Jerusalem – As Mehadrin bus service and news of violence in Beit Shemesh continue to make headlines, Zev Brenner speaks with the chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger, on tonight’s Talkline program about the recent disturbances that are pitting segments of Israel’s population against each other.
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Condemning the extremist violence in Beit Shemesh, Rabbi Metzger advised that any man who feels strongly that he doesn’t want to be near a woman should remove himself from the situation, instead of insisting that it is the woman who must leave, quoting a Gemara stating that if someone is walking to a synagogue and there is a woman on the street, they have absolutely no right to tell her to leave, but instead they themselves should find a different route.
Displaying a wealth of insight and sensitivity, Rabbi Metzger explained how in order to acquire certain bus lines that would serve the Chareidi community and grow its customer base, Egged agreed to certain religious restrictions on the buses that served these particular routes, which included seating female passengers in the rear section of the bus. Ten years later, Egged, a publicly owned company, now finds itself regularly in the headlines as customers protest being forced to abide by those same restrictions.
While in the case of Egged the answer may lie in privatization, Rabbi Metzger suggested that in all other matters, it is tolerance and acceptance that is the key and that all members of society must learn to honor and respect the religious beliefs of others.
Hear below the full interview to be aired tonight on Talkline communications.
Metzger is absolutly right in his views on all of these issues but unfortunately the “Chief Rabbi” of EY has about as much influence among the chareidi tzibur as Madona. The only listen to their own rabbonim who have been totally silent on these outrageous events.
the gemora says that r.yehuda thinking on a female that she is a jewess ripped of a certainpiece of clothing which at that time was considered immodest and he got accolades for his mesiras nefesh so much so that just by removing one shoe tha rain came immediately without him uttring a prayer.
Let’s make one thing clear before we go any further. There is no justifications for violence of any form towards anyone who you disagree with. Its not the torah way. Its not etical and its inumane.
Having said that, I must express my great dissapointment with these gvrmnt serving rabbis like metzger or law or yosef and sons who felt the urgency to condemn the aggresivness of the radicals within the frum community but completly ignored stressing the importance of torah observing woman to dress in a modest fashion. Moreover, they make no mention of the fact that the anti religous circles are riding a bitter hate and smear campaign aginst the orthodox community. There is no question that the non-observent campaign went too far and overboard with their negative propeganda.
These rabbis lost touch with halacha and have completly betrayed their obligation and responsibilities. They are affraid to keep a balanced response to this matter out of fear for their gvrmnt position or just to appease their wealthy modern congregants.
Must see, letter signed by Rav Shach, Rav Shlomo zalman and Rav Eliyashiv printed in michtovim umamorim, chelek 5, letter #551 .
It is a letter publish to defend yidden who where arrested for graffiting advertisements in frum neighborhoods that where deemed immodest.
DAAS TORAH HEPECH DAAS BALEI BATIM PERIOD!
Even if the crazies don’t listen, people, as many as possible, must still speak up for what is right. When we label the extreme Neturei Karta (cozying up to Iran) as off the wall, they don’t change, but at least they are established as a lunatic fringe, and the kavod of mainstream yiddishkeit is not impeached. If enough of us speak up for the truth, the hooligans will be seen as just that.
Rav Metzger is a Tzaddik and completely right. I do not understand the logic of the people who are treating Bnos Hashem Yisborach terribly. They enforce their not-erliche interpretation of the Torah on all people. Are not they the ones who scream about in golus we cant have a Medinah or practice any power. However they seem to be quite militant and not acting within the golus spirit. They take advantage of living in a Jewish land, to cause Klal yisrael so many problems. Their actions are a huge Chilul Hashem. May Hashem have Rachmanus on Klal Yisrael and may the ways of the Tzaddik of Yerushalyim, Reb Aryeh Levin, be the ways of every member of Klal Yisrael.
What we seem to forget here, is the fact that the frum people wanted their own bus services, but the government didn’t want to lose the income from the chareidim so the government offered the Mehadrio line to keep jobs and income for the secular world since so many more Chareidim use buses than seculars because they don’t drive. Also what we need to remember is that in the prisoner swap for Shalit the Israelis just completed, many secular guards and prison workers are without jobs.. so they decided to fill the prisons up with the Chareidim. please don’t complain about the Chareidim not adding to the financial system in Israel.
#2 ,
Relearn the gemara…
It says that he was wearing a red outfit. Look at the Rema in Y’D, hil. chukas akum, that red clothes are assur because it’s goyish, the way of royalty, not because it was appealing to the teyvos!
Why are these people looking at married women and 8 year old girls?! They’re sick in the head! What business is it of theirs what women look like?? They should tell their wives and daughters to dress tznius and fartik! R Chisda spoke to a zonah with a lashon nachas, why are nashim tzidkoonios, shomrei das any different?
Worst case, let them conveine a beis din and be mzamein the rosh hakahal of the mod-orth community, but spitting on a little girl?! It’s sick!
the RaMBaM’s (maimonidies) son R’ Avrum writes in his Sefer that CHASIDUS does not mean to wear thick wool clothing (apparently the then chasidishe levush) and his example for Chasidus is from Choinu Haamagol’s grand son who when the chahcomim went to ask him to pray for rain, his wife came out to him beautifully bejeweled and he explained that it’s “so that i shouldn’t be interested in looking at other woman”
“נפקא דביתהו דמר כי מיקשטא, אמר להו “כדי שלא אתן עיני באשה אחרת
(Taanis 23b)
Yes 1000 years ago (and 2000 years) there where people that thought chasidus means to dress with CHANYOKISHE clothing the wife should wear a SHPITZEL and every SHIKSE with long hear should attract them.
instead R’ avrum ben h’Rmbm says MAKE SURE YOUR WIFE IS ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH FOR YOU AND YOU WON’T CARE TO SIN “THAT’S CHASIDUS”
Whether the chareidim are right or wrong is a question,that only their gedolim can answer.
We can’t pasken for them, and it makes no difference how we feel about it.
Now,should a person get up from another group and criticize them.
This person had better be one who keeps the whole Torah and knows what he is talking about .
Because the chareidim in the past have had gedolim who were known to be geonei olam and tremendous tzadikim ,and they supported a lot of this kannaais(because they loved the Torah and fought to keep it strong)
Now even though I have dissagreements in the level of action taken by these Chareidim
I understand that sometimes when you fight against something you have to over do it
To fortify your defenses
(and that’s better than under doing it)
But there is one thing which I don’t understand and that is, why do we attack the chareidim every free chance we get
Is it because of the fact that they don’t work or join the army?
Why do we care?
Doesn’t Hashem have his eyes over eretz yisroel always ?
Do we think our histadlus means anything?
You don’t have to be a kannoi to answer these questions
Anyone who understands what eretz yisroel is
Knows that the land is only safe when people are keeping the torah,
And when nations filled up their scale of aveiros Hashem swept them out of there,
And that’s why 100 years ago, only people who were ovdei Hashem moved there
Because the land is like one big beis hamedrash
(and it’s assur by the way to idle chat in a beis hamedrash)
Now when this wonderful sweet person rabbi yona metzger gets up and criticizes
The chareidim,I find it very funny because it’s not like he is a Talmud Chacham on the same caliber who can argue with the chareidim,
I mean he is a darling of a person, a complete sweet heart , (i heard him speak a few times)but that does mean Much, when arguing with geonei olam who were tremendous tzadikim who would have criticized him and excommunicated him for orchastrating mixed weddings with mixed dancing in eretz yisroe
May we merit seeing mashiach and the beauty of eretz yisroel in our days.
What a breath of fresh air to hear him speak so intelligently and logically on this issue. I think he should also subject these spitters to counseling sessions, as they are clearly sexually aroused by a 7 year olds exposed toes in sandals. That must be the source of their agression, frustration over the fact that their wives do not let them stare at their toes when they want.
i hate to say it…. But these so called charedim (not the population as a whole) who fight for “torah values” are completely wrong and further more the people in the community who stand by them and dont protest to their violent ways are just as bad….
There is no reason to yell at a girl who grew up i a certain way, different from you prefference, or spit on children. These people are not tzaddikim and im not afraid to say it. Live and let live!
I real chossid can luve in the most horrible of places like our previous genrations in Ukrain and russia with the worst of people and most immodisstly dressed women, but they will still keep all the mitzvos of the torah and be the most g-dly people to roam the earth, and i dont here any ba’al shem tov stories about protests against women or spitting on children!….
A real tzaddik can look down or close his eyes and stay within his own daled amos. Simplicity is bliss!