The shameful attack by legal pundits, politicians, and the
media at large, on Maran HaRav Y. S. Eliashiv shlita
following his criticism of the Israeli High Court, was
rebuffed in the chareidi newspapers. MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni
even submitted an urgent proposal to the Knesset demanding a
discussion whether Edna Arbel, the State Prosecutor, should
be permitted to continue in her position after she said that
the criticism of the High Court by the poseik hador,
HaRav Eliashiv, contained "an element of violence." Nothing
much came of either the attack or its defense.
It goes without saying that the honor of Torah and its
scholars is not in the least harmed by the audacious
statements of people devoid of Torah knowledge. Our respect
is not dependent on their value system. Alienated from all
sacred values, profaning our religion and treading on the
principles of our faith, they are not even worthy of honoring
Maranan Verabonon shlita. We cannot, however, remain
silent in the face of their attempt to terrify the Torah-true
and their leaders, to create a hostile atmosphere in which
concern for the future spiritual health of Klal
Yisroel as expressed by our gedolei Torah, will
become "illegal." As mentioned in our newspaper, it is vital
to warn against this dangerous trend of stifling freedom of
speech as is common in dictatorships and totalitarian
regimes. The secular proponents, avid supporters of the
"freedom of speech," however, make a complete turnabout and
viciously attack the statements of our gedolim when
they express the pain of Torah Jewry. This intolerance of
objections from Torah personalities unfortunately often
repeats itself.
"There is no new thing under the sun" (Koheles 1:9).
The disgraceful attempt to silence daas Torah is
nothing new. It has continued since those who uproot the
Torah gained control of the Jewish Nation and did their
utmost to dislodge their emunah. The following is an
article written almost ninety years ago but amazingly
relevant today.
An essay of Maran HaRav Yechezkel Abramsky zt'l
written in the year 5671 (1911) is printed in Kovetz
Ma'amorim. Maran discusses the inconsistency
characterizing the attitude of anti-religious and Haskalah
journalists to the gedolei Torah of the time, whom
they denounced with contradictory accusations. Sometimes they
accused them of not being sufficiently involved in issues of
society at large and secluding themselves from others while
concerning themselves only with the four amos of
halocho. At other times, "progressive" circles
denounced the gedolim for excessive intervention in
public issues and demanded that they "study Torah and keep
silent."
Maran HaRav Yechezkel Abramsky zt'l writes: "Although
this topic has been discussed many times, it begs for further
discussion when, according to their mood, many endlessly
accuse the nation's heads either of intervention or [of the
opposite, namely] sitting idle and not becoming involved.
"The rabbonim today can be compared to a daughter-in-law
living in the house of her in-laws. When she walks leisurely,
her mother-in-law complains that she is lazy, but when she
hurries, her mother-in-law rebukes her for not being
sufficiently composed. The whole day she hears only
complaints.
"The same is happening with the rabbonim. Woe to them when
they are inactive and woe to them when they are active. No
matter what they do, writers constantly criticize them with
opposite accusations at the same time.
"When the rabbonim attend to their private affairs and limit
their area of activity to their own city, they are accused of
being interested only in giving psakim in
halocho and that nothing else bothers them. If, on the
other hand, to save the public from becoming alienated from
Yiddishkeit the rabbonim publicize their view, they
scream out: `The rabbonim are taking over!'"
Maran describes the internal contradictions in the attitude
toward spiritual leaders when those demanding they act in one
way suddenly demand exactly the opposite: "The contradictions
of members of the intelligentsia in their attitude towards
the rabbonim themselves prove how vital the rabbonim are for
Judaism. All those who incite the masses against listening to
the rabbonim are irresolute in their opinion since when the
rabbonim do remain silent they themselves want to know what
they have to say.
"They view upright people in a distorted manner. The masses
were ill at ease even when the nevi'im spoke strongly,
and sometimes even attacked the nevi'im and jailed
them. If, however, these nevi'im remained silent and
would not reveal any nevu'ah, the people searched for
them far and wide."
From the manner in which talmidei chachomim are
criticized we realize their true praise. This consolation is,
however, limited to discerning people "but for the people at
large every time the rabbonim are insulted in the newspapers
they become accustomed to speak evil against them and degrade
them. `Woe to them, to the people, because of their insult to
the Torah!' (Ovos 6:2)."
At this point HaRav Abramsky turns to all the different
critics of Torah leaders and those who follow them and
portrays the splendid image of gedolei Torah
throughout history, who are "the teachers of Torah-true Jewry
in golus, at a time when we have no Cohen or
novi." He writes that "they have all the spiritual
qualities to lead the public and to show them which path in
life to choose, to carry before them the Torah's flag and
show them the ways of good character traits and
mussar." Maran emphasizes that the sad reality proves
clearly how terrible it is to allow politicians instead of
gedolei Torah to lead am Yisroel. "In this
occupation we need those engrossed in Torah, and no one with
less Torah knowledge can take this leadership from them.
Anyone who lacks the Torah's radiance to suppress lowly
inclinations, who does not have the power and strength to
sacrifice himself and support this nation dispersed among the
nations, is not fit to become its spiritual leader."
He points out that unlike what happens in other nations this
crown of leadership cannot be attained merely with talent and
scholarship. The leaders of am Yisroel were not
revered by the yirei Shomayim and Torah scholars only
because of their knowledge of Shulchan Oruch, but
because their behavior throughout the day characterized them
as gedolei Torah. They themselves were a Shulchan
Oruch to be extensively studied.
"Someone not considered a tzaddik yesod olom because
his wisdom was not evident from the way he behaved, could not
lead others. Anyone whom we could not honor or consider
sacred could not hold the rapt attention of talmidim
and would not leave a legacy for others."
@BIG LET BODY = Indeed today's experiences are a reflection
of the past. The hackneyed arguments of those who have
deserted Judaism that Torah disseminators and poskim
have shut themselves within the four amos of
halocho and are not concerned with the klal,
are mere lip service. Their entire aim is to berate the
proponents of Torah in any way they can. The moment
gedolei Yisroel protest against breaches in the Torah
the anti-religious rise up against them and assault them for
that.
The truth hurts and those who are its standard bearers are
but few. The anti-religious groups are unable to listen to
the truth. When they piously exclaim they "are interested to
hear what the rabbonim have to say" they really mean they are
ready to hear what they want to hear but not any criticism
stemming from daas Torah.
It is not in the least surprising they are only fond of
Reform and Conservative rabbis, or "the rabbis of the Kibbutz
Hadati," or rabbis of their secular political party such as
Menachem Cohen some years ago, and now Rabbi Michael
Melchior. Such "rabbis" allow them to carry out their wishes
without any pangs of conscience. To such "rabbis" with whom
they have a common language the Leftists are willing to
listen.
Concerning this, Maran HaRav Elchonon Wassermann zt'l,
Hy'd writes in Ikvesa Demeshicha: "`Your prophets
have seen for you vain and foolish visions, and they have not
exposed your iniquity, to restore your captivity, but have
prophesied for you burdens of falsehood and deceit'
(Eichah 2:14). When the true nevi'im decried
the spiritual decline in Klal Yisroel the false
prophets called them "enemies of Yisroel" (as the State
Prosecutor today calls criticism of the Higher Court "an
element of violence"). The true nevi'im attempted to
awaken am Yisroel from their slumber, but the false
prophets stupefied them with pleasant dreams."
This is the reason for the commotion caused by HaRav
Eliashiv's comments. Someone not prepared to hear the voice
of truth calls this "an element of violence." Throughout
history the anti-religious have tried to silence the voice of
Torah but they were always unsuccessful -- since the Torah
shall never be changed.
