughout the West Bank, the overwhelming majority of whom are law-abiding citizens and have condemned these acts of violence.
So now Bennett himself has first hand knowledge of what it feels like to be libeled.
Here he was, trying his very hardest to help the Chareidi community with jobs and with economic relief and in return he got slammed and slandered being called lots of nasty names.
Here he was, trying his very hardest to help the Chareidi community with jobs and with economic relief and in return he got slammed and slandered being called lots of nasty names.
But this doesn't seem to excuse Rabbi Sternbuch from his own Character Assassination of the Dati Leumi MK.
Rabbi Sternbuch has been outspoken against protesting the Iran Deal, against a Chareidi Draft, against ascending Har HaBayit lest it enrages the Goyim and has not spoken out in defense of Meir Ettinger nor the hilltop youth under Adminsitrative Detention in spite of their desire to have a Torah government.
HaRav Sternbuch outwardly preaches unity yet his words have the opposite affect. One has a hard time feeling his love for his fellow Jew when he lashes out at the Dati Leumi community. One can not help question what HaRav Sternbuch had in mind when he blasted the small Kippa MK. His very harsh words seem like they are a direct contradiction to the teachings of Shemirat of Halashon of the Chofetz Chaim. The entire Jewish religious community, the entire religious educational network, Chareidi, Chassidish, Litvish, Modern Orthodox have been taught that Shemirat Halashon, guarding one's tongue from evil talk and ending Machloket, controversy, and loving a fellow Jew is the key to bringing the redemption. Please read about the work of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chofetz_Chaim_Heritage_Foundation
and about the Power of Speech https://powerofspeech.org/
and about the Power of Speech https://powerofspeech.org/
What comes to mind is Lipa Shmelzers son Yid Yid Vi's dayn Bort.
Where is your Beard - by Lipa Schmeltzer - Lip Sync
Here is the background story of this song from a Satmar blogger:
The story is about R' Elimelech Tress... quoting from a web site: "The Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Tietelbaum, treated Mike Tress with a great deal of Kovod (respect). One of his chassidim was surprised at this and asked the Rebbe how he could do this? Mike was just a clean shaven guy! The rebbe replied in Yiddish (but I will write his reply in English). "In the World to Come when Mike Tress gets there they will ask him, "Yid, Yid where is your beard? When you get there, they will ask beard, beard, where is your Yid!""
The story is about R' Elimelech Tress... quoting from a web site: "The Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Tietelbaum, treated Mike Tress with a great deal of Kovod (respect). One of his chassidim was surprised at this and asked the Rebbe how he could do this? Mike was just a clean shaven guy! The rebbe replied in Yiddish (but I will write his reply in English). "In the World to Come when Mike Tress gets there they will ask him, "Yid, Yid where is your beard? When you get there, they will ask beard, beard, where is your Yid!""
Arutz7 and Yeshiva world reported on Rabbi Sternbuch's harsh words to Naftali Bennett.
Haredi leader attacks Bennett: You're a swine, ditch the kippah. In vicious attack, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch compares Bennett to a pig, calls on him to throw away his kippa. 'It would be a great mitzva'. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/210137#.Vv29bfkrJdg
Hagao HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Lashes Out at Bayit Yehudi Leader Bennett
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/401292/hagao-harav-moshe-sternbuch-lashes-out-at-bayit-yehudi-leader-bennett.html
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Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Robin Ticker
Israel Advocacy Calendar (www.IsraelAdvocacyCalendar.com).
Activist emails sent to my list are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch. May their memories serve as a blessing.
Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.
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