THIS is what nauseates me:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday publicly rebuked an MK and potential government minister who called for Israel to be governed by Jewish law, the Hebrew news site Mako reported.
“The State of Israel will not be a halachic state,” Netanyahu said in a terse response to Bezalel Smotrich of the United Right party, who has been mooted as a possible education or justice minister.
Earlier in the day, Smotrich had told two Israeli media outlets, “The State of Israel will be run, God willing, as it was run during the days of King David and King Solomon — according to Torah law.”
Smotrich, spoke before Netanyahu at the Mercaz Ha-Rav celebration of Yom Yerushalayim. When he spoke, he made clear said that he looks forward to the day when the Jewish State will be governed by Jewish law and the students cheered loudly. They LOVE him. He related that when he learned in Mercaz, he had the zchus to get the sfarim for Rav Avrohom Shapiro before his shiur klali. He is faithful to Torah.
Then Netanyahu comes in and the Yeshiva sings to him with unbridled joy and grant him the honor of royalty. Among other songs, the band blasts out "לבנימין אמר ידיד ה' ישכון לבטח עליו". Netanyahu, knowing that he has these people in the palm of his hand because they believe that the Israeli government is inherently holy, talks about how united he is with them. They are truly his people.
So why didn't he say the TRUTH? He is against a Halachic State. He doesn't think that a Jew must keep Jewish law. To each his own. He accepts the part of Tanach that says that Eretz Yisrael was given to the Jewish people by Hashem but summarily rejects all of the laws stated therein. Why doesn't he say THAT? Why does he lead them on to believe that they are in the same camp as he is? He mentions the Vilna Gaon to whom he is related. Why doesn't he say that he has chosen to live a lifestyle that totally rejects everything that was holy to the Vilna Gaon. I mean, he put Chasidus into cherem - what would he say about he contemporary chiloni-כחי ועוצם ידי-we-don't-need-halacha-Weltanschauung? Is he really a "ידיד השם", as they sang to him?? What sort of "friend of Hashem" not only doesn't keep most of His laws but will also do everything in his power to make sure that the Holy Land remains secular.
The whole show that went on there [I watched it] is all false politics.
So why does Mercaz give him all this kavod every year? Are they naive? NO. So why? They know the score.
