Bnei Brak's Rats

Rodents and Rationalism

Rats can be fabulous. At the Biblical Museum of Natural History we have beautiful panda rats (so called due to their black-and-white coloration); they are clean, intelligent, extremely tame and fun to play with.

On the other hand, feral city rats are considerably less fabulous. They can spread disease and will sometimes attack people. And the town of Bnei Brak has a particular problem with them.

It’s actually quite horrific. Toddlers have been bitten in playgrounds and in their beds. Elderly people have been attacked while walking down the street.

So, what’s all this about? And what can be done?

Well, from a rationalist perspective, the cause is easy enough to explain. As City Councillor Yaakov Vider says, “the problem does not exist in cities adjacent to Bnei Brak, so there is no doubt that it is related to the sanitation conditions in the city,” pointing out that “Bnei Brak is one of the dirtiest and most neglected cities in Israel.” This in turn is presumably due to a combination of two factors. First is that having a clean environment is less of a priority for charedim, as can clearly be seen when comparing different neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh. Second is that Bnei Brak is one of the poorest cities in Israel, which in turn is due to having a very low number of people who are professionally employed.

The solution is, from a rationalist perspective, likewise obvious: better sanitation. Bnei Brak mayor Avraham Rubenstein acknowledged this in his declaration of a “War on Rats” and decided to drastically increase the city’s sanitation budget.

But I find it fascinating that the charedi political leadership is taking a rationalist perspective on this.

In charedi circles, unusual events (and even not so unusual events) are usually given metaphysical explanations. If I were to be eaten by a shark that I’m swimming with, or mauled by a lion that I’m petting, you can be sure that many people would declare that it’s a punishment for my going against The Gedolim. If a hurricane devastates a city, a few outspoken rabbis will publicly specify the sin responsible, while many more will say that it is due to some unspecified sin. If rockets don’t fall on Bnei Brak, it’s because Bnei Brak has protection due its Torah. But what happens when Bnei Brak suffers uniquely from rats? An entirely physical reason is given. Nobody suggests that it’s because of some unique spiritual failing of Bnei Brak.

And what about the solution? The charedi community has a beloved hero for solving rodent problems: Reb Shayale of Kerestir, the so-called “Mouse Rebbe.” The story goes as follows:

One motzei Shabbos, while Reb Shaya’le was eating his special melave malka meal, a chossid came to him with an urgent request. He was a man who had a warehouse full of foodstuffs and he made his living by buying an selling food. For the past number of months, his warehouse had been taken over by mice who were eating his grain and other commodities and his entire livelihood was threatened. He asked Reb Shaya’le for a blessing that the mice should leave his warehouse. At that time, each small town in Europe was ruled by the local church pastor. Some of the pastors were kind towards the Jews and others were very harsh. Reb Shaya’le asked the chossid if the pastor of the town he lived in was kind or harsh. The chossid replied that he was very harsh toward the Jews. Reb Shaya’le then instructed the chossid to go to his warehouse and to tell the mice, “Reb Shaya’le says to go to the estate of the pastor.” The chossid followed the Rebbe’s advice and instantly hundreds of mice raced out of the warehouse all heading in the direction of the pastor’s estate. The chossid’s business was saved and ever since Jews who have been plagued with this problem have used Reb Shaya’le’s picture to accomplish the ridding of mice from their homes.

While the veracity of this story is denied by the descendants of Reb Shayale (who, discounting all the supernatural legends, was an extremely special person who should not be trivialized with such foolishness), it’s very widely believed and popular. And yet Bnei Brak is not addressing its rat problem by disseminating pictures of Reb Shayale!

All this is similar to what I’ve written in the past about the charedi purported belief in Torah’s practical specific protective power. These are not genuine beliefs; they are beliefs in a belief. Such beliefs are only spoken about when they are convenient for upholding a way of life, for avoiding responsibilities, or when the dangers are minor. As soon as things get serious, these beliefs go out of the window. Rats can make rationalists out of anyone.