Things That Pain Me

I have a list.

Here is one. When people try to break with tradition and still claim to be within tradition.

There is an institution in Israel that claims to be Orthodox, takes money from Orthodox people [maybe their biggest donor a relative of yours truly - a fine man and ohev vi-lomeid Torah but he doesn't consult with me before he signs big checks...] and ordains women rabbis.

Break number 1 from tradition.

Their leader writes articles [then publishes them as books] advocating more breaks from tradition.

Their "musmachot" wrote a book of their "teshuvos".

HUMILITY I plead, where hidest thou? These ladies are clearly not on the level to be writing teshuvos. How many masechtos do they know? How many years have they been learning? Anybody who reads the teshuvos and knows how to learn sees the ineptitude of the enterprise.

One "psak" - Single girls may go to mikva for "extra purity".

OYYYYYY VEY IZ MIR!! Not only is that counter to custom but the custom exists for a reason. It could bring SUCH A CHURBAN to klal yisrael if in our sexually permissive environment girls go to mikva and feel that they are now "permitted". And if the girls won't be convinced - the boys certainly will.  

ANYTHING done to increase kedusha and tahara in am yisrael is blessed. Anything done to break down the barriers is terribly dangerous.

So sweet friends - let us redouble our efforts to preserve our immutable tradition and not be swept away with this neo-conservative movement that has drawn so many people away from our faith.