There is something that disturbs me greatly and should disturb everyone. Most Rabbonim are great people. They are filled with Torah, good Middos, Yiras Shomayim - each one on his own level. So rule number one is Kavod Talmidei Chachomim, regardless of the material of their kippah and choice of clothing. [Moshe Rabbeinu was a CHASHUV Talmid Chochom who had a TOP Rebbe and yet he didn't wear a black hat or a frock...]. The assumption has to be that anyone who learns and teaches Torah is a good person - and possibly much much more than that. Those are 99.9 percent of Rabbonim. The ones that don't make it to the newspapers because people being Ovdei Hashem isn't newsworthy.
BUT - there are those who learned, taught and went dowwwnnnnn. Some posts about this here, here, here, here, here, here. [BTW - Clergy abuse is much much much worse for the Christians as we have also documented on these pages numerous times in the past - but that is not our point here].
Recently, a "parsha" blew up about a very big Talmid Chochom who really really gave the impression that he was a Tzaddik. He wears tefillin all day long. He has written sefarim in halacha, lomdus and Avodas Hashem. When he approaches the amud to be chazan in the Yomim Noraim, he cries. He has a Torah empire that he built and has many followers. Allegations have been made that he has been doing some very shady things with regard to women. One story is that he told a women to divorce her husband and that he would marry her because he saw with "ruach hakodesh" that his wife would die on a certain date. BARUCH HASHEM his wife made it, his "ruach hakodesh" was in fact a "ruach shtus" and he was sued and required to pay this woman a half a million shekel for the anguish he caused her and her husband [whom she remarried]. There are other stories as well. It is of course forbidden to believe Lashon Hara. The problem is that Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat investigated and confirmed that the stories are true and told people to stay away from him. A Beis Din led by Rav Asher Weiss Shlita has been investigating the charges and have yet to present the public with their conclusions. So one should at least be wary. In the words of the Chofetz Chaim "למיחש מיהא בעי". [It is all over the media - this is not my "scoop". Such scoops are sickening].
This is the description of a Rav who is presently in jail for serious sexual misconduct, written by a Rebbe in his yeshiva, explaining why they followed him. Many amazing things, including some of what is written here, can be said about the present rabbi who caused the recent storm:
ברשותך קורא יקר, הרשה לי לתאר בפניך את דמותו, הנהגותיו והליכותיו, כפי שנתגלו לעינינו, של נביא השקר הזה. ובסיום אמור נא בגילוי לב, האם היית מוצא נביא אמת כשר יותר מנביא שקר זה.
נביא השקר הזה, התייצב בכל בוקר בבית המדרש בשעה 4:00 לפנות בוקר, ולמד בשקידה עצומה עד לתפילת הנץ. לאחר התפילה נשאר ללמוד עוד כשעה ארוכה, ולאיש לא ניתן להפריע לו.
נביא השקר הזה, סיים ש"ס בכל שנה – לימוד של כשבע דפים ביום. גם למד תלמוד ירושלמי בחברותא מדי יום.
נביא השקר הזה נתן בכל שבוע ששה שעורים בישיבה, ועוד רבים מחוצה לה.
נביא השקר הזה, מעולם לא ביטל שעור בישיבה משום סיבה, תמיד דאג להשלימו בזמנים לא זמנים, וכך גם דרש מהרמי"ם.
נביא השקר הזה, עמד על כך שחתונות של תלמידים יתקיימו אך ורק בימי חמישי, וברדיוס קרוב לישיבה, לבל יהיה ביטול תורה. מאותה סיבה גם בריתות נערכו רק בהפסקת צהרים או בנץ החמה. הכל כדי לא לבטל תורה.
נביא השקר הזה, עשה לפעמים בלילי שישי "משמר" עם התלמידים, כדי שלא יהיה ביטול תורה בימי שישי, כמקובל בישיבות.
נביא השקר הזה, מסר נפשו בכל שבת, גם בשבתות חופשיות, לארח תלמידים בביתו לסעודה שלישית ושעור תורה.
נביא השקר הזה, הקים רשת של מוסדות תורה, החל מפעוטונים, גני ילדים, ישיבה תיכונית, ישיבה גבוהה, וכולל של כ 60 אברכים עמלי תורה. (מעטות הן ישיבות הציונות הדתית להן מספר אברכים כזה).
נביא השקר הזה, לקח בחורים צעירים רחוקים מתורה ומצוות, קרב אותם לתורה, והפך אותם לאברכים שיושבים והוגים בתורה באוכלם פת במלח, גם כשהם בני 35 ואפילו 40.
נביא השקר הזה, דירבן רק ללימוד תורה, ודחף אברכים להמשיך עוד ועוד בלימוד, זו הייתה הדרכתו לכל מי שביקש לעזוב את הכולל. אחת הייתה הוראתו: להמשיך ללמוד ולהתעלות, מתוך אהבת תורה ויראת שמים.
נביא השקר הזה, הקים קהילה של תורה, שאנשיה עוסקים בגמילות חסד והפצת תורה בכל העיר, ובעזרה למשפחות נזקקות בחלוקת עשרות מנות מזון מדי שבוע לכל נצרך בלי שום השתייכות מיגזרית.
נביא השקר הזה, עזר באלפי שקלים לאברכים שלא הסתפקו במילגת הכולל הזעומה שלהם, ועכשיו נשבר מטה לחמם.
נביא השקר הזה, מעולם לא כעס!!! והיינו במחיצתו אין סוף שעות.
נביא השקר הזה, ענה בכל יום למאות שאלות שהופנו אליו מכל רחבי הארץ, חילונים כדתיים , עניים כשועי עולם. רבים נושעו מעצותיו. ביניהם גם כאלה שעכשיו מעבירים ביקורת על הנהיה אחריו. לא מעט מאלה שהזדרזו לגנות את תופעת הסגידה וכינו אותנו כשוטים, שכחו שבשעת צרה כשנצרכו לאבחון רפואי וכד' מיהרו לשאול בעצתו. כל זאת ראו עיני ולא זר.
דווקא אנשי קהילת הקודש שלנו נהו אחרי התורה, העבודה, החסד, והעמל שהוא דרש מעצמו ומתלמידיו. לא קמיעות, לא סגולות, ולא סיפורי מופתים היו אלה שלכדו אותנו, אלא דווקא הקריאה בשם ה', והדרישה לעמל תורה ומצוות. ה"טיפשים" שראו זאת הם רבני הישיבה, תלמידי חכמים בעלי חוש ביקורת נוקב ובעלי עיין חודרת, שבמשך שנים התחקו אחר עקבותיו ולא מצאו בהן מתום, שום סדק, שום רמז, לא אש, לא עשן, ואפילו לא ריח של עשן. בין החכמים האלה היו גם הרה"ג מרדכי אליהו זצ"ל, ובנו הרב שמואל שיבדל לחיים טובים וארוכים.
הן בין תבין קורא יקר, עד כמה גדולה תדהמתנו, עד כמה גדול שברנו, עד כמה קשה היה לנו לקבל להבין ולהאמין למשמע אוזנינו, ולהכיל את המעשים הקשים שנפלו כרעם ביום בהיר על ראשינו. דווקא בגלל שלעיננו ניצבה הדמות האולטימטיבית לאיש תורה, ומנהיג קהילה אך ורק בדרכה של תורה. ובאחת נכזבה תוחלתנו כשראינו עד כמה ובאיזה תחכום הצליח לסמא את עיננו.
אולי גם תבין עכשיו קורא יקר, על מה ולמה נפלו ברשתו אותן נשים יקרות וצדיקות. לא בגלל האותות והמופתים שעשה, אלא בגלל האיצטלא דרבנן שעטה עליו, והאמינו שכל מעשיו בקדושה ובטהרה לשם שמים".
The problem is not only what sinful rabbis do and the subsequent chilul Hashem which in our technological age is bigger and more widespread than it has ever been in history. The problem is that even AFTER their sins are revealed, people continue to follow them and to throw endless money at them!! Instead of giving it to the people WHO REALLY NEED IT!!
This Rabbi just had a fundraiser for his institutions [AFTER the allegations came out] and raised hundreds of thousands. WHY???
There is the multi-multi-multi millionaire Sefardi Rabbi who sat in jail for fraudulent money practices but that doesn't stop people from continuing to follow him around, treat him like Hashem's right hand man, and to keep the heavy money coming. [There are a lot of videos of these public displays of adulation on line].
There is the Rabbi who is a serial cheater on his wives. He marries wife #1, cheats and goes on to wife #2 [he won't cheat on me, she thinks...]. Then he cheats on wife #2 and marries wife #3 [who is sure that even though he cheated on #2 with her, she knows that he is repentant..]. SURPRISINGLY, he cheats on #3 and goes on to #4. He is up to #6. Yet, he is still the rabbi of one of the wealthiest "Orthodox" shuls in the world. He gets interviewed on Jewish TV and radio - even on religious shows. He is hailed as a Jewish leader. His excuse, by the way, was that he is bipolar. Even if that is true - who wants this מושחת to be there Rabbi?? The answer - hundreds. And he keeps accruing wealth from Jewish money [that could be feeding hungry families and not funding his affairs]. I saw on the twitter page of a VERY well known Jewish educator and leader that he spent Shabbos with him and his community. What is the message? WHO CARES THAT THE RABBI SLEEPS AROUND - I need his money. Period. A churban.
Then there is the Rabbi who went to jail for sexual misconduct - but not before running all over the world in order to escape the authorities, covered with glee by news stations. His followers still insist that he is innocent [even though he admitted guilt and was found guilty by a court of law].
Then there is the Rabbi who emotionally abuses his students [there are many documented stories that I won't go into here]. But people continue entrusting their children to him and writing him huuuuge checks.
Then there is the Rabbi who could have been THE Gadol of the Dati Leumi world [and acutally was for a while], who influenced countless thousands, who has unparalleled charisma matched by a brilliant creative mind and a unique gift of oratory. He was found guilty in a court of law for being physically too "close" with his male students and followers. He doesn't apologize for the chilul Hashem he caused. He instead claims he did nothing wrong. He had to step down as Rosh Yeshiva of a major Yeshiva but that didn't stop them from honoring him to speak at the yeshiva's 50 year celebration. What message are you giving the talmidim when you invite such a person to speak?? He is unrepentant and still teaching [despite being told by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein ztz"l and others that he must leave chinuch - if you can't keep your hands off the boys, you shouldn't be teaching them]. He still has a website, gives shiurim to his worshipping followers. He even got the money to open up his own Beis Medrash in the center of Jerusalem.
Then there is the Rabbi who did so much good in his earlier years and was mekarev thousands. He then started with such great ideas such as ordaining women as rabbis, promoting Yoshke as a great Jewish rabbi and many other ideas and projects foreign to our tradition. People [including people i know well] give him MILLIONS!!
Then there is the Rabbi who also was mekarev thousands but went from merely publicly hugging women out of his great "ahavas yisrael" to much much more than that רח"ל. Yet, his followers still insist to this day that we are not allowed to talk about it [even though they know it is true].
Since I don't see an outcry from Torah-true Jews, I feel obligated to say what I can. Some choice quotes:
"When truth is replaced by silence, the silence is a lie.”
“I decided it is better to scream. Silence is the real crime against humanity.”
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. (Albert Einstein)
He who does not oppose evil, commands it to be done.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever humans endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormenter, never the tormented (Elie Wiesel)
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest it (Elie Wiesel)
You think that your silence on certain topics, perhaps in the face of injustice, or unkindness, or mean-spiritedness, causes others to reserve judgment of you. Far otherwise; your silence utters very loud: you have no oracle to speak, no wisdom to offer, and your fellow people have learned that you cannot help them. Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put forth her voice? We would be well to do likewise (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody
It takes a village to raise a child, and it also takes a village to allow the abuse of one
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out for I was not a socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out for I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out for I was not a not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. (Martin Niemöller)
