Loose Translation of a conversation with R' Yoel Teitelbaum z"l in reference to Israeli elections!
They were trying to convince the Rebbe, to give his blessings to have his followers vote, so they would have more influence in Israeli politics.
"As soon as the Rebbe zy"a heard these words, he became totally enraged. His holy face became red like fire, and banged hard on the table and said with a holy fire:
"This is final, I won't speak any further, It is prohibited to vote in the elections! Do you know why?
Because the holy Torah say so!"
While uttering these words, the Rebbe again banged very hard on the table and fell back into his chair.... and said:
"Do you know what I am going to tell you" the Rebbe raised his holy hand and pointed with his finger and said:
"better to smoke 20 cigarettes on Shabbos then to vote once in the elections."
The Rebbe continued, and again raised his hand :
"And I will add one more thing, better to bow down 5 times to a cross then to vote once in the elections."
Then the Rebbe pointed with his fingers toward the 3 book shelves and said: "The Holy Torah says this!""
DIN: I just did a Bar-Ilan search on the entire Torah, and didn't see anywhere that you cannot vote in the Israeli Elections!
What I did find is that one is prohibited to violate the shabbos and one is prohibited to bow down to the avodah zara.
And what I did see is that the Agudah (Moetzes Gedoilei Ha'Torah) required every one to vote and so did Rav Shach, who had his own party. Ger, Belz, Chabad, Kloizenberg, Bobov, Rav Ovadia Yosef who had his own party, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Eliyashav, Reb Chaim Kanievsky all advocated voting in the elections!
So did they all violate the non-existent Halacha?
Or was the Satmar Rebbe the only one at Har Sinai, and in his Torah it says, that you cannot vote in Israeli Elections?
Or was the Satmar Rebbe at Har Sinai and the rest of us on another mountain?
