The Right To A Different Opinion

I was asked to comment on the remarks of a well known Rebbe about the recent tragedy.

I listened to the recording [in yiddish] to see what this Rebbe said. Now my comment....

What is journalism? Journalism is finding the anomaly, something different, something out of the ordinary. The ordinary, the normal, is not interesting enough for people. One famous rule of journalism is that when a dog bites a man, that is not a story. When a man bites a dog - THAT is a story.

EVERY ROV AND REBBE of every stripe, shape, hat type, hashkafa etc. etc. expressed nothing but terrible anguish and sadness over the death of three boys whom they never met and who were very far from their world view, mode of dress etc. etc. It has been a show of tremendous achdus. Everybody's heart is shattered over the horrible tragedy. Goyim don't feel the same pain over the tragedies of their "fellow goyim". They happen every day and life continues. Murder is daily fare for every newspaper all over the world and life goes on. With respect to Jews it is different. For two weeks Jews everywhere were saying special tfillos for three boys they never met. I stress that this is despite the large gap between the hashkafa that these boys were raised on and that of the many many who were davening for them and anxiously awaiting their return. It was pure, unconditional, concern and care.

So we have 99.99999 percent unity, sensitivity, empathy etc. etc. Good number.

The media found the exception. That is why the Neturei Karta gts so much press. There are very few of them but how fascinating that a group of Ultra Orthodox Jews are rabidly anti-Israel and Pro Arab. Loving your worst enemy who wants to wipe you off the map.

How piquant....:-) [בעברית - פיקנטי]

I am not a spokesman for the Satmar Rebbe Shlita. I am also very far from being a Satmar chossid. I have a Rebbe Shlita and a hashkafa and the Satmar way is not my way. He spoke to the chasidim and expressed numerous times how sad it was that three Jewish boys were killed. He said that anybody with a heart feels the pain. Remember, according to his hashkafa these boys were - because of their Zionist orientation - apikorsim [this is me talking - he didn't say that]. But he still expressed  tremendous sorrow over their deaths numerous times. He doesn't want people to die just because they think differently than he does or wear kippot srugot.

According to the Satmar world view - it is forbidden according to halacha to live in the "territories" [where this blog is being written...:-)]. It is dangerous and forbidden for a Jew to endanger himself even for the "mitzva" of living in Israel [according to their world view it is not a mitzva]. He felt that it was ill advised for the parents of these children to live in a forbidden place due to the high level of danger. It would be like a person saying after someone dies in a sky diving accident that it was a big mistake to sky dive. Sky diving is dangerous. His intention was not to insult but to educate. "Don't live in dangerous places and don't be a tziyoni" was his message. I think that it is a proper message for the leader of a group whose basic hashkafa says just that.

Was his timing right? Maybe not [with all due respect I would ask "definitely not?"].

Did any other Rov, Rebbe, Bubba, Gadol, Mekubal etc. say that [even though they might think it]? No. So let us look at the vast majority and not squander precious time on the exception.

Did he mean malice? Definitely not.

Is he an evil person which would justify all of the people cursing him on the internet? Certainly not.

Does he have the right to an opinion? Absloutely - EVEN IF HIS OPINION IS DIFFERENT THAN MINE!!!

So please, Ribbono Shel Olam, let us all apply our American-Liberal-Democratic-Attitude of allowing others to harbor opinions different than our own while at the same time maintaining respect.  

Maybe, maybe, he did a terrible aveirah and will be punished by Hashem for his thoughtlessness. Maybe. We yidden don't believe that anybody is infallible. No Popes by us. But let Hashem judge him and our job is to stay out of it. Even big people make mistakes and don't deserve to be cursed for them.

Freeing over 1,000 terrorists in exchange for one person [two of whom killed the three boys and another one who killed a policeman a few months ago] was a mistake that deserves a lot more malediction than the possibly untimely remarks of the Satmar Rebbe. But that is not the issue. The issue is respect and in our Internet world of anonymity we have lost it...

Let me reiterate. I would have preferred that he not have said what he said. But he was saying what he believes to be Dvar Hashem and as the leader of the biggest [?] Chasidic group in the world he deserves respect.