False News Reports

There has been a lot of talk in the news about violent acts perpetrated by RELIGIOUS JEWS in Beit Shemesh. Well I live in Israel and I can tell you that all of the news reports are FALSE. There has not been even one act of violence whether verbal of physical carried out by a religious Jew, charedi or otherwise.

Am I hallucinating???

No.

If a person is violent he CEASES at that moment to be religious. So it would be correct to say that imposters dressed as religious Jews were violent. This knowledge doesn't mitigate the massive chilul Hashem that was caused but it gives us a perspective on what it means to be religious. The Rambam says at the end of hilchos chanuka that the WHOLE TORAH is about SHALOM. דרכיה דרכי נועם וכל נתיבותיה שלום. So if someone is not acting in a peaceful manner he is not just transgressing one sin but the WHOLE TORAH.

So just because someone has a beard or a black hat it doesn't make him religious. And just because she wears a long skirt in the summer or covers her hear it doesn't mean she is religious. Being religious means that a person follows the laws and spirit of the Torah.

If someone causes a worldwide chilul Hashem there is NO TSHUVA for him in this world. There is only hope if he dies [Rambam]. So people who hurt others and cause a desecration of Hashem's name are the MOST NON-RELIGIOUS people around.

In Otisville [a well known prison] they have minyanim and learning in a beis medrash donated by a "graduate". Are they "religious"? Maybe. But not the Jewish religion. A person who steals or cheats is a sinner, disqualified as a witness and according to Rabbeinu Yonah in the Shaarei Tshuva, he has corrupted his soul in a way that nobody else has.

He is also really sleazy.

A religious woman had an affair? I hear about things like that all too often. But again, it's not true. She wantonly transgressed the seventh commandment, so what makes her religious?? That she can say "gut yontiff"? That she bakes a schlissel challah? The Torah says to execute her so if she WAS religious she won't remain that way for much longer for soon she will be pushing daisies.

SWEETEST FRIENDS! Let us always keep the aforementioned Rambam in mind and act in ways that promote peace. That is the whole Torah. We lament the fact that there are imposters walking around misrepresenting the Torah but all we can do is show people the truth by our behavior.

Yoma 86a - If you can't understand the following gemara it is worthwhile asking someone to explain it to you:
ואהבת את ה' אלהיך - שיהא שם שמים מתאהב על ידך שיהא קורא ושונה ומשמש ת"ח ויהא משאו ומתנו בנחת עם הבריות מה הבריות אומרות עליו אשרי אביו שלמדו תורה אשרי רבו שלמדו תורה אוי להם לבריות שלא למדו תורה פלוני שלמדו תורה ראו כמה נאים דרכיו כמה מתוקנים מעשיו עליו הכתוב אומר (ישעיהו מט, ג) ויאמר לי עבדי אתה ישראל אשר בך אתפאר אבל מי שקורא ושונה ומשמש ת"ח ואין משאו ומתנו באמונה ואין דבורו בנחת עם הבריות מה הבריות אומרות עליו אוי לו לפלוני שלמד תורה אוי לו לאביו שלמדו תורה אוי לו לרבו שלמדו תורה פלוני שלמד תורה ראו כמה מקולקלין מעשיו וכמה מכוערין דרכיו ועליו הכתוב אומר (יחזקאל לו, כ) באמור להם עם ה' אלה ומארצו יצאו

Love and peace!