העורך Editor

Charedim claim: “The Hyphen Is Heresy”.

Mimah Nafshach; if “Dati” includes “Leumi”, why mention it, and if it doesn’t, why add it?! Every third editorial in Charedi outlets repeats that Dati-Leumi (both linguistic phrase and live individuals) commit משתף שם שמים ודבר אחר, etc. (I believe one good point “redeems” an entire book, so check out aptly-named “Dat Hatzionut“, in spite of its many lackings, to understand this better.)

The word “Charedi”, on the other hand, is nothing but a signifier for “Jew“, who has been renamed by a historical quirk (just like “Hebrew” -> “Israelite” -> “Jew”), the claim continues.

Sounds good, sounds really good, but it’s not true. As an insider, this is psychologically not the case. That’s why Netzach/Bnei Torah/Peleg’s slogan is: חרדים כמו פעם. And their opposition is no different.

Charedim are very unfortunately not aiming to copy Moshe Rabbenu, but the Brisker Rav.

Here’s a quote from Moshe Koppel’s Article on Religion and State in Israel we reposted yesterday:

[T]he only organization legally allowed to issue an official kashrut certificate in Israel is the state rabbinate.

In the free-market system of kashrut supervision used, for example, in the United States, a certifying organization depends on its reputation to stay in business; if it is not respected by consumers, food manufacturers will have no incentive to pay for its services and it will go out of business. Different organizations tend to serve different markets, and for each, some level of stringency is a condition of survival. The system has proved to be quite efficient.

Under Israel’s quasi-monopolistic system, by contrast, the standards of supervision are extremely low. Since inspectors are paid directly by the establishments they supervise, they have strong incentives to overlook problems; also, inspections in Israel are extremely infrequent. Under normal market conditions, such poor service would be punished, first by suspicious restaurant patrons and next by the restaurants paying for the supervision; in a state-funded system, kashrut supervision is immune to punishment by clients.

An added disincentive is the fact that the state rabbinate is itself not at liberty to raise standards: on several occasions, the courts have ordered it to provide certification to establishments that did not meet the rabbinate’s own standards. Such, again, was the case in which the Supreme Court enjoined the chief rabbinate to force local religious courts to grant certification against their own best judgment. In a free-market system, it would not have been possible for the courts to have dictated standards to the rabbinate; nor would it have been necessary for them to do so, since the market demand for more lenient supervision would not have been frustrated by a legal monopoly.

Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory said…

The song of Torah only emerges at night, which is a propitious time for mourning the destruction of the Beit Hamidkdash by reciting Tikun Chatzot, pouring out one’s heart in prayer, and asking for forgiveness. A man can achieve a greater level of completeness at night than he can during the day, and in the holy books – in particular, in the holy Zohar –extensive praise is lavished on anyone who has the merit to arise at midnight. And in the Yerushalmi Talmud it is written: “If you see that people have abandoned the Torah, stand right up and fortify it and you shall receive a reward on behalf of all of them.” Therefore, since there are very few who study late at night, the significance of them “receiving reward on behalf of everyone” is multiplied dozens of times over, and the reward received by those who learn and by those who support them is limitless.

One of the most frequently discussed matters in the holy Zohar is the praiseworthiness of those who study the holy Torah at “midnight”. As King David, blessed be his memory, said, “At midnight, I rise to give thanks to You.” And in the holy books countless references are made to the praiseworthiness of studying at midnight, emphasizing that it is dozens of times more valuable than studying during the day. “There is no greater time of heavenly mercy than then, and it is the most desirable time to delve into the holy Torah.” (The Holy Alsheich, Eicha, chapter 2, verse 19). [see: Reishit Chochma (Sha’ar HaKedusha) where a pure soul gathered everything that our sages of blessed memory said, and wrote that anyone who reads their words will surely become inspired and will desire with all his soul to arise at midnight.] Thus, we provide you with a small collection of the many words written in the holy books, praising those who arise at midnight to 1

It is written in the holy Zohar (Vayikra 13): Regarding those who prepare to occupy themselves with Torah at midnight, all of their praise is accepted and desired before the King. And about them it is written: “Praise you servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord…” They are the ones who are called “servants of the Lord”, they are the ones who are worthy of blessing the King and whose blessing is a blessing. As it is written, “Lift your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord.” You, who merit the holy King being blessed by you, the blessing through you is a blessing.”

It is also written in the holy Zohar (ibid. 28): Rav Chezkiyahu said, anyone who occupies himself with Torah at that hour will certainly earn a permanent place in the Next World. They asked Rabbi Yossi, “What is the reason for that?” He said: I have learned that every midnight when the Holy One, blessed be He, awakes in Gan Eden, all the souls in Gan Eden will be offered to drink in abundance from that river called “Nahal Kedumim”, a river of delights with water that will flow for eternity. Moreover, for one who arises to study Torah, it will be as if that river washes over his head and waters him among the saplings in Gan Eden. Hence he will have a permanent place in the World to Come. Rabbi Yossi said: “Whereas all the righteous souls in Gan Eden listen to him, and allot him a portion of that river tonic, he, therefore, has a permanent place in the World to Come.”

It is also written in the holy Zohar: And when morning comes, the Holy One, blessed be He draws a thread of mercy over him, and the Holy One, blessed be he, gives him gifts, and happy is his lot.

And our teacher Rabbi Chaim Vital, ztz”l wrote (in Sha’arei Kedusha, part 2:7):

When a man wakes up after midnight, he is included among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, of whom it is said (Yeshayahu 66:10): “rejoice with her a rejoicing, all who mourn over her”. For at that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, also mourns, and roars like a lion. If he then also occupies himself with Torah, our rabbis of blessed memory said of him (Shir Hashirim Rabba, 5, 7): The song of Torah only emerges at night”. And our rabbis of blessed memory said, (Avodah Zara, page 3, column 2): “One who occupies himself with Torah at night has a thread of mercy spread over him during the day”. And our rabbis of blessed memory said (Tamid, page 32, column 2): “One who studies Torah at night, the Shechina faces him.” And it is written (Eicha 2, 19): Rise, awaken in the night”. David Hamelech, may he rest in peace, didn’t merit life in this world and in the next, if not for that. As it is written (Tehillim 119:62): “At midnight, I rise to give thanks to You for Your just judgments.” And throughout the entire book of Zohar, the praises for this mitzva appear countless times, and a man who learns at night is bestowed with Ruach Hakodesh, as it is stated in Zohar Shemot (18, 2).

Found here.

Knighthood in Britain plays something of the same role that the Legion of Honor, founded by Napoleon, does in France. It rewards men who have spent their lives promoting the interests of the state. In this way it permanently skews the country’s intellectual life towards the state and its beneficent wonderfulness.

• Ralph Raico