I spent the first almost 16 years of my life living among Modern Orthodox Jews, non-religious Jews and non-Jews. I have spent the last 31 years living among [albeit not exclusively] Charedim. What are Charedim like? What type of world is it?
Well, if your impressions are based on certain sites on the Internet, such as that of R' Dr. ----- , then this is the Charedi world:
1] Charedim are child molesters. Either in practice or they support, aid, abet and encourage such heinous crimes as child abuse. Before convicted child molesters go to jail, they make farewell parties for them.
2] Charedim don't believe in science and excommunicate anyone who does.
3] Charedi Gedolim are naive puppets who are manipulated by their gabboim.
4] Charedim don't work and just take without giving. Parasites. They don't serve in the army because they are afraid of the dangers and instead prefer to see others dying on the battlefield.
5] Charedim just care about money and will sell any value if the price is right - especially in the political field. Everything is negotiable as long as it will mean more money for them.
6] Charedim don't care about the Jewish people - just about their own narrow interests.
Here are just SOME of the delightful things you will read about Charedim on the Internet. Sounds horrific - to say the least.
Here is the reality [as I see it].
Yes, it IS true!! Charedi AREN'T perfect. There are hundreds of thousands of them in Israel and a handful are evil people. [I had a hava amina to link the website of one rasha who knows Tanach and Shas by heart but has been branded by a Beis Din as an authentic, hard core רשע מרושע. He tries to make money off his Torah knowledge and I hope that there is nobody left who joins his programs. שר"י].
So one by one we will address the charges:
1] Charedim are against any type of child abuse - both on purely halachic and also moral grounds. No male or female may touch anybody in a sexual way [outside of the loving relationship of a married couple]. There are many teshuvos written by Gedolei Yisrael asserting that one must go to the police with information of any misbehavior in this area. If there are Rabbonim who say not to go directly to the police it is NOT because they believe that such behavior is not sick and evil but for other considerations [which are subject to debate]. It is so obvious that Charedim [who are so strict when it comes to sexual purity] are against sexual abuse but it must be said because on the web you often get another impression.
There is a picture circulating with the Gabbai [and grandson] of a Gadol sitting at an event and talking to a child molester on his way to jail the next day. There are other people at this event. I don't know what the real circumstances of this picture were. Maybe the people at this event felt that he was wrongly accused and were trying to give him chizzuk. It is hard to believe that they actually believed that he ruined the lives of poor innocent children and they were supporting that. So they are naive. OK - Twenty Charedi men are hopelessly naive. Because of this naivete they support an evil, sick man. I am not justifying them but why does that reflect on hundreds of thousands of people who didn't and wouldn't attend such an event [or party - whatever it was]. There always have been and always will be sick, deranged, evil people. In EVERY community. No exceptions. There will also [almost] always be people in these communities who won't accept that these people are deranged and evil and support them. Sad but a fact of life. But again - that is not a reflection on the community as a whole - just on individuals.
2] If you speak to Charedim on a one on one basis you will find that they actually DO believe in science on the whole. In Eretz Yisrael, Charedim receive a very limited secular education [for better and for worse...] so they know very little science but when they hear the word "science" they will not recoil and have no trouble accepting the results of scientific research - unless it conflicts with Torah. So MOST Charedim DO vaccinate [because most doctors say that one should vaccinate]. ALL Charedim trust doctors and when they are ill don't just do a segula or [li-havdil] say a perek of tehillim. They go to modern medical doctors. They actually go to the best.
When science seems to conflict with the Torah, some [probably most] Charedim will say that the science is nonsense because Hashem knows better than any scientist and He gave us the Torah. That makes sense. However, some Charedim [usually those who received a secular education] will search for a more nuanced approach that allows them to continue believing in the Torah and our Mesorah without having to reject science out of hand. Here is an EXCELLENT [managed by a Charedi Talmid Chochom] website which takes that approach. Here is another [Hat tip to my beloved friend and chavrusa Dr. Chaim Zimmerman for sharing that site with me]. Most Charedim are very rational, down to earth people and not close minded and superstitious as they are portrayed in the media and on social media. I know. I have spoken to thousands of them. [Yes. There is one famous Rav in Bnei Brak who believes based on a sefer written 300 years ago and some misinformation that Goyim have a different number of teeth than Jews. Not the end of the world. And yes - there are Charedim who are close minded and superstitious. There are also Modern Orthodox, secular and non-Jewish people in that category. Many, many as a matter of fact].
The people and books that have been [rightfully or not] excommunicated is not because they accept science but because they were perceived [rightfully or not] as a threat to the integrity of our Mesorah. Some Rabbonim signed on to the bans - many didn't and wouldn't. I remember when a Torah journal devoted much of one issue to slamming Artscroll for their translation of the Gemara [translations are against the Mesorah, the way they did it is against our Mesorah etc. etc.]. I gave this journal to the Tolna Rebbe Shlita and afterward asked what he thought. He just laughed as if to say - they went MUCH too far. Chill out dudes.
3] There are times where it seems to the outside observer that big Rabbonim are misled by their helpers and Gabboim. It is probably true at times. That doesn't mean that Gedolim stop being Gedolim. This requires elaboration and "כבוד ה' הסתר דבר".
But it is a mistake to assume that every big Rav is naive. Chas Vi-shalom. Many Rabbonim are very sharp and shrewd people. [I am not denying though that there are Rabbonim who are being misled by people with agendas. So it seems to me - who is an outside observer].
4] Charedim give a lot. They are perpetuating our 5,000 year heritage. They are [they believe - and I do too] justifying Hashem's goal in creation in the purest way. There are solely devoted to Torah, tefilla and Chesed. They give insane amounts of tzdaka - well beyond their means [I have been a Gabbia tzdaka for 25 years so I know]. They also pay taxes. They also work - if not the husband then the wife. Sometimes they both work. Really. And for those who sit and learn Torah - complete immersion in the word of Hashem is a blessing to the world. A person might not believe in the importance of Torah but they do. So one should respect their beliefs. Tolerance is a two way street...
Some Charedim do serve in the Army. Many don't because their Rabbonim ruled that the halacha is that it is better they stay in yeshiva or that due to the spiritual hazards of being in such a secular [often anti-religious] environment they should not serve. If tomorrow, the Gedolim would pasken they they enlist - they would do so without hesitation, en masse. Charedim never want to see any Jewish soldier die ח"ו or be injured on the battlefield.
5] Charedim DO care about money because they want to remain alive and one cannot subsist without money. But there is barely a group in the world who cares LESS ABOUT MONEY. Money in the Charedi world view on has value insofar as it allows one to serve Hashem. Able bodied highly intelligent men forgo any decent standard of living and experience perpetual debt in order to focus on learning the word of Hashem. The self sacrifice is UNBELIEVABLE and all of their critics would be doing themselves a favor if they would try to learn from the incredible devotion of Charedim to the spirit at the expense of financial gain. [What goes on in the Knesset is a different story and not for now].
6] Charedim DO care about other Jews. They daven for them every single day 3 times a day. But with their limited resources they generally first have to take care of their own community because if they don't - then who will?? That is in line with the Talmudic principal of חייך קודמין. Secular Israeli society would be THRILLED [for the most part] if Charedim ceased to exist. So who is going to take care of their needs if they don't take care of them themselves??!
There is MUCH more to say.
תם ולא נשלם בל"נ ועוד חזון למועד בעז"ה!!
