Rav Kook has a famous eulogy he wrote for three boys who were killed by Arabs in 1911 [I am working on a translation - hopefully אי"ה it will appear on the blog]. He talks about his ambivalence b/c these were people who trampled on the Torah [at least one of them had learned in Yeshiva and was a fine Ben Torah] and we HATE such people. [Not my formulation but Rav Kook's. He actually says it more harshly]. The Halacha is that when people die who have separated from the Jewish community ["פורשים מדרכי ציבור"] and stopped keeping mitzvos, not only don't we mourn, we celebrate! But he concludes with a Limmud Zchus.... [What is it?? It's all the Internet's fault?? Too much alcohol at weddings? The Shidduch crisis?? Tuition in Yeshiva is too high? Vaccines? ADHD?? NO! Mamdani!!!]
One Internetly-popular MO rabbi likes to say that Charedim are פורשים מדרכי ציבור [who by the way lose their portion in Olam Haba] b/c they don't serve in the army.
My, how things have changed!!! Back in the day - people who kept mitzvos were part of Klal Yisrael and people who didn't, were not [as per the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch]. Today [in the eyes of those for whom the most important mitzva in the Torah is army] - people who try to keep all the mitzvos [except maybe one בשוגג] with incredible precision, passion and dedication and who devote their lives to Torah study are NOT part of Klal Yisrael while Chilonim who theoretically would do any aveirah in the Torah without batting an eyelash are the true memebers of Klal Yisrael just by virtue of the fact that they serve in the army.
In my small-puny-brainness and deficient Jewish education I can't wrap my head around that one.....
Mussar Haskel - If we can be tolerant of the Chilonim who don't keep all the mitzvos, we can be tolerant of the Charedim who maybe don't keep one of them:-)!!
