Monday, August 17, 2015

Rabbi Riskin Clarifies: Converts Must Keep Torah Commandments

Rabbi Stav and Rabbi Riskin

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin responded to reports Monday that some of the rabbis on the new independent conversion courts do not require converts to obligate themselves to a full religious lifestyle. 

Riskin, the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, was named by Haaretz as one such rabbi who recognizes converts who commit to a "traditional" lifestyle in place of the Orthodox lifestyle demanded of them by the Chief Rabbinate. 
"The headlines do not match my words," Riskin stressed. "I am all for observance of the commandments and the genuine and meaningful process that leads to it." 

"My position is that the convert, like all Jews, is in a constant and life-long process of learning and deepening [his knowledge] of the Torah, halakha and the commandments," he added. 

According to Riskin, "construing my position in any other way is misleading and a simplistic interpretation that ignores the many layers and nuances of the issue."

Rabbi David Stav, head of the Tzohar organization and a key rabbi leading the new independent courts, told Arutz Sheva on Sunday that "our court doesn't move a millimeter from the instructions of the Torah greats in their various generations, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi (Yitzhak) Herzog, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef."

"Those that are defaming us today, supposedly in the name of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, instead of conducting a fair dialogue, are guilty of slander, as was done to Rabbi (Shlomo) Goren and Rabbi (Avraham Yitzhak) Kook."

"There are people here who really want their children to be Jewish, and I hope the day is not far when (Chief Sephardic) Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will also recognize our court which works according to the halakhic minutiae, and will invite us to work under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate," said Rabbi Stav.

12 comments:

Reformer Watch said...

I don't know about the other rabbonim quoted but Riskin-Stav are LYING & putting words in the mouth of R' Moshe Feinstein ztl who assered doing kiruv on intermarrieds for conversion, which is exactly what the new "beis din" is doing!

This is exactly the same pack of lies that menuvol Leib Tropper paid Reuvein Feinstein $3 million to misrepresent his own father. The $3 million is in a publicly available IRS filing. Reuvein Feinstein was blasted by rabbonim for participating $$$ in Tropper's scheme.

And Riskin is full of crap when he is says he is still "growing" himself trying to keep all the mitzvos. He is moving in the opposite direction with his women "rabbis", etc

Dusiznies said...

12:55
Are you comparing Tropper with Rabbi Riskin?
Rabbi Riskin works "Lishmah" doesn't take any money except for his salary!
If you don't agree with Rabbi Riskin, fine.... but why say that he is "lying?"
Show me how he put words in Reb Moshe's mouth?
And didnt all the Tanaim and Amoraim put words in the mouth of Moshe Rabbeinu?
I'm not comparing, but with your logic, no "memre' from the Chazal can be taken seriously!

Reformer Watch said...

I didn't say Riskin is profiting but he is being dishonest to push his radical maverick ideology to uproot halacha and with it the purity of Klal Yisroel.

The so called "beis din" is Riskin's baby and they claim everything they are doing meets the approval of R' Moshe Feinstein which is a BALD LIE. It is the same LIE advanced by Tropper whose motivations were different in the form of money and sex, but the same LIE nonetheless.

Wink n Stare Synagogue said...

Riskin probably thinks he can get away with it again like with the non-mechitza in the old LSS building that doesn't conform to any shita in halacha. Riskin waited until Rav Soloveitchik was niftar - when he couldn't vouch for Riskin anymore - to claim the Rav "approved" it.

In the case of Rav Moshe Feinstein however there is reliable proof as to what he poskened.

Dusiznies said...

4:05
Why don't you show us how this is a lie?

4:15
I was in Riskin's shul and it meets 100% Rav moshe's critera.
Rav Moshe Feinstein's psak met the critera
so I don't know what your blabbering about.

Dusiznies said...

4:15
What do you mean "Riskin probably thinks he can get away with it"
what the Hell are you talking about?
You can say that about Reb Moshe z"L too...He got away with it>>>>
You meshiginar... he is not trying to get away with anything ... he is a serious Rav and he paskens they way he paskens... if u dont like it go with your poisek.... whose stopping you?

Anonymous said...

Rabbi Feinstein was great but not the only Posek in the world, the Chassidic groups didn't follow his rulings a good many times. We don't follow Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai even though he was a very great Tanna.

Wink n Stare Synagogue said...

DIN, maybe they took you to Rabbi Besser's shul or something and they told you you were in the old LSS?

Old LSS was a circle with the veiber section all around the outer fringe (pun intended). And no matter where you sat in the men's section you could see the veiber section.

Major poskim poskened for people who asked that there is no din mechitza in old LSS. But because it is not actually Conservative it would be mutter to daven in the hallway outside while listening to them provided there are no women in the hallway. But that it is still not advisable since it will probably make them upset.

I heard the Rav Soloveitchik thing from YU people including a rosh yeshiva of today who was the Rav's talmid.

Anonymous said...

Is that so? Riskin said bla bla bla, this ocher yisroel should first explain which commandments he's talking about because he himself is a apikores

Dusiznies said...

12:23
you must be a Satmar tuches lekker, if it's not like your SHIT"ah than its Apikorses!
Crazy mesheeeeeegener!

Anonymous said...

12:23 pm could very well be a Satmarer who calls almost anyone an apikoress, but even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

Riskin was always on the fringe but lately he is crossing every line out of orthodoxy. The majority agrees on this including more than half of modern orthodox.

Dusiznies said...

4:02
"The Majority?" The Majority are Buddhists!