העורך Editor

For those who don’t read every word ever posted here, and do thorough, regular chazarah (gasp!), here is the chronology of events:

First, there was this, posted approx. weeks back (sending readers to an article by Yechezkel Hirshman against Rabbi Dovid Cohen’s remarks): The Torah Doesn’t Exactly Belong to Rabbi Dovid Cohen…

Then, noticing I posted one too many articles that day, I reposted it again a few days ago. A Hyehudi reader helped me see the original article had since been hidden, which I subsequently noted to all readers. Mr. Hirshman wrote us a letter I made public yesterday.

Following are some excerpts and my response:

… I have really only seen two posts referenced and the substance of these two posts in particular give me a bit of insight. (Oddly enough, they both mention Rav Dovid Cohen.)

Actually, we referenced this gem, as well.

… I think you likewise have an obligation to notify me if you reference my posts.

My own policy is to approach the mentioned writer if their email address is public (including those using pseudonyms) only in case of both lengthy, and personal, or especially biting criticism, such as I did with this and this (which I was planning to do with Mr. Hirshman as well). In all other cases, I rely on the writers’ own writing mediums to inform them (I believe “backlinks” are enabled by default on Blogger, as well). Even if doing more wasn’t near-impossible to Hyehudi.org, as a curated aggregation site, this would still be unnecessary.

Back to the deleted post, all I will say on why I deleted it is that Rav Dovid Cohen is still a distinguished person and represents the Torah world, so to denigrate him any more than is absolutely necessary would be  לא תלין נבלתו because, when any distinguished Torah personality is disgraced, it is  קללת אלוקים תלוי and I do my utmost to be sensitive to Kavod shamayim.

I cannot concur.

I have written more about my views on these questions here, here, and here (start at “By the way”).

Rabbi Cohen does not represent the Torah itself, since, as Rabbi Yitzchak Brand says, Torah observance is parceled out among various groups, so who cares what community he represents?

Rabbi Cohen hasn’t retracted his ignorant, one-sided nonsense or personal smears and incitement to abandon the Temple Mount [All in one! Here is the original quote] (or anything he and his ilk blindly and uncaringly caused with Coronavirus craziness, as noted by Mr. Hirshman himself!), so why should his voiceless, forcibly anonymous critics fall silent? Mr. Hirshman says Rabbi Cohen is being “disgraced”, but that is by his own hand (or honest disagreement, not disgrace).

See especially this: Repeating a Rabbi’s Own Words Is Not Lashon Hara!

To the contrary! The “קללת אלוקים תלוי” is that people like him don’t fear saying things like that. And the masses or non-Jews assume all observant Jews are like that (which is the Gemara’s reasoning behind “מפרסמין את החנפים מפני חלול השם” in cases of physically committed sins), or “מדשתקי רבנן ש”מ ניחא להו”, Heaven forfend.

And the so-called “Torah world” has looong been the “אין לי אלא תורה” world!

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Here is what he wrote (in response to this):

BSD

Hello Mr. Hyehudi, LOY”T

I really do not know much about you or your personal hashkafos only that they appear to me to be somewhat confrontational.

Regardless, I am always gratified that anyone even reads my posts and more so that they post references to it. Yasher Kochacha for that.

I actually would like you to reference my material more often. I have really only seen two posts referenced and the substance of these two posts in particular give me a bit of insight. (Oddly enough, they both mention Rav Dovid Cohen.)

As far as the post that I deleted, be assured that not only did you have nothing to do with this, but I wasn’t even aware that you ever referenced my post until about the time it went down. In that vein, I want you to know that I have a personal policy that, to the extent possible, when I refer to other people in my posts, especially to other writers, I make an effort to notify them that I did so. If I have their email, or if I can locate it, I will send them a copy.

I wrote an extensive post of this policy and why I do it. You can see it here:

Achas L’Maala V’Sheva L’Matta: Arrur Makkah Re’eihu B’Seter – Part 1: Good Faith 

As such, I think you likewise have an obligation to notify me if you reference my posts. I am available at this email.

Back to the deleted post, all I will say on why I deleted it is that Rav Dovid Cohen is still a distinguished person and represents the Torah world, so to denigrate him any more than is absolutely necessary would be  לא תלין נבלתו because, when any distinguished Torah personality is disgraced, it is  קללת אלוקים תלוי and I do my utmost to be sensitive to Kavod shamayim.

And, yes, I do still have the original, but it is no longer for public consumption.

Hatzlacha rabba,

Kol Tuv,

Yechezkel Hirshman

P.S. You may post this email if it suits you – totally unedited but you may remove this PS.

דברי הרב אחיקם אלירז בוגר ישיבת הר המור:

היום הזה, אני מתבייש בישיבה שלמדתי בה.

למדתי בישיבת הר המור ושלוחותיה כ-7 שנים. יש לי הערכה עצומה למקום ולרבנים. אבל היום כואב לי מאוד, ואני מתבייש.

אני מתבייש במו”ר הרב טאו שליט”א שאמר שכל פרשת חיים ולדר היא עלילה. לא יודע מנין שאב הרב את המקור לדבריו אבל ברור שדבריו אינם נכונים ולעניות דעתי אף מסוכנים.

אני מכיר נפגעת אחת של ולדר.

חבר ילדות שלי, פסיכולוג קליני יר”ש שעובד במרכז טיפול בבני ברק, עסוק בפרשה הזו למעלה משנתיים. מטפלות קולגות שלו מטפלות בנפגעות של ולדר כבר שבע שנים.

ידיד נפש שלי, יהודי בני ברקי יר”ש מרבים שהיה גם חבר אישי של ולדר, כשנודעו לו סיפורים בדק וחקר היטב, הוא שמע בעצמו כמה וכמה עדויות מנפגעות ועודד אותם להגיש תלונה במשטרה.

אישה שיש לי איתה קשרי עבודה מכירה את הסיפור מלפני שנים, מחברה שלה שנפגעה ממנו.

רבנים בבני ברק ועובדי עירייה יודעים על הסיפורים הללו הרבה מאוד זמן למה לומר שזו עלילה, כשהאמת היא שהסיפורים שנתפרסמו הם רק קצה הקרחון של מעשיו.

לומר כך זה חילול ה’, ומעבר לכך, זו אמירה מסוכנת מאוד.

בתור נפגע בעצמי בילדות, אני מבין מה המשמעות של האמירה הזו.

זה נתינת לגיטמיציה לפוגעים להמשיך לפגוע, ומסר לנפגעים לשתוק.

אני כותב כי כואב לי, כי זה מציף אותי.

את רוב תורתי שאבתי מתורת הר המור, מרבניה ומספריה. עד היום אני תורם לישיבה גם בהו”ק וגם בקמפיינים.

אבל היום אני מתבייש בישיבה שלמדתי בה. אני כותב בעצב כי איני יכול לשתוק.

חילול ה’ גדול כבר יש בכל הסיפור הזה. למה להוסיף עוד חילול ה’?

https://twitter.com/davidi_ben_sion/status/1477366189416460288

(מתוך אתר רוטר.)