In a mature brain, the concept that two things can be true at one time is not foreign. I can love my child and still be angry with him.
The fact that the Charedi populus can't process the idea that -these days- one can be a frum, Torah jew and still serve in the army does not speak well for them. It leaves us with the conclusion there is no mature brain at play. Only shallowness and selfishness, and the fact that grown men (and women) can't process mature, adult ideas is so sad.
I'm personally having a lot of heartache these Aseret Yemai Tshuva over how these Charedi leaders are causing so much pain to the rest of Am Yisrael. I have questions to God why this is being allowed to continue- how they can get up in shul and ask for forgiveness and mercy, when the cries of widows and orphans are ignored in the name of their Torah. I know there is no answer, but the questions ring in my head.
Keep exposing them and telling the truth. It is the only way. Anyone with a functioning brain and modicum of intelligence knows it is the brave men and women of the IDF keeping Israel safe. To believe otherwise is the definition of insanity and to live in alternative universe.
So I've been having a harder and harder time with these issues.
First of all, when one of our sons finished a tour-of duty in Gaza last winter, it was clear that we weren't hearing the whole story of what he experienced. A few weeks ago at the Shabbat table, we found out how close he came to [G-d forbid] being blown up by a mortar. Our "baby" daughter just started training for 3 years in a non-combat role, and as proud of we are of her, I really don't think girls belong in the army. (As a side point, she says that there are almost as many soldiers in skirts as those in pants where she is right now, a tribute to Midrasha girls).
Before Rosh Hashana I found myself screaming into the phone (and getting weird looks from my husband) at a close high school friend from the US who became Hareidi and lives outside Jerusalem. Needless to say none of her sons served, and she has defended the Hareidi position in blog posts. She invoked "the Rabbis" who she trusts, and all I could answer is that she chose her Rabbis, and hence can't hide behind them.
And then last Shabbat with 4 of our kids serving in 3 different places, we start talking to some friends- slightly clueless new Olim whose kids are Hareidi (the American-working variety). The wife is telling me how one of her grandsons likes physics, one likes learning, and I said "great, as long as they go to the army". She starts giving me this long bla bla about slow processes and about how things in the army are slowly getting "better", and maybe soon they'll get better enough for their grandkids to serve, but it's slow...and it's a process (and I'm thinking "the war isn't waiting for your 'process'") Subsequently they went on and on about how proud they are of their children even though they chose a "slightly different path". I'm going to lose a lot of friends before this war is over...
Perhaps it is a mistake to call the Chareidi leaders Gedolim. Perhaps they need exposure and education in Jewish history and philosophy as well as better understanding of the Tanach. They are sadly not in the mold of prior great Jewish leaders and rabbis that we had for the last two thousand years .
In a mature brain, the concept that two things can be true at one time is not foreign. I can love my child and still be angry with him.
The fact that the Charedi populus can't process the idea that -these days- one can be a frum, Torah jew and still serve in the army does not speak well for them. It leaves us with the conclusion there is no mature brain at play. Only shallowness and selfishness, and the fact that grown men (and women) can't process mature, adult ideas is so sad.
I'm personally having a lot of heartache these Aseret Yemai Tshuva over how these Charedi leaders are causing so much pain to the rest of Am Yisrael. I have questions to God why this is being allowed to continue- how they can get up in shul and ask for forgiveness and mercy, when the cries of widows and orphans are ignored in the name of their Torah. I know there is no answer, but the questions ring in my head.
Keep exposing them and telling the truth. It is the only way. Anyone with a functioning brain and modicum of intelligence knows it is the brave men and women of the IDF keeping Israel safe. To believe otherwise is the definition of insanity and to live in alternative universe.
"Their army"! The mind boggles.
So I've been having a harder and harder time with these issues.
First of all, when one of our sons finished a tour-of duty in Gaza last winter, it was clear that we weren't hearing the whole story of what he experienced. A few weeks ago at the Shabbat table, we found out how close he came to [G-d forbid] being blown up by a mortar. Our "baby" daughter just started training for 3 years in a non-combat role, and as proud of we are of her, I really don't think girls belong in the army. (As a side point, she says that there are almost as many soldiers in skirts as those in pants where she is right now, a tribute to Midrasha girls).
Before Rosh Hashana I found myself screaming into the phone (and getting weird looks from my husband) at a close high school friend from the US who became Hareidi and lives outside Jerusalem. Needless to say none of her sons served, and she has defended the Hareidi position in blog posts. She invoked "the Rabbis" who she trusts, and all I could answer is that she chose her Rabbis, and hence can't hide behind them.
And then last Shabbat with 4 of our kids serving in 3 different places, we start talking to some friends- slightly clueless new Olim whose kids are Hareidi (the American-working variety). The wife is telling me how one of her grandsons likes physics, one likes learning, and I said "great, as long as they go to the army". She starts giving me this long bla bla about slow processes and about how things in the army are slowly getting "better", and maybe soon they'll get better enough for their grandkids to serve, but it's slow...and it's a process (and I'm thinking "the war isn't waiting for your 'process'") Subsequently they went on and on about how proud they are of their children even though they chose a "slightly different path". I'm going to lose a lot of friends before this war is over...
They’ll say it’s an AI altered picture where someone changed all the shirts from white to green…..but we know whose reality is truly altered….
Perhaps it is a mistake to call the Chareidi leaders Gedolim. Perhaps they need exposure and education in Jewish history and philosophy as well as better understanding of the Tanach. They are sadly not in the mold of prior great Jewish leaders and rabbis that we had for the last two thousand years .
Well said. Certainly needs to be said.
The concept of Daas Torah has to be qualified, to say the least.
And the charedim who aren't studying in yeshiva?
“We are correct because we say we are correct.” Couldn’t find it on Pirkei Avot…maybe it’s somewhere else…probably not.