Every year Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav has a huge Yom Yerushalayim celebration where they invite big Rabbonim, politicians and Avraham Fried [NOT CHEAP!!!] to take part.
What I find both odd and troubling is that some of these politicians [who are even invited to speak] would not even be accepted to the Yeshiva and if they would be accepted they would be thrown out very quickly. Reason being that in order to be a student in Yeshiva one must keep Shabbos and daven three times a day and these politicians don't. They even give them a platform to speak their words of Kefira [!!!]. When Netanyahu used to speak his theme was "כחי ועוצם ידי" with a "בעזרת השם" thrown in here and there to please the crowd.
This year the PM was not invited [nor was the AM] b/c Bennent made a covenant with the שטן and despite the Merkaz philosophy that the Medinah is inherently holy - Nafti has gone TOO FARRRR!!! Going from the right allllllllllll the way left to make a pact w/ Lapid, Lieberman and Abbas [😲😲] in order to get elected. Sorry. You're not invited. Instead he spoke at Brovenders [😳😳]. The ol' feminist-leftist alliance [🙋] .
Instead, President "Buji" Herzog was invited to speak. In Israel the main job of the President is to earn a generous salary and to receive Kavod. It is a ceremonial position, unlike America where the President is officially in charge of the world. In the context of giving him Kavod, he is often asked to give speeches.
Herzog likes giving Mussar. Not Mussar to keep the Torah but Mussar to be a Leftist like him. I was profoundly distressed by his speech at the recent memorial event for Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook. In the Yom Yerushalayim celebration at Merkaz his message that we must be tolerant of views that differ from ours [even Kefira? Even blasphemy??].
We MUST respect other religions, said Buji. INDEED!!! The Torah says "שקץ תשקצנו ותעב תתעבנו" and many other such psukim such as
וְנִתַּצְתֶּם אֶת מִזְבּחֹתָם וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם אֶת מַצֵּבֹתָם וַאֲשֵׁרֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ וּפְסִילֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם תְּגַדֵּעוּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֶת שְׁמָם מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא.
But President Herzog says in the Beis Medrash of Merkaz HaRav that we must respect them.
There is also the איסור of חנופה which forbids us to praise the evildoer. מחללי שבת בפרהסיא are in that category [I don't know if Herzog keeps Shabbos but a Tzadik he is not. Unlike his zeide Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog who was a גאון עולם וצדיק יסוד עולם זכר צדיק לברכה].
I sent a letter to the Yeshiva asking the Rabbeim to explain why they invite these people but never received a response. But who am I.....
במקום חילול השם אין חולקין כבוד לרב and this is a mammoth חילול השם so I speak.
