Satmar Rebbe Says It is Prohibited to Support Israel and Rejoice in its War Against Iran

פני דורו כפני כלב

(סוטה דל מ"ט ע"ב)

What exactly does R’ Aron Teitelbaum, the Satmar Rebbe of Monroe, consume at Shalosh Seudos that leads him to make such astonishingly extreme statements? Week after week, his remarks grow more bizarre, and this Shalosh Seudos was no exception.

It becomes easier to understand why his father, the Beirach Moshe z”l, did not want him to succeed him—so much so that R' Aron dragged his own father into secular court, attempting to convince a judge that the Rebbe was mentally unfit when he named R’ Zalman Leib as his successor.

This week, during Shalosh Seudos, he compared Jews who rejoice over the IDF’s successful operations against Iran to the Erev Rav celebrating the Golden Calf. According to him, supporting the Jewish army in a defensive war is akin to idol worship.To support this twisted cockamamie theory he supports it from the verses of our Holy Torah!

Meanwhile, the Jewish people are fighting an enemy that openly vows to annihilate them. Our soldiers—our children—are risking their lives, defending millions of Jews, and achieving real victories. Yet from the comfort of Kiryas Yoel/Uganda, he chooses to mock, condemn, and delegitimize the only Jewish state and those who protect it.

While Israelis run to shelters, he sits on a throne of comfort and pronounces judgment on those who are literally saving Jewish lives. The disconnect is staggering.

How can someone show so little empathy for Jews under fire, and so little respect for the young men and women defending Am Yisrael?

Who follows this lunatic?

 The "Eigal Hazahav" remains the golden calf, it is forbidden to worship it, it is forbidden to kiss it, it is forbidden to look at it, and it is forbidden to rejoice in it.

The Satmar Rebbe spoke at the 'Shalosh Seudois" about three levels of sinners in the 'Eigal Hazahav"' during Operation 'Rage of the Hari' in Iran.

The Rebbe began with a story that he remembers from the parshas of "Ki Tisha" at his uncle's - the Rebbe Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum of Satmar zt"l: "I was a child then and I visited his house on the Holy Shabbat for the parshas of "Ki Tisha". He tested me on the studies I had learned in the Talmud Torah, and he tested me on the Chumash-Rashi from the parsha of the week.

I told him that we had learned everything that is written about the sin of the calf, that the Israelites worshipped the golden calf - and he asked me: How is it possible that all of Israel would simply worship and bow down to the calf made of gold? How is that possible?

I was a child and I didn't know how to answer him. Then he answered me from what is quoted in the Midrash: The calf was not just a calf made of gold. Just a still calf. The golden calf had life, it danced, it sang, the calf performed miracles [-"contzim"]. It was like a living calf and therefore all of Israel fell into its trap and it caused them to worship the golden calf and commit this terrible sin.

There were three levels of those who failed in the calf, some saw the signs and simply began to practice actual idolatry;
The second part did not really worship, but they kissed and hugged the calf kindly; the third part, which is the majority of the people of Israel, only rejoiced in their hearts, they saw the dances and miracles of the calf - and they enjoyed and rejoiced that idolatry managed to perform all these miracles, and therefore everyone must bring atonement for the sin.".

The Rebbe added: "This is a very important lesson for our time, at this time when we are at war with Iran -
The Zionist calf works wonders, it dances, it jumps, the whole world sees that it succeeds in performing miracles, there is a part of all Israel who bow down to idolatry - they worship the Zionist calf, there is a part who do not worship the calf, but they kiss the Zionist calf. But the main part, the large part, are those who rejoice in their hearts over the success of the calf, over the miracles that the calf succeeds in, over the dancing. They follow all day long all the miracles, all the successes of the calf.".

The Rebbe emphasized: "You have no permission to contemplate it, even to rejoice in contemplation of the heart is strictly forbidden. They hear the news, see all the attacks of the calf - and rejoice in their hearts over the success of the Zionist calf, and for this they need atonement, for the joy in their hearts over the success of idolatry.".

""May God help and grant us the wisdom to understand that idolatry is forbidden even when it succeeds in showing miracles, it dances, but the golden calf remains the golden calf, it is forbidden to worship it, it is forbidden to kiss it, it is forbidden to look at it, and it is forbidden to rejoice in it - and this will be a lamp to our feet, until God, the Holy One, helps and all idolatry is abolished from the world, including this calf.".