On that note: I saw a clip from a "wedding" of two "Orthodox" members of the same gender, where the grandfather, an ordained Orthodox rabbi, who sported a beard, big black Yarmulke and [I believe] peyos and wore a black hat, blessed the young couple as one would a man and woman upon their marriage. I mean, his beloved grandchild was getting "married" and it was a great "simcha" for him so of course he blessed them.
As if to say "Ribbono Shel Olam, don't bother me. I'll see you later at Maariv. Right now my grandchild is getting 'married' in a clear public rebellion against your Torah and I am going to take part in this celebration." Family comes first. Hashem third. רח"ל.
This is not to mention all of the other "Orthodox" people who attended this churban. [Full disclosure - I know some of them personally].
The problem is not the aveirah per se. The problem is that the Torah community is beginning to accept the approach that one doesn't have to keep Torah and can even publicly flout it. I am descended from people [as are you] who were willing to give up everything to keep the Torah. Now the attitude is - Do what feels good. Don't let any ancient, outdated laws get in your way. I mean, if the Torah isn't woke - how can it be true??
So I am registering a public protest against this and I hope others join.
If a person does an aveirah - we ALL do aveiros. Most people are addicted to their phones. That is an aveirah/aveiros [bittul zman, bizayon Beis Knesses, lack of derech eretz bein adam lachaveiro and often much much more וד"ל]. But nobody is making an ideology of the aveirah. People speak lashon hara and go to lashon hara websites - but they don't make an ideology out of it. People immerse in over the top gashmiyus against the pasuk of ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם [as codified by the Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos] and קדושים תהיו [Ramban] but there isn't a Pride movement justifying this. People are weak and succumb to their Yetzer Hara. I mean, if Mishpacha Magazine advertises it then it must be OK. Right? Not great but that is the story of mankind from the beginning of time. But this horrific breach of and frontal assault on Kedushas Yisrael and threat to Jewish families is unprecedented and must-must-must be called out.
A boy has tyvos for boys? Go to therapy. Privately. It might help and at the very least you are helping a therapist pay his mortgage and tuition bills. A girl feels like she is a boy? Ditto. Therapy. It is a personal struggle. Sad. Heart wrenching. But personal. Not something to be celebrated. Or publicized. We celebrate goodness, chesed and generosity. We celebrate greatness in Torah.
The heroes are people who open the door for poor people who come to their door, welcome them with a smile and a drink and write them a generous check. [As an ex fund raiser who felt the bizyonos - only from "frum" people (not that non-frum people are better. We should just know better) - I can testify how important that is]. The heroes are the people who stay after davening in shul and put all the siddurim back on the shelf and the sfarim back in their place. The heroes are the people who visit sick people in the hospital and go to prisons to give inmates chizzuk. Heroes are people who donate kidneys. Heroes are people who think a whole lot about others and very little about themselves and their ego. Heroes are people who spend time making shidduchim between Jewish boys and girls - לשמה. Heroes are men [together with their wives, of course] who sit day and night immersed in Toras Hashem while at the same time raise beautiful Jewish families. Those people and others like them are the people who deserve public accolades.
People who can't control tyvah are ill and deserve therapy and sympathy. Their Neshamos are in Gehenom right now, as the נפש החיים makes clear. They only feel a glimmer of it b/c their bodies numb the feeling but one day when they are divested of the body, they will feel the full force ה' ירחם.
And while on the topic, all these nouveau riche frum people who made it big are also not heroes as they are often portrayed in the frum media. They are only heroes if they made their money honestly [not always the case] and use their money and status to bring more Torah, Ruchniyus and Kedusha to the world. Not if they post pictures of themselves rubbing elbows with prominent Bnei and Bnos Noach.
