Hamas, Haredim, and Hayalim
And those who equate them
Rav Dov Landau, the “Gadol HaDor” of the Ashkenazi Charedi Lithuanian world, published a letter calling upon his community to perform special prayers for mercy on erev Rosh Chodesh. And what does he give as the reason? “The heavy yoke of exile affecting every aspect of our lives from the evil nations of the world, and the evil plans of the authorities in the Holy Land to uproot yeshiva and kollel students from learning Torah.”
According to Rav Landau, the desire of the Court and the vast majority of the population (including the national-religious community and some moderate charedim) for everyone to share the responsibility of protecting the country is not an echo of Moshe Rabbeinu’s request, a simple desire for equality, a plea for an army large enough to protect us, for the burden of service and reserve duty to be shared among the population instead of some people having to increase their cumulative service by many years. Instead, it’s “evil.”
It should be clear that such slander is itself evil.
Even worse is how for Rav Landau this is an evil that can be spoken of in the same sentence as the evil of those countries that want to destroy the nation. Just as it was horrifying that the ICC condemned Israel in the same breath as Hamas, this is likewise horrifying. Wanting charedim to join those who save Jewish lives is described as evil alongside wanting to kill Jews?!
Meanwhile, someone left a comment on an earlier post, saying that Haredim are an even more dangerous enemy than Hamas. Another person was horrified and said that I should delete the comment. I actually wasn’t sure if the person was being sarcastic, but assuming he was being serious, the problem with his formulation is that it carries a connotation of some sort of similarity of intent, God forbid. A more appropriate and accurate formulation would instead contrast them. Hamas wants to destroy Israel but can’t make it happen, whereas the Haredim do not want to destroy Israel but could enable it to happen.
And they are determinedly on the way to doing so.
I am really impressed with this letter of Reb Dov's. You see the לשון חכמים מרפא, how he is careful to make his point without adding to it.
Hamas is רשעי אומות העולם, they are evil.
However, the אנשי השלטון are not evil, their plans are מזימות רשע, with a segol under the ר and a pasach under the ש.
Sadly, the uninformed have power and are liable to close down the Yeshivos as we know them. They are so ignorant, mostly, that they do not realize the dangers of these plans. But they must be thwarted anyway.
Rav Landau has forfeited his claim to be the Gadol Hador. A true Gadol would seek to foster dialogue and understanding among Jews. Instead he seeks to instigate and promote sinat chinam. The pronouncements of the "Charedi Gedolim" have been destructive and pathetic. We need the Charedi masses to speak out and take action, even against the advice of their Gedolim.