The beis din headed by HaRav Nissim Karelitz in Bnei
Brak and the Eida Chareidis beis din in Jerusalem
issued rulings banning participation in lectures and
gatherings of the Tochnit Megeirot (literally, "Drawer Plan")
for women.
In Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and other cities with chareidi
concentrations, lectures, workshops and meetings for women
have been held under the guise of "a new method of drawing
close to Hashem through housework." The existence of the
lectures has been made known by word-of-mouth and many women
from different parts of Eretz Hakodesh have taken part and
have formed ongoing ties with the originators of the method
and the instructors who convey it.
Ostensibly aimed at alleviating the burden of running the
home, the "new method" begins with the topics of neatness and
cleanliness interlaced with ideas contrary to fundamental
Jewish beliefs. Experts who have been tracking mystical cults
for years said that certain elements in the Tochnit Megeirot
create deep psychological dependency.
In their ruling, HaRav Nissim Karelitz, the Gavad of
Beis Din Tzedek of Bnei Brak, and members of the beis
din stated that the program "has no pure source and no
oversight or guidance of its activities and touches on
matters related to the fundamental principles of faith in a
style very distant from the tradition and contrary to the
spirit of Jewish custom and even includes heresy, Rachmono
litzlan."
In a separate ruling, the members of the beis din of
the Eida Chareidis wrote, "It is riddled with false, twisted,
fabricated ideas contrary to pure emunoh in matters
touching on fundamental Jewish beliefs and [the contents of
the lectures] constitute a heretical deviation from the way
of our forefathers generation after generation and where this
will lead to nobody can tell."
Both rulings clearly and unequivocally prohibit attending the
Tochnit Megeirot lectures and participating in the
gatherings. The letters of the botei din were
published in the 12 Nisan, 5765, edition of the Hebrew
Yated Ne'eman on page 2.
