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לבאר דיני התחדשות והשתנות בגוף האדם מחדושי הטכנולוגיה בעניני עיבור ולידה והשתלת איברים וכל שינוי מלאכותי בגוף האדם בכלל

מומלץ.

הערה: כעת נחסמה הגישה למאמר בדף המכלול.

No, the Israeli army doesn’t save Jewish lives. Quite the contrary, as we explained at length elsewhere.

But even if they did, that does not logically mean you should enlist!

Rabbi Avigdor Miller employs pure logic:

Q:

How could you say that a person should avoid military service in Israel when there are millions of Jews living there who have to be protected?

A:

… So I’m asking this gentleman here, the questioner, what’s he doing here? Why is he a slacker?! There are millions of Jews who have to be protected; let him go and join up. The answer is, you have your reasons. You think, maybe, that right now you want to study here, and become a physician and eventually, you’ll go there and you’ll help them out in that way. So you have an idea to help the people there in a different way, not by putting on a uniform right now. That’s your idea of helping them. It sounds reasonable.

So we also have ideas of helping the people in Eretz Yisroel. And one idea is to send a lot of money to the yeshivos, to poor talmidei chachamim. The money goes into the economy. Any money you send is going to be spent there; it’s spent in the butcher shops and in the grocery shops. It’s spent on products, and you’re therefore supporting the people who work in the factories. Whatever money you send to talmidei chachomim living there goes straight into the economy. It’s very important. Believe me, if you asked the people at the head of the state, “Would you excuse about twenty, or fifty, or  a hundred or a thousand people from the army to go to the United States and raise big sums for your economy?”  They’d gladly agree because money is the blood of a nation. You can’t make war without money…

Or in Sefer Chassidim chapter 362’s original phrase: ברבות התאוה יהיו הבנים צדיקים.

Rabbi Moshe Aaron Shochatovitz’s highly recommended book “Binyan Habayis” demonstrates this is also Chazal’s view. This runs contrary to the Chassidic/Cursedian view, of course.

(By the way, Sefer Chassidim there adds שהרהור התורה מבטלת התאוה, but this is factually false, as noted in Likutei Moharan II chapter 106: ראוי להרהר בדברי תורה בשעת זווג, ואעפ”כ יוכל להוליד בנים, אע”פ שמחשבתו תהיה דבוקה אז בהרהורי תורה. וטוב מאד להרגיל עצמו בכך.)

The rule of thumb is: If you don’t, yourself, already fully understand what the conflict is about, and/or the  Gedolim’s dispute appears personal to you, ignore it entirely; their words are not for you yet.

Rabbi Avigdor Miller says it best:

Stay out of it. Keep far away, so that you don’t get burned. It’s none of your business. You’re not a gadol, so stay out of it.

Now, if it’s a matter of fighting against רשעים and אפיקורסים, that’s a different story. None of us can remain silent when we see what the Reformers are doing. When the Reformers say that when a Jew marries a shiksa without converting her, the children are Jews; there we should be fighting them. If a Jew says that you can be a good Jew and still work on Shabbos, then we fight him. If someone is fighting against Hashem, against the Torah, that’s when it’s time to open your mouth. There are times that you have to speak up, no question about it.

But when frum Jews are fighting, we stay out of it. That’s the only safe way. It’s a tragic mistake to mix in because opening your mouth is playing with fire. And not just any fire. Many people have found their way into the fire of Gehenim, because they were foolish enough to open their mouths. There are many people, many good people, who are screaming in Gehenim right now because they opened their big mouths. So why would you want to make the same mistake they did?!

And again:

Q:

Is there one main leader of Klal Yisroel today?

A:

That’s not for me to say. But what I can say is that we do have leaders today. Boruch Hashem, we have leaders.

But I must tell you that I disagree with the attitude of being mivatel, of putting down, someone else’s gadol. No; I disagree with that attitude. Gedolim can be here and Gedolim can be there, and we have to appreciate all of them. Your Gadol doesn’t have to be the only Gadol.

And even though there might be a machlokes, a disagreement, between them; yes, there may be a machlokes between them, but we should stay out of it. It’s fire! Worse than fire! We shouldn’t say a word. Not a word! So if Rav Shach, let’s say, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe may have sichsuchim, some arguments; I don’t know if they have, but if they have some sichsuchim, it’s none of our business. It’s the fire of Gehenim to open up your mouth. Keep your mouth closed. It’s a tragic mistake to mix in.

And the wisest way is to say nothing at all and to have the greatest derech eretz the greatest respect, for all those people who are recognized. After all, the Lubavitcher Rebbi is recognized by many people. And Rav Shach is recognized by many people. So we should keep our mouths closed and recognize both of them. That’s the way we should follow.

Why did the earth open its big mouth to swallow Korach? Because Korach opened his big mouth to speak against Moshe. So don’t open your mouth! Because even today, the earth opens its mouth to bury men. Many are swallowed in an early grave because they opened their mouths. And what’s even worse; many are swallowed into Gehenim, just as was Korach. So don’t open your mouth. You’re only going to bring trouble upon yourself.