We live in an insane world.
Glancing at today's Israel news, one learns that several "leading" rabbis (whatever that term is supposed to mean as I don't remember the last time rabbis really led anybody to do anything besides burn Asian wigs) have told their followers that they are not to violently protest tomorrow's gay parade in the world's holiest city. Prayer, they said, is more effective.
Really? And I thought G-d actually likes action. I suppose He despises men like Abraham who battled rather than prayed for his nephew Lot's release, Pinchas who killed rather than prayed when two brazen Israelites publicly sinned against G-d and, more recently, Peter Bergson who worked tirelessly rather than prayed to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust.
But what do I know. These are "leading" rabbis talking after all.
Also in the news is Chief Rabbi Amar's statement that Israel morally(!) is responsible to stop the Hamas/Fatah battle in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's chief rabbis are a wondrous group. They publicly voice their opinions at the most peculiar times. I don't recall Rabbi Amar ever condemning the Israeli government for the 1,500 Jews murdered by Arabs on its watch over the last 15 years. I don't recall his strident protests when Israeli Prime Minister Olmert let scores of soldiers die in Lebanon because of his ineptitude.
No. Rabbi Amar only finds his voice when Israel's enemies are killing each other. At such a juncture, he cannot but help raise his voice. The glory of the Torah demands that he do so.
Who knows. Maybe I'm the insane one.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
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9 comments:
Yes, a Rabbi decided his students can be makiong better use of their time than getting into a ruckus in the street.
That is a bad thing?
I don't understand your issue. Are you hoping th charedim DO something violent, or what?
For rabbis to tell people to pray rather than do voilents acts is better for everyone. The charedim don't look like idiots they sometimes can be, and the gay community gets to have a parade. The right-wingers are happy and us liberals are satisfied.
What's you gripe?
The gripe is not knowing when its time to take a stand - even when it means someone might get hurt. There are somethings that are worth fighting over and God's law as well as the sanctity of Jerusalem are two of them.
They may be worth fighting for, but not with violence. We forget the gay community a)are people and b)mostly jewish. The best way to "fight" is through community leaders meeting and sweating it out until a viable reconsiliation is formed. This is a parade, not a war. One might call it a spiritual war, but neither the government or rabbanim have ANY say in advocating violence in this case. We do not have neviim, moshe, or the choshen todat to figure out what G-d wants when it comes to this topic. There has been too much "frum" violence to jews by jews in recent months and it is sickening.
Jenny,
It's not that I don't see your point, but this parade is nothing more than a provocation. In an interview last year with one of the organizers, Ynet asked her why they don't route the parade througth the Arab section. Her response was that they don't want to offend the Arabs. But its okay to offend Jews.
These are not people you can sit and talk with. They are interested in nothing more than pushing their way of life and agenda on everyone else.
I too wish the parade was not in yerushalayim. And while I agree with the opinion that there is an agenda, I do not think the agenda is to push a gay way of life on frum jews. What we feel might be a loud presence of the gay community is simply a reaction to hw the gay community has been treated by the frum community. This parade forces the acknowledgement of a real, gay experience that is here to stay. I do think if the two sides demonstrated proper conflict resolution there woudl be a plce to do it where both factions are satisfied. It is sad the rift continues.
Yeshiva kids leaving the beis medrash to scream at homosexuals is not worth getting into fights over. What are you smoking debbie?
I agree with eliot. he is indeed insane.
G-d bless sensible rabbeim.
Jenny,
I don't think they are pushing a gay way of life on frum people. I think what they are trying to say is - we are here, we are staying and you better get used to it. There is no acknowledgement that they are marching through God's city and His words have made it clear that the lifestyle they are proud of is an abomiation in His eyes.
It would have been criticially senseless to niot suggest that the boys do anything but what they are supposed to do - stay in side and learn torah, than to go outside and make a worse specatacle out of a spectacle and possibly put themselves in harms way.
If this is how strongly you feel, then why didnt the jewish press fund your trip so you can go protest too?
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