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| Yitzchok Scheiner Top Row Center (No Hat) - Avrohom Mordechai Mendlowitz Top Row Left - Telz Yeshiva Cleveland 1941 |
תורה תורה חגרי שק • עולם התורה באבל • נפלה עטרת ראשינו
Rabbi Yitzchok Scheiner zt"l would not have been pleased with the crowds which thronged to his funeral. Just a few weeks before he had written that “on each of us the obligation is incumbent to do Hashem’s will at this time and to fulfill whatever is needed to take care according to the views of the experts not to be harmed and not to cause harm to others G-d forbid. We need to be careful not to participate in crowded gatherings like weddings etc. since through them it is possible to be harmed and to cause harm G-d forbid……”
9 comments:
The rosh yeshiva ztl, who was also talmid of R' Aron Kotler, was at the forefront of protesting various Philly meshigassen. One of the few sane voices in the wilderness who will be sorely needed & missed!
Taking Philly & it's axis to task:
It's impossible to comprehend how young Haredim brought up with a core value studying Torah, faith centered on sanctity of life, emerge the most violent opposition to restrictions designed solely to minimize loss of life, except Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, Haredi ZAKA head, gives partial explanation
Meshi-Zahav lost both parents & a sibling to the virus in the past 10 days, thus he saw his own community’s deadly denial of COVID dangers unfold before his own eyes
His personal tragedy — emblematic of the communal fatal blindness, with far-reaching repercussions for all — began at his mother's Hanukkah party in Mea Shearim. He implored her not to, pleaded with other family members. His wise, informed voice, bolstered by credibility of dealing with death daily, proved ineffectual
“I said it’s dangerous, don’t do it.” But who was he to contradict rabbis his family show fealty, who set a different tone?
From his interview with Nat Jeffay, “the leaders live on a different planet.” In his parents’ community, “the atmosphere's we reached the end of covid — this was the feeling at Hanukkah,” he said
The party went ahead. Meshi-Zahav’s mother contracted COVID & passed away last week. “There are leaders with blood on their hands, the blood of my mother & many others.” Days later, his father succumbed too
The blame doesn’t stop with benighted rabbis. Nor does obligation to halt reality-defying, deadly insanity
Haredim are semi-autonomous in Israel & subsidized, full-time Torah-study's grown vast, facilitated by a State exempting Haredim from the IDF; with workforce taxes as financial benefit enabling them to scrape by minus a breadwinner; a state, incidentally, they reject or even abhor
They're rep'ed in parliament by politicians who, though they work in a 1st-world environment, prove themselves incapable & fundamentally unwilling to enlighten their electorate on pandemic dangers
They instead huddle with blinkered leaders vs life-preservation
Large numbers of Haredim do heed laws, close yeshivas, cancel events, wear masks, social distance. But a significant minority do not. And as contagion stays obstinately high despite lockdown, 40% of new cases are Haredi, who are 12% of the population, while Haredi vaccination rates in Israel’s world-leading drive are far below average
Haredi lockdown-defiers contradict Jewish central principles, placing life above all. One's required to give up life in very exceptional circumstances; no requirement of group Torah study or mass weddings in a pandemic
Things reached a nadir this week with violent protests by Haredi extremists vs belated police efforts to close down numerous yeshivos breaching lockdown
Those protests included attacks on Bnei Brak buses & Jerusalem light rail — that could've easily led to loss of life
Manifestly there's failure to communicate between govt & health authorities & a substantial part of this large, semi-autonomous community. Manifestly too, there's no political will by a govt & prime minister depending on support of Haredi parties for same implementation of restrictions in the Haredi sector as elsewhere. Manifestly too, the long-term solution's education
Judaism remains relevant & Jews prove groundbreakers in most every walk of life, from inspiration of a faith that prizes education
Much as they eschew toxins of modernity, Haredim can't shut out the world entirely & can't be allowed to go on attempting it, as the failed response to COVID fatally underlines. I stress; we talk not of all, but neither a small minority
Some Haredi leaders act as though they live in outer space, but they share the country. It's a tragic betrayal of Judaism they claim to cherish that, as their 2x bereaved landsman desperately laments, some Haredi rabbis have blood on their hands. So too, do those facilitating the willful, fatal ignorance
The Kaminetzer rosh yeshiva was 98. Careful from the virus, he could not escape the negligence of others. A week or two earler his 99 year old sister also succumbed. She was rebbitzen of a lesser known rosh yeshiva who is 100+ years old, zolt er zein gezunt.
Can you explain why this gadol is worthy of accolade?
R' Dovid Soloveitchik niftar today at 99.
One of the last remaining talmidim of the Brisker Rov and another rare voice of reason in this dor yasom!
https://www.timesofisrael.com/abraham-twerski-hasidic-rabbi-and-psychiatrist-dies-at-90-of-covid/
90 year old uncle of Tort Putz Twerski niftar from the virus
Anonymous Yelamdeinu Rabeinu said...
A humble giant with no personal agenda!
Not uncle but older brother
Anonymous Hofstra said...
https://www.timesofisrael.com/abraham-twerski-hasidic-rabbi-and-psychiatrist-dies-at-90-of-covid/
90 year old uncle of Tort Putz Twerski niftar from the virus
https://seforimblog.com/2021/02/the-medical-training-and-yet-another-previously-unknown-legacy-of-rabbi-dr-abraham-j-twerski-ztl/
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