I know people in life-altering situations who relied on “Daas Toirah” and went to complete strangers for advice. Several of them got burned badly by the advice, when there were clearly better options. Some followed advice reluctantly, others followed blindly. But they followed, not thinking for themselves.
They don’t realize there’s an agenda in which “the Gedolim” have blinders on.
The Charedi community has members who are willing to serve, but it seems such a choice is viewed as the equivalent of baptism. Personsl lifestyle choices can lead to ostracism, by community and family. And they can affect the entire family (“Who will marry a girl whose brother/sister/father is in the IDF?”), not dissimilar to life in a totalitarian country.
The personal and economic cost of their CHOSEN lifestyle is a threat to the survival of the Sate of Israel. Perhaps if they familiarized themselves with history (the Chevron massacre, the Pact of Umar, accounts of life in Muslim countries, etc.) it would open their eyes.
But that requires “outside reading,” God forbid! (Bitul z’man, bitul Tiorah!)
And independent thought, a greater threat to the community.
Like what you wrote. The whole concept of the Das Gedolim is a fabrication to keep the masses under control. Look at their many serious mistakes and the consequences.
if Tractate Horayoth focuses on the laws pertaining to erroneous rulings made by a Jewish court then I think it is safe to say that the rabbis "don't always know". I guess some Charedim attribute papal infallibility to our rabbis.
Anyone who would like to get behind the (idolatrious) idea that these-or any- "Rabbonim" are infallible would do very well to remember- exactly as you noted- that thousands of Jews died because they were encouraged to stay in Europe by "Rabbonim". (No one ever wants to deal with that issue, as Rabbi Wein has noted.)
It is no mitzvah to sacrifice common sense on the altar of 'Daas Torah'. Someone should let this poor soul writing for the Mishpacha magazine know that.
As a matter of fact, maybe someone should let Mishpacha know that it's time to wake up and shoulder some responsibility for the actual, existential future of their readers.
The so-called "Rabbonim" of today are absolutely tone deaf to what is happening today- both in Israel and in the US and beyond. And so we are headed towards tragedy yet again. Israel is seriously losing the ability to defend itself, and Jews in the Diaspora may yet again lose in this wave of terrible, palpable anti-Semitism.
I think it's clear that Mishpacha and its ilk are a sinking ship. These inane articles are the gasps of an enterprise sinking in its own sea of ignorance and arrogance.
What a shame that this is what the "Torah" world has stooped too. To borrow from the קינות we read yesterday:
Hundreds thousands died due to belief in their false prophets. You could even claim rationally in the millions who believed them that the storm would pass.
It is not bashing Haredim.It is simply requiring them to participate in the defence of Israel in partnership with many Torah true Jews from the Dati Leumi
Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing in your post that I disagree with. My only problem was the word "codswallop". I had to look that up. (Obviously, I'm American by background.)
I know people in life-altering situations who relied on “Daas Toirah” and went to complete strangers for advice. Several of them got burned badly by the advice, when there were clearly better options. Some followed advice reluctantly, others followed blindly. But they followed, not thinking for themselves.
They don’t realize there’s an agenda in which “the Gedolim” have blinders on.
The Charedi community has members who are willing to serve, but it seems such a choice is viewed as the equivalent of baptism. Personsl lifestyle choices can lead to ostracism, by community and family. And they can affect the entire family (“Who will marry a girl whose brother/sister/father is in the IDF?”), not dissimilar to life in a totalitarian country.
The personal and economic cost of their CHOSEN lifestyle is a threat to the survival of the Sate of Israel. Perhaps if they familiarized themselves with history (the Chevron massacre, the Pact of Umar, accounts of life in Muslim countries, etc.) it would open their eyes.
But that requires “outside reading,” God forbid! (Bitul z’man, bitul Tiorah!)
And independent thought, a greater threat to the community.
Like what you wrote. The whole concept of the Das Gedolim is a fabrication to keep the masses under control. Look at their many serious mistakes and the consequences.
if Tractate Horayoth focuses on the laws pertaining to erroneous rulings made by a Jewish court then I think it is safe to say that the rabbis "don't always know". I guess some Charedim attribute papal infallibility to our rabbis.
Spot on commentary.
Anyone who would like to get behind the (idolatrious) idea that these-or any- "Rabbonim" are infallible would do very well to remember- exactly as you noted- that thousands of Jews died because they were encouraged to stay in Europe by "Rabbonim". (No one ever wants to deal with that issue, as Rabbi Wein has noted.)
It is no mitzvah to sacrifice common sense on the altar of 'Daas Torah'. Someone should let this poor soul writing for the Mishpacha magazine know that.
As a matter of fact, maybe someone should let Mishpacha know that it's time to wake up and shoulder some responsibility for the actual, existential future of their readers.
The so-called "Rabbonim" of today are absolutely tone deaf to what is happening today- both in Israel and in the US and beyond. And so we are headed towards tragedy yet again. Israel is seriously losing the ability to defend itself, and Jews in the Diaspora may yet again lose in this wave of terrible, palpable anti-Semitism.
I think it's clear that Mishpacha and its ilk are a sinking ship. These inane articles are the gasps of an enterprise sinking in its own sea of ignorance and arrogance.
What a shame that this is what the "Torah" world has stooped too. To borrow from the קינות we read yesterday:
אוי, מה היה לנו.
Hundreds thousands died due to belief in their false prophets. You could even claim rationally in the millions who believed them that the storm would pass.
My faux pas Rabbi, but you get my drift.
Keep speaking the truth Rabbi! Yeshar Ko’ach. It’s 2025 and these people are living in 1825🙀
Thanks, but you're nearly a century off; charedi Judaism started in 1914. See https://www.rationalistjudaism.com/p/happy-100th-birthday-daas-torah. And they served in the IDF until Begin gave them a blanket exemption.
It is not bashing Haredim.It is simply requiring them to participate in the defence of Israel in partnership with many Torah true Jews from the Dati Leumi
What's wrong with bashing the Haredim?
Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing in your post that I disagree with. My only problem was the word "codswallop". I had to look that up. (Obviously, I'm American by background.)
The American vocabulary is sorely deficient!
Correct. It is a British word.
A simple bullshit would do for us yanks.