The Impurity of Pure Rifles

As we suspected, the latest war with Hamas is being fought with "pure rifles". Evidently, Netanyahu still cares what the anti-Semitic world thinks, even as he sends our soldiers to battle a ruthless, inhuman enemy. The same spineless leadership. The same Chillul Hashem of Jewish weakness.

• We read that Gazans are being treated in Israeli hospitals. What lunacy! What would these savages do to wounded Jewish soldiers? What horrors would they endure before they were finally butchered by these ghouls? Mark my words.  It won't be long before Israel starts sending daily caravans of supply trucks ( under fire, no less!) to feed these jackals.  

• We lost a great opportunity to deal a devastating blow to Gaza. Israel neglected to bomb the funeral procession of the dead dog Jabari. We missed an ideal opportunity to sow terror and break their morale. Surely anyone attending the funeral of such a monster deserves to die.

• Netanyahu actually withheld IDF fire during the Egyptian PM's three hour visit to Gaza. While rockets continued to fall on Jewish heads, Netanyahu decided that it wasn't prudent to protect Jewish lives. What will Netanyahu do if this Egyptian savage decides to set up shop indefinitely? Call off the entire war?  Egypt has declared war with Israel. Netanyahu still hasn't gotten the message.

And so this endless desecration of The Almighty's name continues. I will not belabor the point. This is not the way to fight a war. Hamas  only understands death. Instead of making them feel the wrath of collective punishment as required by the Halacha, Israel sends them food products and medical supplies.

What does the Torah state about Jewish war? Naturally one turns to the Tanach, and the classical  commentaries.

Deuteronomy 20:1- "When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for the L-rd thy G-d is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

What is meant by your enemies? Said the Holy One, Blessed be He: Go against them as enemies, just as they do not have mercy upon you, have no mercy on them.” -Midrash Tanhuma, Shoftim 15.

Shabbat Shalom.

May The Almighty protect Am Yisroel.

Friendly Arabs (audio)

So he smiled at you and said "good morning". Big deal. Do you think he's your friend? On the day of "Itbach EL Yahud", Yishmael always shows his face.


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The Dangerous Uman Cult (audio)

As Rosh Hashanah draws near, thousands of Breslover chasidim will once again abandon their families and head to Uman to worship their dead Rebbe. Is this Judaism? I think not. My reflections on this lunacy.


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See also:  http://jewishfist.blogspot.com/2008/09/next-year-in-uman.html

The Torah Eternal (audio)

Reflections on the eternal truths of the Torah.

Richard Goldstone-Enemy of Israel: Part 2

Despite the hopes of naive Jews that the accursed Richard Goldstone would call for the nullification of his libelous report, Goldstone has since squashed any such notion. Is this Eli Yishai's idea of t'shuvah? This traitorius Shas imbecile needs to go away. How dare he invite an enemy of the Jewish people to Israel! Yishai truly represents the Shas ideology. Corrupt, incompetent, and the epitome of a chillul hashem.

 The pompous and pretentious Allan Dershowitz can step off his podium now. In the world of hellenized Jewry, Dershowitz is your ticket to respectability. First he vilified Goldstone (deservidly so, but for the wrong reasons), and then in light of Goldstone's recent statments he practically pardoned him. Now what, Allan? Presumably, another editorial to temper the last one. Dershowitz is a wishy-washy moronic Hellenist who has his head screwed on wrong. 

And then of course we have the recent JPost article from Shmuley Boteach, "Goldstone's Apology, Samatha Power's Problem with Israel", where Shmuley shows us once again, that he has no understanding of any issue pertaining to the Jewish people:

South Africans are among the world’s proudest Jews, and most ardent Zionists. So it was understandable they would detest Goldstone, viewing him a man who engaged in a blood libel against the Jewish state to enhance his standing at the UN. 

I have personally never agreed with this assessment of Goldstone, seeing him instead as a man so full of his own pomposity and self-righteousness as to be utterly blind to simple notions of right and wrong. Like Jimmy Carter before him, Goldstone is one of those well-meaning, nobly-motivated buffoon whose view of morality is that whichever party is without tanks and an air force must be the party that is just.

Yishai, Dershowitz, and Boteach. Three very different Jews who each live in their own world, entirely divorced from authentic Torah ideals. Consequently, none of these mental misfits will ever understand Goldstone. Richard Goldstone is an "informer" and a "pursuer" according to the Halachah.  And if Israel had any self-respect, they would send the Mossad to snuff this worm out. Make it look like a heart-attack. Whatever. Just silence him forever.

Richard Goldstone-Enemy of Israel (audio)

Reflections on the accursed Richard Goldstone (y'mach shmo v'zichro), who easily qualifies as both an "informer" and a "pursuer" according to the Halachah.


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The Hunting Season Returns

JUDENRATS!

'15 injured in Havat Gilad'  (Ynet)

The Jewish Fist Commentary: The dream of Zion? To be shot at by Israeli policemen? Jews need to understand what transpired at Havat Gilad today. Netanyahu and Barak sent their sadistic, violent henchmen to shoot at Jews with rubber bullets. A little clarification, for those who may have some skewed notions about these projectiles. Rubber bullets aren't toys. A close range shot with a rubber bullet to the head, throat, or neck region can easily kill a person. How well does a trachea stand up to a direct shot? It would crush like an empty Pepsi can. And the left has the gall to whine about right-wing violence? 

And who exactly were these henchmen? Israeli "police special forces." This is just a euphemism for the savages and sadists that these units are comprised of. Violent, stupid, beasts such as these join such units for the sole purpose of beating up Jews. Many of them aren't even Jewish. They hardly need to be incited or "pumped up" to get going. And on the day that the order is given to lock and load with real bullets, (and that day may not be far off) these upright animals without name-tags will gladly shoot to kill. 

Netanyahu and Barak should be tried for treason. This is a return to the days of "The Hunting Season". (Netanyahu should ask his father for a history lesson about those dark days, and then in the spirit of consistency spit in his face.) Treasonous leaders should answer for their crimes. And the punishment should fit the crime. Without a doubt, these two quislings will pay for their many sins in the afterlife. It remains to be seen whether we merit to see justice in this world. 

At the end of the day, only a truly Halachic court with the power to actually administer punishments could ever even begin to rectify the chillul Hashem of Israeli politicians who arm the PLO, destroy Jewish homes and freeze Jewish growth, and then brutalize the few Jews who actually resist their insane crimes.

  

(In the interest of continuing Jewish education, The Jewish Fist is proud to present a new feature entitled "Points To Ponder", which will occasionally follow certain posts. I hope that my readers will use the exercises in this section as a means of discussing critical issues with their friends and family.)

• Points to Ponder: What Halachic category should the Torah assign to those who send homicidal policemen to break open the skulls of good Jews with truncheons, physically molest religious girls, trample people with horses, tear gas them, and shoot bullets (rubber or otherwise)? Should Rabbis and learned laypeople be denied the Halachic right to intellectually debate such matters (from a Halachic perspective, of course) without being charged with incitement? 

"Orthodox-Feminists"-The Disease Within

• Feminism has as much in common with Jewish values as Blu Greenberg has with Satmar chasidim.
• Feminism perverts Yahadut and destroys generations of Jews.
• Feminism blurs the distinction between men and women. It is immodest.
• Feminism is an infection which must be eradicated from the collective Jewish body.

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Baptists In The Synagogue

Martin Luther King Day at the Hebrew Institute- January 2010

Those Jews with their heads screwed on right will instantly recognize this for what it is. A pagan ceremony. An astounding chillul Hashem. How else to describe a Baptist reverend and his church choir performing in the Beit Knesset of a supposedly "orthodox" synagogue? (Albeit, one that now has a female "Rabba", and that has at least on one occasion featured a female cantor leading the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Personally, I don't consider them orthodox, nor have I for some time now.) My understanding is that the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale has been hosting this interfaith-concert for years. As seen in the screen capture below, they continued the tradition this year. I couldn't find this year's concert on the internet, but I'm quite certain that it will make its way there eventually. Thanks to technology, every outrage can now be shared with millions across the world.

Now why, you may ask, is it necessary for an orthodox synagogue to hold this function? Isn't it enough to recognize the legacy of Dr. King, and treat all people with dignity and equality? You my unenlightened friend obviously don't understand "open-minded, modern-orthodoxy." The liberal, modern-orthodox, Jew feels a burning need to atone for the sin of x-tian slavery. And what better way to engage in this "tikkun" than to host an annual church choir in the synagogue? They even had Neshama Carlebach singing niggunim.

Can you feel the holiness? I can't. 

For some time now, Avi Weiss has trampled upon his Rebbe's p'sak Halachah regarding interfaith-dialogue. Rav Soloveitchik (of blessed memory) prohibited Jews from participating in any form of interfaith-ceremony, religious discussion, debate, or dialogue with members of other faith communities. His classic essay "Confrontation" is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Rav's definitive position on the matter. (Many of the Rav's misguided detractors falsely portrayed his stance as a radical one. The Rav's position was deeply rooted in the normative Jewish approach to interfaith matters. He differed with Rav Moshe Feinstein (of blessed memory) and the other gedolim on the question of whether it was permissible to engage in dialogue with members of other faith communities, on non-religious issues, that affect society as a whole.)  Avi Weiss's actions are merely the next logical step of one who doesn't really believe in any separation from the goyim. If your Judaism is so influenced by goyish values that you extol the benefit of interacting with priests and "moderate" imams, the next step is to take down the barrier. Enter the Baptist choir into the synagogue. 

The x-tian faith is a rejection of the Noachide covenant. Maimonides maintained that they are idolaters. (No posek denies that for a Jew it constitutes idolatry.) If Weiss wants to sanctify The Almighty's name, he should introduce his  friends to the 7 Noachide Laws. This is the real meaning of Tikkun Olam. To bring the knowledge of The Almighty to Jews and non-Jews. Not to host interfaith concerts that not only involve serious Halachic and Hashkafic violations, but also come across as patronizing carnivals of liberal Jewish guilt.

Racism is repugnant to Judaism, and Dr. King deserves to be remembered for his struggle to end legislated discrimination. But not with interfaith-concerts in a synagogue, where a preacher calls upon his Jewish brothers and sisters to "clap their hands together and let him hear it", to the rhythm of a church choir. I'm sure many of the deluded Jews and gentiles in the audience truly believed that they felt something "spiritual" that night. So do the animists who pound on drums and wear death masks. The pagan drive is strong. Music is a powerful but dangerous medium. (Unfortunately, many talented, religious Jewish musicians allow their emotions to shape their deot, and not the opposite.) 

No religious Jew should ever attend an interfaith concert. Not in a synagogue, or on the beach, or in a night-club. Even if it means missing a rare opportunity to hear a Baptist preacher sing, "L-rd, Get Me High" with Neshama Carlebach. (And what about the kol isha prohibition?)  Ironically, the song was written to bring Jews back to the fold. Considering the setting and the participants, renditions such as this latest one, will surely send many Jews away. And Heaven forbid, they may never come back.


The only way to truly get "high", is to elevate the soul with the intellect, by studying the Torah. The Rambam speaks about a supremely elevated state whereby a perfected man becomes almost "lovesick" (so to speak) for Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This should be the model for the authentic "spiritual experience", unattainable as it probably is, for most of us. An elevated level where one is totally immersed in the knowledge of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Not some "mystical" experience of goyish paganism. Shabbat Shalom.

Why Did The Feminist Chicken Cross The Road?

"Rabba" Hurwitz with Avi Weiss. 

Q: Why did the feminist chicken cross the road?

A: To daven for the amud at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.

It's been a while since I wrote about Avi Weiss, who heads the Hebrew Institute in Riverdale, NY, and whose list of radical innovations in a supposedly "orthodox" synagogue include the recent ordination of a women, Sara Hurwitz, as a "Rabba."  When I last visited this issue, I castigated the Rabbinical Council of America for a weak-kneed response and their failure to throw Weiss out of the organization.The following link contains the RCA's official statement.  Essentially, the RCA told him not to do it again, and he agreed. It's important to note what the RCA did not require of him. They did not demand that Weiss remove the title Rabba from Sara Hurwitz, or remove her from her post. They neglected to deal with the dangerous precedent that even one Rabba represents to Torah Judaism. This concession was a major victory for Weiss and the other ortho-feminists out there. At the end of the day, the Hebrew Institute has a female Rabba. (For more on this subject, read my post, The RCA Is Dead.) As seen by this screen shot from the HIR website, Sara Hurwitz still retains her title.

I wasn't even aware of Weiss's latest outrage, until I stumbled upon an online article from The Jewish Week entitled, "Weiss Moves Beyond Rabba."  The title was appropriate, for indeed Weiss had moved beyond the issue, by allowing a female congregant to lead the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service one Friday night. 

I don't feel like regurgitating the article. Read it yourself and consider the following points that jumped right off the screen at me:

• Just how smug and brazen is Avi Weiss, to take this next descent into the abyss right after a public clash with the RCA? He's making an absolute laughingstock of the RCA, and they have neither the courage nor the intellectual honesty to remove him.

• Consider the contempt he has for many of his former and present congregants, some of whom have already left his congregation, and others who may now reconsider it, after being put off by this latest incident. Avi Weiss does what he wants and the congregation can come along for the ride or leave. Of course there are many sheep in his congregation who will adapt to the innovations of their esteemed rabbi and mentor. In time they may even learn to enjoy it. And then they will hail him as an even greater innovator of "open orthodoxy."

• Surprisingly, Rabbi Shafran of the Agudath Israel of America had mild words about the incident. While obviously opposing these innovations as contrary to yahadut, his response was parve. This is what I got out of Rabbi Shafran's words. "Rabbi Weiss's move saddens me." Really earth-shaking sentiments. I would have expected the condemnation to have some bite. It did not. And for that the Agudah should be ashamed of itself. Of course, in the grander scheme of things,  the Agudah is irrelevant to Avi Weiss. We're talking about two different planets.

• Ironically, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of the RCA had stronger words on the matter, as seen in the following segment of the article. This makes the RCA's subsequent failure to address the issue even more inexplicable:

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of Englewood, N.J., a vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, said RCA leadership is critical of Rabbi Weiss’ action, but has not yet decided on any action it may take.

“A woman serving as shaliachat tzibbur [the cantor] for any portion of synagogue services is unacceptable,” Rabbi Goldin said. “If such a thing occurred, it would obviously be wrong and not in keeping with Orthodox tradition.”

The recent RCA agreement with Rabbi Weiss, in which he agreed not to ordain women, did not foresee and “did not address” a woman leading services, Rabbi Goldin said, so Rabbi Weiss’ action is not in technical violation of the agreement. “The question is, is it a violation of Jewish tradition, and we believe it is.”

Does Rabbi Weiss face disciplining by, or suspension from, the RCA?

“It is premature for us to comment on any particular action that we will be taking,” Rabbi Goldin said, “but all actions are on the table.” 

This article was from August 4, 2010 (one day short of a mere five months after the RCA's "Rabbah statement"). From the tone of Rabbi Goldin's words, it sounded like Weiss was in trouble with the RCA.  I've checked the RCA website. I've clicked on every link and searched the site repeatedly. I don't even see a reference to the incident, let alone a statement reflecting any discipline. I don't know about you, but I find this this very disturbing. (I suspect that one or more philanthropists who support  Weiss and the RCA may have put a damper on any plans to oust him.) The RCA purports to represent "Torah true" Judaism. Yet time and time again, they fail to stand up for the Torah. Exactly how far can Avi Weiss push the envelope before they throw him out? Perhaps when a lesbian "Rabba" blows the shofar following neilah.Then again, maybe not.

Where is the public outrage from Torah leaders? There are striking similarities between orthodoxy's collective  failure to address the menace of Lubavitch messianism that arose after the Rebbe's (of blessed memory) death, and this very different but no less dangerous infection that endangers many segments of the "modern-orthodox" world.

"Separate but equal." An obscenity when it comes to dividing people based on skin color, or absurd notions of race. But in yahadut, separate but equal is essential to the perpetuation of the mesorah (tradition). One could surely argue that the role of the woman is even more essential than the man's. In many aspects I believe this to be true. The Torah requires a separation in roles, both for halachic and hashkafic (idealogical) reasons. And both are critical for the Torah observant Jew. Gender confusion, role reversal, these will prove to be the spiritual death of the Jewish family. Jews will leave the fold in even greater numbers if the fundamentals of our tradition become warped, skewed, and finally abandoned. (When Jonathan's Ema starts behaving like a second Aba, something is bound to go wrong.)

Women are as good as men. And Jewish women are as essential to Judaism as men are. But they are not men, and men are not women. Let women find fulfillment as Jewish women in accordance with the Halachah. And let them not be led astray by the false shepherds, who would sacrifice the flock to the wolves, to satisfy a feminist agenda. 

Rabbi Meir Kahane- A Shiur At YU (audio)

A classic Torah shiur from Rav Meir Kahane (may The Almighty avenge his blood!), that he delivered at Yeshiva University. In this fascinating audio, the Rav enlightens the students on the Halachah of goyim in the land of Israel. A classic lecture, delivered with the Rav's usual brilliance and wit. Essential listening for those who like their Torah undiluted, without resorting to the pilpulistic gymnastics that the PC crazed "modern-orthodox" often use to explain away the Halachah.


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The "Tzfat Statement"

The recent statement of the "Tzfat Rabbis", addressing the Halachic prohibition of selling and/or renting property to non-Jews in Israel. (The Arabs are not a separate category.  They are goyim
who do not meet the criteria of Halachic "resident strangers.")

A Pop Quiz For The RCA

Disclaimer: The following post should not be taken as an attack against individual rabbis within the RCA. My problem is with the organization itself, which purports to represent  a segment of the "orthodox Rabbinate", and then releases a statement that is contrary to Halachah. A rabbinical organization has an obligation to formulate a statement from a Torah framework, without resorting to the kind of politically correct nonsense that one expects to hear from the Anti-Defamation League. Naturally, I have zero confidence in the RCA, which leads me to my next point. If there are individual rabbis within the RCA who disagree with the official position, I believe they have an obligation to publicly state their opposition and then rescind their membership. In this manner, they will be able to distance themselves from an egregious desecration of The Almighty's name. As a general rule, in the interest of maintaining respect for the Torah, one should accord respect to the individual rabbis within the RCA (Most of them anyway. Some have gone off the deep end.), despite the collective chillul Hashem of the organization's statement, which cannot go unanswered. Yahadut maintains that whenever there is a desecration of G-d's name, one cannot remain silent.


As Ricky Ricardo would say, the RCA has some "splainin to do." I'm still waiting for a comprehensive Halachic statement from the RCA which addresses the issue of renting and selling property to non-Jews in the land of Israel. After all, they were the ones who interfered when several Tzfat Rabbis stated the Halachic prohibition of selling or renting property to Arabs  in Israel. According to the RCA, the issue is more "complex", yet in their entire statement they neglected to mention even one Torah source. Somehow, I don't think that Rav Soloveitchik (of blessed memory) would have authored such a statement (whatever his position would have been). So much for their commitment to "Halachic Man." So I'm waiting for something more substantial from the RCA. Something with meat in it. Perhaps there are sources that the Tzfat Rabbis are unaware of. I want to see these sources. Don't lecture us, without giving us a proper shiur. 

No. There were no Torah sources, but there were a lot of tired cliches from the PC obsessed RCA. Instead of Halachah, we were lectured on the need to show "special sensitivity to societal realities, widely-held ethical principles, and historical injustices." The RCA noted that, " it is wrong and unacceptable to advocate blanket exclusionary policies directed against minorities of other faiths or ethnic groups. Of all people, Jews should know that such practices are beyond the pale, having ourselves suffered from them in the past." Very moving of course, but what about the Halachah? 

I'm not finished with the RCA. I've got a pop quiz for them. Open book, in fact. It shouldn't be difficult for anyone who underwent the rigors of semicha (rabbinical ordination). The questions may seem a bit disjointed, but I assure you they were chosen with great deliberation. I wrote them because I am concerned with the theoretical mindset behind this recent RCA statement. The purpose of the quiz is to get a sense where they are coming from. Obviously, the "7 Nations" are not around anymore (see question 1) but a response to the question will tell us a lot about the hashkafah of the individual members. To ascertain if they are more modern than orthodox. To gauge their perception of yahadut. (I'm considering emailing this quiz to the RCA, with a request to take my test. I don't expect that any of them will oblige me. Of course, my readers can also print up this post and hand it to their local RCA affiliated Rabbi. With respect of course. Always with respect.) 

The Jewish Fist Pop Quiz: Answer the questions as detailed as possible, citing any and all classical Torah sources that are available. Feel free to bring in the Acharonim.

1. What was the Halachic mandate regarding the "7 Nations", when the Jews first entered Israel? 
2. What were the Jews required to do with the rampant idolatry (temples, altars) ?
3. What is a ger toshav? What are the criteria for becoming a ger toshav?
4. What is the Halachah regarding selling or renting property to non-Jews in Israel? (What did you expect, that I wouldn't ask this?)
5. What is Judaism's classical approach to individuals who want to convert Jews to another faith? 
6. May Jews date or marry non-Jews? 
7. What is a milchemet mitzvah? How does the Halachah instruct us to treat the enemy, during a milchemet mitzvah?
8. In your opinion, was Matityahu, the Hasmonean priest, correct in slaughtering the idolatrous Jew in Modiin? If yes, what halachic justification can be cited for killing a man without following the standard halachic procedure of justice?
9. The Torah speaks of an ongoing war "from generation to generation" against the nation of Amalek, including an eventual final showdown where Amalek is obliterated. How do you rationalize the original mandate (as well as any implications for the future) which calls for collective annihilation against seemingly innocent members of society? In your understanding of the issue, will the future war with Amalek require us to slaughter men, woman, and children? 
10. Is Israel's current democracy consistent with the Halachah? Theoretically, would it be proper for an Arab to become Prime Minister if Israeli demographics were to change? What should a religious Jew do when the secular state of Israel engages in actions that contradict or violate the Torah? May one evict Jews and tear down Jewish homes?

Oh, and one last thing, before I forget. I expect Torah answers to these Torah questions.

The RCA Is (Still) Dead: Part II

"What will the goyim say?"  

Recently, a group of Israeli Rabbis disseminated a letter regarding one aspect of the Halachic status of non-Jews in the land of Israel. They correctly stated that according to the Torah, Jews are prohibited from selling or leasing property to gentiles in the Holy Land. The responses to this honest but politically incorrect statement came from all ends of the political and religious spectrum. The secular leftists condemned the declaration as racist and contrary to democratic values. Unfortunately, there is little to be done with people who have no concept of Torah, and whose ethics are premised on self-indulgence, hedonism, and the diseased ideology of moral relativism. 

The real tragedy in this whole affair is that too many orthodox Rabbis (both in Israel and abroad), publicly condemned this statement and declared it to be a distortion of the Halachah (Jewish law). To my knowledge, these Rabbis consistently neglected to cite even one Torah source to support their position. Regardless of how one chooses to interpret the Halachah (assuming that it is done with intellectual honesty and the fear of Heaven), a Torah scholar always brings a Torah source to validate a position. 

One prominent opponent of the letter in Israel was Rabbi Druckman, who after expressing his own dissatisfaction with the letter, went about revising the statement and drafting a more parve version.  (I don't know whether or not the original group of Tzfat Rabbis agreed to sign the revised "Halachah" or whether they're still standing by their original position. Naturally, if they agreed to follow the latter statement, it would negate their original action.) Several other prominent mamlachti (state-worshiping) Rabbis chimed in with their dissatisfaction. An absolute chillul Hashem (desecration of The Almighty's name).

Religious opponents of the "extremist" letter received a boost from across the Atlantic, when the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) stuck its nose into the affair. Had the RCA stood up for Torah and not the perceived interest of American shtetl Jewry, their interference would have been appreciated. Unfortunately, the RCA took a stand against the Tzfat Rabbis. As the old adage goes, they should have stayed home.

For an excellent treatment of this subject, check out my friend and fellow blogger's post, Esser Agaroth On The RCA. He covers all the bases. But I wanted to make a few comments of my own about this latest disgrace from the RCA. (For some of the RCA's previous "winning moments", see my older posts The RCA Is Dead (audio), and Where Is The RCA?)  In the interest of presenting my objections to this recent RCA position, I have included the entire statement below. My own comments (in blue) follow each paragraph:

Statement on Renting to Non-Jews Tsfat RCA Statement Regarding the Sale or Rental of Property to non-Jews in Israel

Dec 14, 2010 -- The Rabbinical Council of America places great value on the judicious balancing of halachic and ethical principles of policy and action. The brilliance of the halachic tradition lies in its ability to affirm the Torah and rabbinic teachings of past generations, in a way which elevates and ennobles contemporary life, while bringing honor and respect to the Torah. This requires a special sensitivity to societal realities, widely-held ethical principles, and historical injustices. This is true no matter the particular circumstances that might militate in favor of policies or actions intended to protect a narrow community concern or interest.

The Jewish Fist Commentary: A whole lot of pseudo-babble without any Torah sources. The opening statement sounds like it was drafted by the Rabbinical Assembly, which is the international association of Conservative Rabbis. (I've often said that the RCA should drop the "c" and merge with the former group.) It pays homage to Halachic commitment while affirming the need to recognize "societal realities, widely held ethical principles, and historical injustices." Let's be honest. This is really a call for a malleable halachah that can be melted and molded to the times. What they really mean to say is that the Halachic prohibition of selling land to goyim in Israel is somehow affected by the fact that Jews (in America, and elsewhere) refuse to pack their bags and make Aliyah. This statement was written by people who are uncomfortable with an uncompromising politically-incorrect  psak Halachah coming out of the mouths of a minority of Israeli Rabbis. They don't want to be labeled "Jewish fundamentalists" by their goyish American neighbors.

For this reason, the Rabbinical Council of America finds the recent statement by certain rabbinic leaders in Tsfat, Israel, regarding rental and sale of residences to non-Jews, to be objectionable. The halachic issues at hand are indeed complex, and we are surely sympathetic to the impulse to protect a Jewish community in the face of intermarriage, communal conflict, or unsafe neighborhoods. We are also mindful of the need to respect the halachic and policy rulings of rabbis in other countries and specific locales, given their general familiarity with the facts on the ground.

The Jewish Fist Commentary: The Halachic issues are not complex. Playing pilpulisitc gymnastics with the Halachah because it makes you uncomfortable, isn't the definition of a complex issue. On this particular point, the Halachah was as clear to the Chazon Ish as it was to the Rambam. 

Rambam-Laws of Foreign Worship 10 4 [3] 

"One does not sell them houses or fields in Eretz Yisrael; but in Syria one may sell them houses, but not fields. One may rent them houses in Eretz Yisrael, provided that one does not make them a neighborhood -  and there is no neighborhood with less than three [households]. One does not rent them fields; but in Syria one rents them fields. And why were they strict regarding fields? For two reasons -[because they would] expropriate the tithes and be allowed to settle the land."

Keep in mind that there is unanimous agreement among the Rabbinic decisors (from the medieval periods to modern times), that only a ger toshav (Halachic resident stranger) who accepts 'tribute and servitude' can remain in the land.  It is important to note that while there are disagreements among these decisors regarding the exact criteria that must be met for one to be called a ger toshav, no gentile in Israel (Arab or otherwise) fulfills these criteria.

Chazon Ish-In a Letter to Rav Betzalel Zolti, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem (Kovetz Torah Sheb'al Peh, 11 pg. 44)

"I can find no pretext to allow selling land either to a non-Jew or to a Jew suspected of selling land to non-Jews."

Presumably, the RCA has sources that the Chazon Ish was unaware of. They just don't want to disclose them to us.

In spite of all of these considerations, we find it necessary to express our views from afar insofar as the statement in question affects not just Jewish communities in Israel, but communities in North America as well. In addition many rabbis across Israel whom we hold in high regard have spoken out in opposition to the statement.

The Jewish Fist Commentary: Within this statement, we see the typical reaction of shtetl Jews who worry about the goyim of the world. They pick and choose their religious Zionism. On the one hand they acknowledge the great miracles that The Almighty performed (and continues to perform for us) with the creation of the State of Israel. I'm fairly certain that most of the RCA membership would admit that the Israeli wars (past and present) constitute a Milchemet Mitzvah. However, when it comes to applying the Halachah as it pertains to goyim, the RCA suddenly becomes uncomfortable and plays what essentially boils down to as the "Satmar card." You can't upset the goyim before the Messiah arrives on eagles wings. (Of course, if a non-Jew entered Williamsburg and tried to entice Satmar girls to sin, they would hang him from the lampposts. On this issue I applaud the Satmar approach, despite their inconsistency.)

Recently, a group of religious Israeli women (their husbands are Rabbis) came out with a statement urging Jews to refrain from dating Arabs. What does the RCA make of this? Are the issues pertaining to intermarriage too complex to make such a blatant statement, or were these women correct to state what every observant Jew already knows? Isn't the RCA concerned about how American x-tians will react to such intolerant beliefs? If they are, I present Exhibit # 2 for the RCA to merge with the Conservative movement. If they agree with the position, then they need to immediately take the following actions:

• Draft a letter in support of these strong women, regarding the dangers intermarriage poses to the Jewish people.
• Make a retraction  for their recent statement and publicly acknowledge that some issues have to be stated outright regardless of how gentiles will perceive their statements.

It is our view that in spite of the concerns of the authors of the statement, it is wrong and unacceptable to advocate blanket exclusionary policies directed against minorities of other faiths or ethnic groups. Of all people, Jews should know that such practices are beyond the pale, having ourselves suffered from them in the past. This is especially so, when as in the statement issued by the rabbis in question, the halachic sources and arguments are a matter of debate, and even disagreement. And even were that not the case, it is not at all clear that the principles in question would apply in the State of Israel in the 21st Century.

The Jewish Fist Commentary: First we have an appeal not to use "blanket exclusionary policies against minorities..." Then the authors remind us that we have an obligation as Jews to remember that we suffered from discriminatory practices. First of all, to equate the Halachah with the kind of treatment we received at the hands of our muslim and x-tian hosts is the stuff of nausea. As if the motivations of the proper application of the Halachah have anything in common with the kind of psychopathic hatred that the goyim of the world visited upon us. Furthermore, the fact that we were treated brutally by gentiles doesn't  change the Halachah. For example, the Torah commanded us to wipe out the 7 Nations, despite the fact that we as Jews had already experienced a genocidal enemy known as Amalek. Nevertheless, the obligation to wipe out the 7 Nations (as well as Amalek) stands. Would the RCA like to cut out all sections of Tanach that make us look intolerant? 

We thus respectfully call upon the authors of the statement in question to reconsider their position, in the interest of communal harmony, societal peace, and the public sanctification of God's name, which are as always the hallmarks of the Torah way of life.

The Jewish Fist Commentary: There you have it in a nutshell. The RCA is calling upon Rabbonim to alter the Halachah so that it's more palpable for goyim to digest. It's bad enough that the RCA is unwilling to abandon the American exile and change the name of their organization to the RCI ("I" for Israel). But to call for the sanctification of G-d's name while trampling upon basic Halachic truisms, is another degree of outrage.

I remind the reader that in their entire statement, the RCA did not include one Halachic source. which permits Jews to sell or rent land to non-Jews. The problem is that there are no sources. Throughout history, this issue was never contested by those who know the Halachah. You can be certain that if there was a reliable source, the RCA would have included it. 

The Halachah is clear that the status of the non-Jew (any non-Jew) in Israel is not the same as a Jew. Only within the framework of very strict and specific conditions, (which includes acceptance of tribute and servitude) may a limited number of gentiles reside in Israel under the category of ger toshav. Without this status, no gentile can even remain in the land! This crucial point has been overlooked during this public outcry. The first Halachah that the Tzfat Rabbis (and indeed all Rabbis) should have stated is that gentiles who don't meet the criteria of resident stranger cannot remain in the land. Unfortunately, only Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood!) had the courage to state this without apologetics. The whole issue involving the prohibition of selling land to non-Jews only arises in the context of the "resident stranger", who can remain in the land with strict limitations.  Obviously, the murderous, thieving, non-Noahide Arabs do not fall in this Halachic category!

The RCA purports to represent a Torah position.  It's bad enough that they lacked the courage to state the truth.  At the very least they should have remained silent. (Not a high level, to be sure, but light years ahead of where they are now.) Instead we have this tremendous chillul Hashem that will never go away. It doesn't matter that the RCA presented their objections "respectfully" and at least superficially with respect for the Rabbis in question. That was all a veneer. They threw mud at the handful of Rabbis who had the courage to state the Halachic truth. They threw mud at the Torah, when they twisted the Halachah and declared that the impure was pure. Given the prominence of the RCA, another sin they can add to the list, is that they did it in front of the goyim. 

We can learn two important lessons from this affair:

1. After 2000 years of degradation and despair at the hands of gentiles, we have whole communities of neurotic Jews today who behave like grasshoppers. Tragically, this includes learned Rabbis who make Halachic decisions on controversial issues, while ruminating about what goyim will think on the matter. As we've already seen, this is a disease that crosses oceans. In this particular case, the first grasshoppers that chirped were heard in the Holy Land.
2. Anyone who acts like a grasshopper has no business making Halachic decisions, regardless of their intellectual brilliance or Torah accomplishments. Follow the advice of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Forefathers) carefully. Choose for yourself a rebbe (teacher), not a grasshopper.

The RCA is (still) dead. 

Shabbat Shalom! 

Where Are The Rabbis? (audio)

Reflections on the Halachah (Jewish law) of selling and/or renting homes or fields to goyim (literally translated "nations", i.e. non-Jews) in Israel. As evidenced by the recent outcry against the handful of Rabbis who had the courage to state the Halachah, truth remains a rare commodity even in the so-called "Torah camp." Check out my good friend and fellow blogger's excellent post at Esser Agaroth , which tackled this issue.


MP3 File

Rabbi Meir Kahane Remembered (audio)

Reflections on the life of the great scholar-warrior, Rabbi Meir David Kahane (of blessed memory), on the anniversary (a bit belated) of his assassination. May The Almighty avenge his blood!


MP3 File

A Day Of Rage In Rahat

An unusual incident occurred in the town of Rahat this past Sunday. Instead of destroying Jewish homes, the authorities gave the land-grabbing Bedouins a taste of the bulldozer. In the early hours of the morning, officials of the Israeli Land Administration entered the town and demolished an illegally built mosque. True to form, a thousand Bedouins rioted in the streets. Many of them hurled stones at the police, who responded by firing tear gas and making several arrests. A day of rage in Rahat. Naturally  the media coverage was sparse. Lying to the public is official government policy when dealing with the Bedouins: 

• Rule #1) Cover-up any evidence that might portray Bedouins as a hostile fifth column. 

Obviously, video footage of rioting Bedouins would explode the carefully cultivated image of "loyal Arab citizens". So would the image of 700 Israeli riot police trying to contain a powder-keg of Arab rage in the town of Rahat.

The Leftists like to portray Rahat as a "moderate" Bedouin town. Curious, since the town always seems to be in the news, and it's not to highlight their charity work. Not that long ago, two Bedouins from Rahat were indicted for their involvement with Al Qaida. Just this past April, four Bedouins were arrested for throwing firebombs at motorists on Route 40. You didn't hear about this because of another classic gag order. The government didn't want you to know that Route 40 might be dangerous to your health. You might have reconsidered that trip to Eilat.

If you want to really learn about Bedouins, you don't ask leftists or frugal oddballs from Beersheva whose only experience with Bedouins is at the local shuk. Go ask the Jewish shopkeepers throughout the south who are forced to pay off the Bedouins, or risk having their stores torched and their throats slit. Ask the Jewish farmers who are extorted at the business end of a gun. The "authentic Bedouin experience" has nothing in common with the portrait that Birthright shows young deluded American Jews, which portrays them as noble denizens of the desert who want to share their pita bread with you. 

Let's look at the real face of the Bedouin:

• He is a land-grabbing menace who brazenly squats on government land right under the noses of the authorities. His goats (many of them stolen from Jews) and donkeys litter the desert with feces, pollute the few pristine water sources, and devour the vegetation. They are an environmental nightmare for the Negev. 

• The Bedouin is a violent degenerate who breeds like a jack-rabbit with multiple wives, and then collects state funds for every child. To say he treats his wives like donkeys would be kind. He cares far more for his donkeys. (Wife-beating is a religion to him.) 

•  The Bedouins are criminals with a penchant for stealing pipes, cables, railroad tracks, public art, and selling it for scrap metal. Bedouins will steal anything that isn't nailed down. What is not as well known is that various Bedouin tribes run extortion rings which squeeze money out of Jewish businesses and Jewish run farms. Those who refuse to pay suffer threats, theft, beatings, arson/other property destruction, and sometimes even death. Last year, Bedouin gangsters ambushed a Jewish farmer near the town of Ofakim and repeatedly stabbed him, because he refused to be extorted. Miraculously, he survived. Of course there are Jews who simply disappear and aren't heard from again. The Bedouins know where to bury things.

During the pre-state years, many Jews were murdered on the rural Southern roads. Their killers were the grandfathers and great-grandfathers of the Bedouins we see today spreading like an uncontrolled contagion across the desert. This is the real Bedouin. A primitive barbarian, nursed on an ancient blood-code of murder and theft. His hatred for Jews and the state of Israel is every bit as malignant as that of an Arab in Ramallah.

In the last few years, a disturbing number of Bedouins were indicted for terrorism. Usually these stories are blurbs in the various rags that nobody reads. The fact of the matter is that the Bedouin youth are all becoming increasingly radicalised. They whole-heartedly support Fatah, Hamas, and Hezbollah, and by all indications,  active involvement in terrorism is increasing. Not long ago, a 16 year old Bedouin girl arrived at the Shoket Junction border police base armed with a pistol. She had dreams of becoming a shaheed in a Jewish bloodbath. Fortunately, she was shot dead before she could actualize her homicidal dreams. 

The Israeli government is afraid of provoking the Bedouins. The repercussions of a full-fledged Bedouin intifada terrifies them. First of all, addressing the Bedouin problem would be radical departure from the official state policy of painting the Bedouins as loyal citizens. How would it look when the "good Arabs who serve in the army" suddenly show their true colors? Secondly, they don't know what to do with them. After all, their idea of a solution to the Arab problem is arming the PLO.

The Bedouins are a plague upon the country. They smuggle rockets into Gaza and machine guns into Judea and Samaria for the PLO butchers to fire at Jewish cars. They smuggle drugs and prostitutes into the country which sully the very soul of the Holy Land. The Bedouin violence and lawlessness that we periodically see is nothing compared to the inevitable inferno. When a real "Bedouin Intifada" erupts, (and its not a question of if, but when), the entire southern portion of Israel will become another yet another front in the Arab war against Israel. 

There is only one blueprint to follow. The Torah commands us to "transfer" (or annihilate if you're an extremist and you prefer the Sforno's interpretation) all gentiles who don't accept the Torah's conditions as Halachic "resident strangers". The Torah's premise is that other than select "resident strangers", gentiles cannot remain in the land. The Halachah is clear even when the goyim aren't preying on Jews, either physically or spiritually. Maimonides states that we have an obligation to actively hunt down and remove every vestige of idolatry and idol worship in the Land of Israel. (This includes x-tians whom Maimonides considered to be idolaters. The chief Rabbi of Efrat might want to take a look at the Rambam.) The source is Deuteronomy 12:3, "And you shall destroy their name from this place." Judges 2:1-2 also addresses this: "'The angel of the L-rd came up from Gilgalto Bochim and said, "I made you go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the Land which I swore unto to your fathers, and I said....'You shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land. You shall smash their altars..."

Forget about the Arabs for a moment. It's not about the Arabs. The Halachah insists that we purge the Land of all goyim, Arab or otherwise. This includes (but is not limited to) all Bedouins, Druzim, "regular Arabs", pagan Thai houseboys & bellhops, Philipino nurses &  cleaning women, Sudanese gangsters, European goyim who came to Israel under the "Law of Return" because they once slept with a Jew, x-tians (whether or not they themselves prey upon Jews), and the brazen interlopers from Chicago who call themselves "Black-Hebrews." All of them constitute a malignancy whose continued presence will cause the land to vomit us out. 

The Torah solution is the only solution. It's time to listen to the immortal words of Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood), whose call for Kiddush Hashem resonates loudly even twenty years after his death. The time has come to throw the goyim out, once and for all.