חנניה ווייסמאן Chananya Weissman

Chananya Weissman: An Open Letter to the Dati Leumi Community

November 25, 2024 – כ״ד במרחשוון תשפ״ה by Hyehudi

This open letter to the Dati Leumi community is lengthy, but it needed be thorough. I have attached a pdf of the letter, and it is available online as well at https://chananyaweissman.com/article.php?id=609.

If you agree with me that this is extremely important, please share it widely. I hope people will also print out copies to deposit in shuls.

An Open Letter to the Dati Leumi Community

Although I am not a mere assembly-line product of my geographic and educational environments, and would never wish to be so, it is important that I preface this letter with a bit about my background. I grew up primarily in the Five Towns and Queens, learned at Har Etzion (“Gush”), a premier hesder yeshiva, graduated from Yeshiva University, and I have semicha from RIETS.

I should be a rah-rah, flag-waving cheerleader for Israel and the IDF.

I am not. Not even close.

And I didn’t become an “extreme leftist”, either.

I start with these remarks because you cannot dismiss all that follows as the product of someone who was brainwashed from birth to harbor negative feelings about the State of Israel and the IDF. On the contrary, my background is similar to yours, and my views closely resembled yours for most of my youth. I thought highly of your society, generally respected your rabbis, and thought I would marry a girl from your community who was serious about Torah and halacha, dressed modestly, wasn’t materialistic, and wasn’t poisoned by secular feminism (a small minority even then).

Over the last twenty years or so my views about the State of Israel and the IDF have evolved greatly, but gradually. I did not wake up one morning a “crazy conspiracy theorist”, nor did anyone talk me into anything. I simply observed, learned, questioned, contemplated, and reevaluated my beliefs in light of new information and understanding.

Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Isn’t that what the Dati Leumi / Modern Orthodox world prides itself for, in contrast to those primitive and cultish “other” Jews you love to hate?

So I thought.

Although this was a gradual process, certain events drastically changed my perspective of the State of Israel, the IDF…and the Dati Leumi community. Here are a few critical turning points, up to the present time:

1. The destruction of Gush Katif

This occurred before I moved to Eretz Yisrael. Although for many years already the state had destroyed “settlements” and violently evicted residents who were salt of the earth to appease our enemies, seeing it unfold in my lifetime on such a large scale was a game-changer. I was revolted by the sight of IDF soldiers destroying beautiful Jewish communities, turning idealistic, independent families into refugees and beggars – if these families even remained intact – and surrendering our precious land to savages, who promptly turned it into a launching ground for further attacks deeper inside the land.

The Dati Leumi world had already flagellated itself for the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, foolishly accepting collective responsibility and punishment for a crime it didn’t commit (even according to the dubious official story). This greatly neutered its ability to protest perceived betrayals from the state, while increasing the power of the state to persecute vociferous dissenters.

The Gush Katif expulsion decapitated whatever independent spirit and ability to disobey remained in the Dati Leumi community. They failed to see through leaders of the “settlement” movement who were corrupted by the state to mislead the people and sabotage protests from within. Any suggestion of defending their land and their homes from Hebrew-speaking attackers was quickly denounced, rendering them easy prey and ensuring their defeat.

Furthermore, calls for soldiers to refuse orders were generally condemned in the Dati Leumi world. No matter the harm to one’s body and soul, and that of one’s fellow Jew; if a skin-headed kofer with more ribbons on his lapel than you told you to destroy a Jew’s life or needlessly imperil your own, you better obey. There could be no other moral or personal consideration. The future of Israel depended on it.

The highest ideal was no longer settling and building the land, all in observance of the Torah, but serving the state and sacrificing everything for the IDF, no matter what. No matter what.

Gush Katif was the greatest collective sacrifice on the altar of the state and the IDF in my lifetime, and would become the new calling card of the Dati Leumi world.

Whereas the Dati Leumi formerly prioritized the Land of Israel, the people of Israel, and the Torah of Israel, they would now prioritize the STATE of Israel, even if it meant surrendering the land and sacrificing the people. The Torah would be reinterpreted to support the edicts of the state whenever possible, and compromised when not. Serving the state was the ultimate mitzvah, the most meaningful expression of Judaism.

I cannot fault residents of Gush Katif for standing down in the face of overwhelming force; I would likely have done the same myself, albeit with very mixed feelings. But I was horrified by the grotesque outpouring of love for soldiers who had come to destroy their homes, wreck their lives, betray their trust, shatter their dreams, and turn over their land to bloodthirsty Jew-haters. There they stood, hugging and kissing their oppressors, inviting them into their homes for tea, and sharing tender moments before the soldiers loaded them onto buses and called for the bulldozers.

This path of least resistance and display of Stockholm Syndrome was perversely rebranded by state-affiliated influencers as courage and strength. This too would become an ongoing theme in the years to come, as the appetite for “painful sacrifices” would only grow stronger with each red line crossed.

Homeowners who were less hospitable to their Hebrew-speaking enemies, expertly conditioned and brainwashed by the state notwithstanding, were violently removed. There was a schedule to keep, after all, and only so much time for staged commiseration before the mission to make Gush Katif judenrein was completed.

I could never see myself joining an army that committed such an atrocity against our people and our land.

The Dati Leumi went in the opposite direction. When push came to shove, they chose serving the state and the IDF above all else. No sacrifice would be too great, no betrayal too extreme, to alter the dynamics of this abusive relationship.

2. The prosecution and imprisonment of IDF soldiers for killing the enemy

In 2016, IDF soldier Elor Azaria shot dead an Arab terrorist who was wounded after stabbing one of his fellow soldiers. The standard procedure was to provide top-notch medical care to wounded terrorists, sometimes even at the expense of their wounded victims, and always at the expense of the citizens, after which the terrorists would receive free housing, education, and entertainment in prisons far more cushy than Jewish opponents of the state would endure, after which they would eventually be released in lopsided exchanges or “goodwill gestures”, so they could return home as heroes, become leaders, and kill more Jews.

IDF soldiers are best advised not to ever kill a terrorist unless they call a lawyer first, because dead soldiers are widely celebrated, whereas soldiers who kill the enemy and live often face persecution and prosecution that might make death seem preferable. This is the “Jewish army” we are supposed to take such pride in and support, nay, the “most moral army in the world”.

IDF soldiers are routinely thrust into especially dangerous situations when other options are available, strictly for the sake of reducing casualties to the other side, as if protecting their lives is the priority in this situation. I would never join an army that cheapened my life and wellbeing, no matter how they tried to rationalize it “for the greater good”.

The Torah does not permit us to recklessly endanger our own lives for the benefit of the other side. And it is definitely not a milchemes mitzva to be sent into death traps by kofrim and traitors who have no desire or intention to truly win, nor any sincere regard for your life and wellbeing.

In principle, every reasonable person would agree that armies require cohesion and recognized authority figures to lead the troops. An actual Jewish army, however, empowers and obligates every individual soldier to recognize the Torah and its authority figures as the ultimate authority, and to adhere to instructions only so long as they do not conflict with this ultimate authority.

The IDF, of course, pays lip service to the Torah to facilitate the absorption of religious soldiers, but they do so only for this reason, and only to the extent that is necessary. Torah law is an inconvenience to the secular state and those who serve it. As such, Torah law will be compromised whenever necessary, or hijacked to justify total subservience to the state.

The Dati Leumi community fully bought into this corruption, which is why they proudly send their children – sons and daughters – to the IDF, irrespective of how the IDF tramples the Torah. Women in the army? No problem! It’s great for the IDF and great for the women!

Just yesterday they announced a new combat unit for “religious” women, bragging that this is “breaking barriers”. The only barriers it is breaking are those of halacha. It is yet another extreme abuse of our daughters and sisters in the name of “progress”.

Many in the Dati Leumi world, who by now have a casual relationship with halacha and tradition, especially when it conflicts with statism, are celebrating this, eager to thrust their daughters into the battlefield. Our ancestors are rolling in their graves.

The Dati Leumi wage feeble protest at best over mixed units, immorality, and Shabbos desecration, all of which are excellent ways of driving away Hashem’s presence and protection.

The Dati Leumi have little to no concern that their young, impressionable soldiers, under the complete control of the IDF, will be indoctrinated by secular ideas and ideals. Unfortunately, much of the Dati Leumi world already does that on their own, and dismisses concerns with the ubiquitious pikuach nefesh and “greater good” cards.

It is for this reason that the Dati Leumi remain staunchly obedient when their children are maimed and killed in senseless ways, for indefensible reasons. It is for “the greater good”.

They will express outrage when the IDF imprisons, persecutes, tortures, and prosecutes soldiers for doing what a real Jewish army would celebrate, but when push comes to shove the Dati Leumi will always fall into line.

Not me. I was never one to kiss the ring of authority and blindly follow orders. Although I would be proud to kill our enemies in battle, and do not consider my life more valuable than that of those who “serve” (from the lashon of servitude), there is no way I would subject myself to such un-Jewish, unreasonably perilous conditions to both body and soul.

It’s pikuach nefesh. In such a scenario, my own life and soul come first. And so would those of every Jew with his head on straight.

I can admire the idealism and dedication of the Dati Leumi community, but unfortunately they have lost their way. In fact, their beliefs about IDF servitude, which they angrily wish to be imposed especially on “haredim”, are riddled with kefira. More on this later.

3. The Covid era

It should have been no surprise that the Dati Leumi embraced the cult of Covid like no other. It was the perfect confluence of serving the state, worshipping science, virtue signaling, Communist-style conformity, and distorted expressions of pikuach nefesh.

Reasonable people could have formed different opinions about the proper response to the situation and the available information, especially in the beginning. Unreasonable people automatically believed whatever the state-approved “experts” said (all of whom read from the same script), refused to critically examine the information, refused to give fair consideration to information from other, perfectly legitimate sources of information, and made life and death decisions based primarily on fear, herd mentality, and blind obedience to authority.

The Dati Leumi community, which prides itself on intellectualism, critical thinking, and healthy skepticism of authority figures (especially Chazal, whose actual expertise in Torah and other matters they often deride) embraced strict Covid compliance as a religious imperative that superseded all others. I watched in horror as friends and loved ones, particularly those in the Dati Leumi world, transformed into something very ugly and un-Jewish, all in the name of the Torah and saving lives.

Like many others, I was thrown out of numerous minyanim by people I had known for many years and thought were friends. If they seriously believed my presence endangered their lives, it could be understood, but their actions demonstrated otherwise. They confronted me at close distance, with no concern that this needlessly endangered them even further.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst of it was that they threw Jews out of their shuls and communities, publicly shaming them, in many cases destroying them and their families, without a trace of hesitation or pain. If they believed it was necessary to distance certain people for the sake of saving lives, they should have done so with tears streaming down their faces, after a sleepless night of soul-searching, prayer, and mourning. It should have torn them up inside to do this to a fellow Jew.

It did not.

They threw Jews out with malice, with self-righteous glee and an air of superiority. They enjoyed it.

Compare and contrast with how they treated Hebrew-speaking enemies in uniforms who came to demolish their communities.

Compare and contrast with how they receive politicians who come to shiva homes for photo ops, exploiting the families of the dead whose blood was spilled for some agenda.

Compare and contrast with how they embrace the families of Arab terrorists, showering them with affection, calling them brothers, and assuring them they harbor no ill-will toward them for the “misguided” actions of their kin. No matter what role the family, and the surrounding society they were part of, played in this “lone wolf” spilling Jewish blood. The Dati Leumi don’t hold grudges, and they don’t believe in collective punishment.

Except, of course, when it comes to haredim.

Jews who refused to bow before the golden calf of Covid – many of whom, not surprisingly, identify as haredim – were persona non grata in the Dati Leumi world. The Dati Leumi routinely referred to haredim in particular as primitive, anti-science, spreaders of disease, rodfim, an existential threat to the entire world, and other such tropes that were historically used to dehumanize Jews and incite pogroms.

The Dati Leumi did this without any qualms, because they were “right”.

The Covid era was the final nail in the coffin for any sense of camaraderie I could have with the Dati Leumi world, which had surrendered everything it once stood for and become a statist cult.

There are many things about the haredi world that I take serious issue with. Perhaps one day I will write an open letter to them as well. For example, I do not submit to their prioritization of social conformity over actual religious observance, nor will I pretend to blindly follow what they call “Da’as Torah”, which is inconsistent with both Da’as and Torah. Although I frequently daven in haredi minyanim, learn in their Batei Midrash, give tzedaka to them, and enjoy warm relationships with card-carrying haredim, they would be horrified at the thought of their daughter or sister marrying me.

There is something very wrong with that. And I have many other criticisms as well.

But I am honest to say that the haredim get it very right most of the time, far more often than the Dati Leumi. They should be appreciated, treasured, and viewed with an ayin tov, in spite of their imperfections, just like the rest of us.

If we did that, Hashem would view us with an ayin tov as well. And don’t we desperately need that?

While the Dati Leumi threw me out of their minyanim during Covid without a trace of compassion (and they were wrong on every level, though many still refuse to admit it), the haredi shuls received me warmly and without issue. They were right. Thank God for them.

The Dati Leumi learned nothing from the Covid era, and would throw people out of shul tomorrow if the “Da’as Torah” they blindly follow – the heretics, eugenicists, and false prophets with certificates – instructed them to do so.

I may be temporarily permitted into Dati Leumi shuls, but, knowing what they did, and what they would do again if instructed, I will not go back to such places.

This brings us to the current situation. The Dati Leumi world is being absolutely decimated in Gaza and Lebanon. Their finest and bravest people are being ordered into death traps, on missions that make no sense, to capture buildings and land and then retreat, over and over again. Many of those who are fortunate not to have been killed or maimed are still traumatized from their experiences, and all of them have suffered long bouts of physical deprivation. Their families are suffering greatly as well in their absence, emotionally and financially.

The Dati Leumi world is being systematically destroyed. By the same people who have persecuted them for decades, despite their total allegiance to the state. By the same people who allowed October 7 to happen and stood down while the slaughter took place. These same people are sending the most idealistic Jewish fighters on suicide missions, with no clear purpose or end game.

The Dati Leumi know there is something wrong about all this. And they are very angry. But they are not particularly angry at the people who are giving the orders.

They are particularly angry at haredim.

They claim they just want haredim to care more and to show it, but that is a lie; that is not nearly enough.

They claim they are angry because haredim don’t pay enough taxes, and receive more financial benefits from the state, but that is a lie. There is nothing intrinsically virtuous about paying more taxes. The Dati Leumi pay handsomely for accountants to minimize their tax burden as much as possible, and if they could get away scot-free they would.

If the state gave nothing to haredim, the Dati Leumi would not receive a tax refund of a single shekel. The money would simply go back into the black hole.

The Dati Leumi do not mind when millions of shekels are wasted on the most frivolous of things, on the most despicable causes, such as perversity parades.

They hardly raise a fuss when truckloads of supplies are sent to Gaza/Hamas every day by the IDF they revere. The Dati Leumi have great compassion on children in Gaza.

They have no such compassion for haredi children. They wish there were far fewer of them, and wouldn’t care if they went hungry, irrespective of the comparably benign “sins” of their parents. Serves them right.

The Dati Leumi claim they are dying to protect haredim, but that too is a lie. They are dying because they made a religious ideal out of serving the state, a holy of holies out of the IDF, a religious imperative to follow orders, no matter what, and the holiest of all sacrifices to die for the state. Whether or not haredim actually benefit from this is debatable and immaterial; the Dati Leumi would have it no other way whether or not haredim offered up sacrifices as well.

Furthermore, the Dati Leumi express no seething hatred over “protecting” the “leftists” who voted for their communities to be destroyed and otherwise supported their worst enemies. Many of the communities that were hit hardest on October 7 were extreme “leftists”, and the Dati Leumi have no problem dying for them. They consider it an honor and a mitzvah.

The Dati Leumi claim they just want haredim to “share the burden”, but that too is a lie. It is immaterial to the Dati Leumi how much haredim actually contribute to society, and how much they sacrifice and suffer to do so. They will hate the haredim just as passionately no matter what.

Even if haredim joined the IDF or otherwise performed “national service” in large numbers (which no one actually wants, for haredim do not accept the IDF and the state as the ultimate authority, and will never just follow orders) the Dati Leumi would hate them just the same.

Even if the haredim joined combat units, that alone would not be enough.

It would only be enough if haredim were killed and maimed, in large numbers. That is what the Dati Leumi community really wants, the only thing that will appease their fury.

They are dying, and they want haredim to die as well.

They are being senselessly maimed, and they want haredim to be senselessly maimed as well.

They will never admit it, but that is the truth.

And they hate the haredim more than the people who are doing this to them, because that’s what the people who are doing this to them conditioned them to do.

It is kefira to believe that more soldiers equals more victory.

It is kefira to believe that Torah learning, prayer, and general mitzva observance has less impact than physical hishtadlus, let alone no impact at all.

It is kefira to scorn the spiritual contributions of haredim if they do not join the IDF, irrespective of whatever spiritual contributions the Dati Leumi contribute as well.

It is kefira to demand that haredim join an army that in no way resembles a true Jewish army, and to take orders from kofrim and traitors.

It is kefira to believe that by refusing to join such an army, haredim pose an existential threat to the Jewish people or are responsible for anyone’s death.

The Dati Leumi world has become rife with kefira – but even that is not its worst failing.

Its worst failing is that it has become conditioned to hate haredim, and only haredim. It is unacceptable in the Dati Leumi world to display such seething hatred for other “selfish” Jews, for leftists, for Arab terrorists, even for Amalek.

Even if the Dati Leumi had valid criticisms of the haredi world – and they do – this is totally unacceptable.

When you literally start using the language of Nazis and classic anti-semites to describe fellow Jews, maybe it’s time to take a long look in the mirror and rethink your life.

And when your best people are being maimed and killed in large numbers, and you remain committed to sending them into death traps, you need Hashem to protect you far more than you deserve. This is the worst possible time to be unleashing such hatred on haredim – not the best – regardless of your differences, complaints, and desire for them to join you on the next pointless suicide mission.

The Dati Leumi community needs to stop releasing its pent-up frustrations on the haredi world and rethink a lot of things.

And if there is going to be anything left of your community, you better start soon.

__________________________

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The Shmini Atzeres Stab in the Back: An Obvious Mashal

October 27, 2024 – כ״ה בתשרי תשפ״ה by Hyehudi

By Chananya Weissman

The Security Company

Consider the following scenario.

A man and his family lived in a dangerous part of the world, surrounded by savages thirsting for blood. Many of these savages were heavily armed and organized, and even the “civilians” among them supported their violent activities. It was part of their culture, their identity, even the focal point of their lives.

To make matters worse, this man and his family were in their crosshairs. They regularly issued open death threats to the man and his family, and attempted to carry out these threats on numerous occasions. They meant business, and there was no running away.

Being a responsible fellow, the man took these ongoing threats very seriously. He remained vigilant even during extended periods of relative calm. Everyone knew it wasn’t a question of if his enemies would try again, but when, and he could not afford to let his guard down for even a moment.

Fortunately he was a man of means, and he hired the best private security company to protect him and his family around the clock. This security company utilized the most sophisticated weapons and technology, its bodyguards received the most advanced training, and their intelligence gathering was the best in the industry. They knew virtually everything about the man’s enemies and monitored their every move.

Not satisfied with outsourcing his personal protection, the man received training from the security company and carried a gun – just in case.

One day officials from the security company came and demanded he surrender his personal firearm. They claimed that it would be unsafe for him to keep it with him, since there might be an accident, or enemy thieves might steal it. Besides, he didn’t really need it, since the security company had an elaborate defense system in place that far outclassed the enemies. The enemies wouldn’t be able to get near the outermost layer of the defense without being detected and neutralized, let alone the many additional layers.

The man was impressed with the security company, but uncomfortable relinquishing his weapon. There had been occasional incidents over the years in which enemy attacks had been repelled, or at least minimized, with the help of an armed civilian. The man didn’t want to be helpless in the unlikely but plausible event that he found himself in danger.

The security company suggested that he deposit his gun inside one of their bases, where it would be kept safe. If he were attacked by enemies, he could drive over to one of the bases to pick up his gun.

The man didn’t think this idea made any sense. When someone is under attack, they cannot hit the pause button to travel somewhere and obtain a weapon. Additionally, there was a disturbing history of large quantities of weapons being stolen from these bases, by the very enemies who threatened this man and his family. He insisted on holding onto his weapon.

The security company refused to accept this. Since the man’s arrangement with them stipulated that he could only carry a weapon with their approval, and he depended on their protection, his options were limited.

Finally they arrived at a compromise. The man’s weapon would be stored in an armory in his neighborhood. One authorized person in the neighborhood would hold the key to the armory. In the event of an attack, this individual would open the armory and local clients of the security company could retrieve their weapons.

The security company assured the man that if the enemy attacked, there would be plenty of time for the man to retrieve his weapon. After all, there were numerous bases and layers of defense between him and the enemy, and the alarm would be sounded the moment the enemies made a move.

Shortly after the man relinquished his weapon to the armory, surveillance balloons monitoring the enemy were removed.

Scouts who watched the enemy every moment of the day and night reported that the enemy was preparing for a massive attack. Their warnings were dismissed. The scouts continued to raise the alarm. The enemy movements were highly unusual and clearly indicated that an attack was coming. Instead of taking these warnings seriously, their supervisors threatened the scouts with severe punishment if they continued to raise the alarm. They did not explain this deviation from normal procedure, which nullified the very reason for the scouts being there in the first place.

A civilian radio operator had an excellent track record of listening in on the enemy’s radio communications and relaying warnings to the security company. At around this time, the security company confiscated his radio license and demanded he cease his activities.

Not long after, the security company moved large numbers of its forces far away from the border, leaving only a skeleton crew. They offered the vague justification that they were expecting trouble elsewhere.

The man and his family had little idea any of this was happening, and generally felt secure.

Soon thereafter, the enemies attacked. Although their weapons were far inferior to those of the security company, they somehow managed to breach a previously impenetrable border in record time, with no resistance. They breached a massive wall in dozens of places with no response. A slow-moving bulldozer drove up and broke through part of the wall. Truckloads of armed attackers simply drove right in, while throngs of looters gleefully followed. These included children and elderly men with canes. Somehow the door was wide open, and everyone could come right in.

The security company was very slow to respond. It took them many hours to muster a serious response. During this time, the attackers raided dozens of neighborhoods. They had their way with the local population, slaughtering massive numbers of people, torturing many of their victims, burning homes, looting, and celebrating as they went. It was as if they somehow knew the security company would not be rushing there imminently with a massive counterattack.

Meanwhile, the security company warned local media not to report on what was going on. The people were left to find out on their own – losing precious time, and, for many, any chance of escape. The people were also left to fend for themselves, with whatever small weapons they might have had.

The man tried to retrieve his weapon from the armory, but, by some tragic coincidence, the first person killed by the enemies when they entered his neighborhood was the one person who had a key to the armory. This coincidence occurred more than once. It was almost as if the enemies were informed who to target first and where to find him.

The man was fortunate to survive the attack, but many members of his family suffered unspeakable horrors.

In the aftermath of the attack, the man was livid with the security company. How could this have happened? He demanded immediate answers and accountability.

The managers of the security company insisted that now was not the time for questions. They first needed to wage a counterattack against the enemies. This would take many months, maybe even years. When all was settled, the man could ask his questions. The company promised to investigate themselves to determine what went wrong and share their findings (as long as they weren’t too sensitive) with the man.

They promised to learn from their mistakes and do better next time. The man should continue to trust them and give them another chance. He must continue to trust them and give them another chance.

They further insisted that all surviving members of the man’s family who were of fighting age should join this counterattack, under the direct command of the security agency. They too were expected to obey every order without asking questions. Under no circumstances, however, would they ever be permitted to rise to the upper echelons of the command structure, no matter how valiantly they fought or how successful they were. They would never be allowed to set the policy for the security agency that they supported with their money and their blood, but only carry out their commands. If they asked bothersome questions or disobeyed commands, they would be ruthlessly punished.

Additionally, if they defended themselves too well against enemy attacks, or if enemies complained that the conscripts were using too much force, the conscripts themselves would be jailed and tortured.

Furthermore, the security agency sent many truckloads of aid to the enemies on a daily basis. The mysterious coincidence that the enemy never seemed to run out of weapons and ammunition no matter how many losses they suffered was never seriously investigated.

The security agency demanded that the man occupy himself with worrying about hostages, commemorating the dead, honoring the fighters, and praising the occasional spectacular accomplishments of the security agency.

Somehow these spectacular accomplishments never managed to even briefly interrupt the activities of the enemies, who maimed and killed conscripts and civilians on a daily basis, and in fact only increased their attacks as they were supposedly being decimated and in hiding.

The metaphor might not be perfect, but it does not have to be.

Should the man accept the claims of the security agency that everything that happened was a perfect storm of intelligence failures, negligence, arrogance, and a long series of highly unlikely coincidences?

Should he entrust the lives of his remaining loved ones to these same people and send them into a war zone under their command?

Should he accept their argument that questions should not be asked and serious answers should not be demanded until some vague, distant point in the future?

Should those who conclude that the massive failure was the result of a widespread, deliberate betrayal on the part of the security agency, and that the man and his family were set up, be treated with hostility?

Should they in fact be treated with more hostility than the security company itself?

In light of all the facts, is the suggestion that the failure was caused by betrayal and collusion as part of a larger agenda unreasonable?

Should the man continue to trust this security agency and their management at all, about anything?

Should he continue to do everything the same as before, and expect different results?

If so, can we continue to think of this man as a responsible fellow?

__________________________

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Ma, I Made It! I’m Famous! Hyehudi.org Editor Quoted by Chananya Weissman…

May 24, 2024 – ט״ז באייר תשפ״ד by Hyehudi

Chief Rabbi of Israel: The Quintessence of Controlled Opposition

The following story is so incredible that it seems like satire, which is ironic. The material that I will be sharing comes primarily from the editor of Hyehudi.org, who collected it from a variety of sources that he linked to in his Hebrew article about it. I am also grateful to Rabbi Yehuda Epstein for providing additional information and context. The credit for most of the analysis belongs to them and their own sources.

Considering the numerous layers and lengthy details to this story, some of which are complicated, I will begin with a summary of the facts, after which I will add details and commentary.

1. The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzchak Yosef, is the (official) author of Yalkut Yosef, a compendium of rulings on Jewish law based on the rulings of his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Yalkut Yosef is touted as an authoritative work of Jewish law that is intended to give practical halachic guidance to readers.

2. The Yalkut Yosef quotes a work of satire as serious Torah, as part of an argument with practical implications in halacha. That’s right, he published a joke as actual Torah to support a halachic ruling. The satire is so obvious and absurd that no one with an ounce of Torah knowledge and seichel should have believed it was serious, let alone quoted it with seriousness in a book of practical Jewish law.

3. Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef was recently awarded the Israel Prize for Literature for the Yalkut Yosef.

4. The Ministry of Education was notified of this mockery in advance in a detailed letter, and awarded the prize to Yosef anyway. The letter is available here.

Those are the salient facts.

Now for the details…but first an introduction.

There is a longstanding controversy within the Orthodox Jewish world regarding the identity of the sea-creature that Chazal refer to as the chilazon. The chilazon produced a unique dye that was used for the blue-ish techeiles strand in tzitzis. Many believe that the chilazon has been rediscovered in our time, and with it the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis in the ideal way. Many others disagree, and continue to wear tzitzis with all white threads.

This controversy is particularly intense, and it matters to people far more than it otherwise would, because techeiles is a nexus between the following flash points that transcend the disagreement over Torah sources, the identity of sea creatures, and even the ability to do a mitzvah in the ideal way:

1. The rediscovery of the chilazon, after so many centuries of exile without access to techeiles, represents a harbinger of redemption.

2. As such, whether one accepts or rejects today’s techeiles as the real thing generally depends more on party lines than an independent analysis of the information at hand. Those who believe the large-scale return of Jews to Israel is also a harbinger of redemption tend to believe in today’s techeiles. Those in the religious world who are pom-pom waving cheerleaders for the State of Israel wear their techeiles as part of their idolatrous worship of the state. Those who scorn the secular state tend to scorn techeiles, too.

Very few people can divorce their feelings about the State of Israel from their beliefs about techeiles, and very few people have the self-awareness and intellectual honesty to realize that.

3. The acceptance or rejection of techeiles also intersects the contemporary cultism of “Da’as Torah” – the expectation that the entire Jewish people blindly adhere to the commands of select rabbinic authorities in a caste system they control, and viewing critical analysis of their words by all but a privileged few as heresy. Those who reject techeiles almost invariably fall into this camp.

4. The acceptance or rejection of techeiles also intersects the contemporary cultism of secular science and modern discoveries. Those who accept techeiles almost invariably fall into this camp.

With this in mind, let us examine the farce with Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef and the literary work that is attributed to him.

About 12 years ago, a Rabbi by the name of Eliezer Holl published a book called Tichla D’chilazon (The End of the Chilazon) in which he argued against today’s techeiles. (I did not see his book, and have no opinion about it). In one of his arguments, he claimed that there are actually two types of chilazon, one of which is kosher for producing the dye for tzitzis and one of which is not.

Subsequently a Torah scholar wrote an anonymous response called Tichla D’pizalon (The End of Split Thinking), in which he took this line of thinking to the most absurd of extremes to resolve other questions. It is a masterpiece of Purim Torah. It is obvious satire. You can see it here.

It is quoted in Yalkut Yosef as serious Torah.

A translation from the editor of Hyehudi follows:

I was shown a pamphlet called “Tichla D’pizalon” where the writer proves there were two snails (Chilazon), one in the Dead Sea, called Purphura, and passul for tzitzit, and the other in the Kineret, which is kosher for tzitzit. And with this distinction he answers the contradiction in Chazal regarding the location of the Chilazon. Only the Kineret snail is kosher for tzitzit, which is why the Gemara says the snail resembles the ocean. We can all see that the Chilazon of Techeiles of the Kineret is similar to the ocean like two drops of water, which is why they are completely indistinguishable.
And that which we learn of the tribe of Zevulun trapping snails in both the Dead Sea and in the Kineret is because there were two tribes called Zevulun, which is why their names are Zevulun (in the plural tense), unlike all other tribes, otherwise it should have been called “Zevul”. This proves there were two “Zevuluns”, each tribe with its own snail. This explanation is a wonderful one.
[And we should not be bothered by the verse saying “the sons of Yaakov were twelve” (and if there are two Zevuluns, the number should be thirteen), because in fact, there two “Yaakovs” as well, as the Torah says explicitly “Vaya’akveni zeh fa’amayim” [“and he held me back two times”]. There were also two “Yitzchaks”, and this is clear in the Torah, as we find them being promised a son twice. This is also the meaning of the verse “And these are the children of Yitzchak son of Avraham, Avraham produced Yitzchak.” And it says explicitly “Avraham was one”, which implies there are two, however, of Yitzchak. This resolves the contradiction in Chazal as to the age of Yitzchak at the time of the Akeida as well, since Avraham must have offered each one up on the altar at a different age. Likewise, this resolves the conflicting views as to the age of Rivka (was she three when marrying Yitzchak or was she fourteen?). The answer is there were two Yitzchaks, and each of them married their own “Rivka”.]
Indeed, it is apparent that when Hashem promised to give them Eretz Yisrael, this means for each and every Yitzchak, because there are, in fact, two “Eretz Yisraels”, as well. This explanation answers many difficulties, for there are many signs used to describe Eretz Yisrael that don’t match the Land of Israel we are familiar with. Firstly, Eretz Yisrael is described as being higher than all other lands, but ours is not the highest. Furthermore, the Vilna Gaon created a map of Eretz Yisrael which doesn’t compare to the Eretz Yisrael we have. Additionally, our sages tell us that the air of the Land of Israel grants people wisdom, and we have not seen that occur. It must be that there are “Eretz Yisraels”, one for each Yitzchak and Yaakov. And while we don’t find any other Eretz Yisraels in the world, there may be two worlds. Indeed, our world doesn’t match the world described by our sages either, for our own world is round, while the sages say the world resembles a porch (ach’sadra), so it must be Chazal were discussing that other world. And over there is a square-shaped Eretz Yisrael, and in its Lake of Kineret located in the tribal portion of the other Zevulun is a kosher snail, with Glatt Kosher bones and sinews, from whose blood one can produce the right Techeiles, and it is possible the Second “Bnei Yisrael” use it. Likewise, regarding Iyov (Job) we find a contradiction in Chazal, for some say he doesn’t exist (except as a parable), while others say he did exist. We are led to conclude there were two “Iyovs”, one of whom existed, and another who indeed never existed at all.]

End of quote.

You can see it in Yalkut Yosef here. I’m told this was added in the 5780 edition.

It is primarily for this that Yitzchak Yosef was just awarded Israel’s most prestigious prize – not for humor, but for serious Torah literature.

To make matters worse, this is a book on practical Jewish law that is intended for the masses, who generally will not be equipped to challenge the content, nor possess the gumption to do so.

There are only two possible explanations for how this absurd satire was published as serious Torah in Yalkut Yosef.

1) Torah scholars who have critically examined Yalkut Yosef believe, for a variety of reasons, that it was authored at least in part by a committee of writers and attributed in full to Yitzchak Yosef. (Perhaps there are two Yitzchak Yosefs as well?) One of these writers inserted the satire, and Yosef either didn’t bother to supervise the Torah being published in his name, or believed it was real Torah.

It is extremely common for public figures to hire more competent people to write speeches for them and even ghost write their books. This practice, widespread though it is, is not very respectable, but when it comes to Torah – especially practical halacha – it is completely unacceptable.

2) Yosef inserted it himself.

One of these must be true. I’m not sure which reflects more poorly on Yosef, but both are devastating in their implications.

Either way, four years after this complete nonsense was published in his name and sold to the masses, and continues to be sold to the masses, the great Chief Rabbi won a prize from the State of Israel for it.

But there’s even more.

A mere week after the October 7 mini-Holocaust, Yitzchak Yosef was busy sending a letter in which he sharply attacked the Sephardic Yeshiva Kisei Rachamim, its Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Meir Mazuz, and his most prominent disciples. You can see the letter here.

Among other things, Yosef lambasted their ignorance, lack of intelligence, and inability to make proper distinctions.

ביחד ננצח!

This, from someone whose magnum opus quoted an absurd satire as serious Torah, and teaches the masses that there were two of each of the patriarchs and two lands of Israel.

But it gets even crazier. The author of the anonymous satire related to me that someone from the office of the Sephardic Chief Rabbi managed to track him down and called him, asking if his piece was serious or a joke. The author replied that it was a joke. The caller asked if the author would agree to speak with the office the next day, but they never called him back.

Meanwhile, Yitzchak Yosef struts around in his bigdei kehuna, issues state-serving rulings that are completely against the Torah, makes inflammatory remarks that bring hatred and scorn upon the Torah-observant world (see here), publishes satire as serious Torah for the masses, and gets rewarded by his employers, the Erev Rav State of Israel, for a job well done.

A politically appointed “Chief Rabbi” of the heretical State of Israel is the quintessence of controlled opposition.

It’s all a big Erev Rav farce.

If you are going to defend it, know full well what you are defending.

It’s high time the masses stopped making apologies for the charlatans who rule over us, disgrace the Jewish people, and lead the masses to spiritual and physical destruction.

It’s high time people stopped defending wicked phonies just because they may possess Torah knowledge and hold prominent positions.

That doesn’t make these people honorable or worthy of knee-jerk defense.

It makes them more dangerous.

The facts have been presented. What you choose to do with them is your responsibility.

__________________________

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VAYIKRA: Can the Whole Congregation Stumble in Sin? YES!

March 22, 2024 – י״ב באדר ב׳ תשפ״ד by Hyehudi

We Have to Follow the Sanhedrin…Right?

I’ve written extensively about how it can be that so many rabbis would get something wrong, and the responsibility we have to recognize when this happens. One does not need to be an “expert” to observe a fundamental error, even by someone with superior knowledge and credentials. Expertise merely grants the presumption of an opinion worth considering; it does not ensure against laziness, sloppiness, human error, ignorance of relevant information, or corruption. No one gets a blank check.

Nevertheless, some fearful Jews continue to deny their responsibility to recognize falsehood and break from authority figures who make erroneous pronouncements. “Don’t we have to listen to the Sanhedrin?” they argue. “The rabbis have ruled that we must follow the Ministry of Health recommendations. Case closed.”

Or is it? This week’s parsha begs to differ.

We learn of the various types of korbanos [sacrificial offerings] as part of the atonement process (they have no effect if they are not accompanied by actual repentance, a common failing in ancient times). There are special korbanos for three categories of leaders who sin: the Kohen Gadol, the king, and the Sanhedrin. Unlike other systems, which pay lip service to the fanciful notion that “we are all equal under the law” (LOL), the Torah has an openly inequal system. Those with greater power are held to a higher standard, for their sins lead others astray and cause more damage to the nation. Their korbanos are more severe, and a complete atonement for their sin cannot be guaranteed.

The Torah refers to the Sanhedrin as “כל עדת ישראל”, the entire assembly of Israel (4:13). They wield even greater power than the king and the Kohen Gadol, for they determine Jewish law for the entire nation. Their authority transcends the political power of the king and the spiritual supremacy of the Kohen Gadol. A king’s decrees are in force only during his reign; the Sanhedrin’s rulings outlive those who issued them.

If the Sanhedrin issues an erroneous ruling, and the masses sin because of it, they must bring a special korban, as outlined in the following pesukim. The masses who follow this ruling are exempt from bringing a korban, as they otherwise would. An entire tractate of Gemara, Horayos, is devoted to the halachos pertaining to this section. This section of the Torah and the teachings of Chazal shed great light on the times in which we are living, despite the absence of a Sanhedrin and korbanos.

The possibility of the Sanhedrin getting something wrong is real, and the Torah takes it very seriously. The Torah gives no one a blank check, not even the greatest sages, not even a confirmed prophet. Those who argue that we have to blindly follow the so-called “leading rabbis” of today, who themselves are telling us to blindly follow so-called “leading experts”, are making a fundamental mistake. We don’t blindly follow anyone, certainly not when they tell us to blindly follow godless people with conflicts of interest and serious integrity issues. The Torah doesn’t write about this as a theoretical exercise. It’s practical Jewish law.
Lower courts are pointedly excluded from these halachos. Only the Sanhedrin is liable to bring this special korban for an erroneous ruling (Horayos 5A). Not only are they not presumed to be infallible, they are singled out for the greatest accountability in the event of a mistake. This is clearly intended to warn us against blindly trusting those who deserve our trust more than anyone else.
The entire Sanhedrin must be qualified to give rulings. If even one judge was unqualified, they do not have to bring the special korban (Horayos 4B).

Nowadays, there is no Sanhedrin and no facsimile thereof. The argument that we must blindly follow the declarations of so-called “leading rabbis”, who lack the authority of a Sanhedrin both individually and collectively, and whose qualifications to be judges on a future Sanhedrin are far from certain, is a non-starter. Nowadays one can find a rabbi, or a collection of rabbis, to sign off on virtually anything. Conferring Sanhedrin status on rulings today is an insult to the institution.

Only the details of a mitzvah* *can be hidden from the eyes of the Sanhedrin, not the entire mitzvah. If the Sanhedrin rules to uproot an entire mitzvah, they do not bring the special korban (Horayos 4A).

It is noteworthy that Chazal entertained the possibility of a Sanhedrin being so ignorant or corrupt that they would rule to uproot an entire mitzvah. This is not science fiction or a “conspiracy theory”; it’s an actual Gemara, derived from a pasuk, that is consecrated in Jewish law. Furthermore, Chazal also discussed a situation in which the Sanhedrin ruled to permit avoda zara, or declared that one type of avoda zara is not actually forbidden, and this is also concretized in Jewish law.

Those who say it can’t happen or won’t happen are dismissing Jewish law and our greatest sages, who took this eventuality very seriously.

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