"Gedoilim" No Longer Respected as the ASSkanim are now in Charge

 

The letter below appeared in the Yeshiva World Blog! 

The gradual loss of Kovod for our present day Gedolei Yisroel.

First it was the important ad in Yated that everyone is being Mechalel Shabbos in Japan. A full page announcing to Klal Yisroel that one must follow the Psak of the Chazon Ish. No one can Chas v’Sholom say anything to diminish the Kovod of the Chazon Ish ZTL. However, Klal Yisroel has been following the psak of the Gedolim of our Dor, Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZTL, Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman ZTL and Rav Shlomo Zalamn ZTL, all who pasken that we follow the Shita of Chachmei Yerusholayim and the Yidden in Japan are keeping the correct Shabbos.

This writer doesn’t have the chutzpah to discuss the actual halacha, but he does know that we have been following these Gedolim in all our Shailos and they were post Chazon Ish. What was accomplished with the ad? That the Hamon Am can ignore when the present Rabbonim come out with a Kol Koreh.

Then there was the full page ad about the Sheitels. No one has the audacity to disagree with the psak of Rav Elyashiv [except those that put out an ad about Shabbos in Japan!] but other Rabbonim have thoroughly delved into the issue and have paskened, that even taking into account Rav Elysahiv’s opinion, it is still permitted. Now, it wouldn’t be a problem if our Gedolei Rabbonim put out an ad that says that it is best to be machmir and make every attempt to ensure that one purchases a sheitel without a shailoh. However, the kanaim successfully pushed for an ad that says that if one wears a sheitel without [what they consider] proper hashgocha – AND no such hashgocho exists – all the women of Klal Yisroel have to remove their sheitels immediately, and if they don’t, they are transgressing an Issur d’oraysoh of Avodah Zoroh. So now klal Yisroel knows to again ignore our present Gedolim.

Then WZO. A distasteful situation but one that some Gedolei Yisroel did permit and encourage the olam to vote. It is very understandable for other Gedolim to feel that it is forbidden and wrong. They surely have the right and obligation to have their opinion known. But when it becomes a terror campaign, calling up anyone that doesn’t agree, cancelling, drowning the internet with ridicule and mockery of other Gedolei yisroel then Klal yisroel has again learned the lesson – ignore our present day Gedolei Yisroel. The “kanaim” are running the show.

Then we reach the latest episode, where they crossed even more lines in their attacks on the rabbinic system. After they finished with WZO, and found themselves with extra time on their hands, they gathered signatures on a letter attacking big rabbanim and an established, respected Beis Din. This was a new step taken after months of terrorism and canceling and public ridicule etc.

What was especially disturbing was that they went much further than usual both in terms of the scope of the attack and in terms of the lies that led to it. The kanaim weren’t content with a letter voicing disagreement with a psak. They weren’t even content with merely attacking the rabbanim for the psak. They instead opted to pasul the rabbanim and the Beis Din personally, a dangerous move demonstrating a total lack of responsibility, especially being as this Beis Din is mesader a few gittin a week. And they didn’t suffice with simply taking issue with the halachic rationale or the understanding of the metzius. They instead attacked the behavior of the rabbanim personally – behavior which as it anyway turned out was a total lie designed to attack the rabbanim. This was readily shown with the subsequent publication of letters from 6 other rabbanim personally involved who testified that it was slanderous lies. The kanaim had completely fabricated a slanderous narrative which they used to elicit these signatures. And it was a narrative that was very easy to debunk, and never should have been promoted in the first place. This was a tremendous bizayon for the signatories.

The “kanaim” are making it abundantly clear. They run the show and will stop at nothing to make sure of this and advance their agendas.

Slowly but surely, the “kanaim” are taking over. This must not be allowed to continue.

We must take a hard look in the mirror and see if our behavior does not exhibit many of the traits displayed by the secular liberals we so despise. We must have an awakening. It is high time that words such as mussar and middos make their way back into our vernacular. It is time for the all the Torah we learn to act as a “Sam hachaim” and not, c”v, a “Sam hamaves”.

Yosef B.