(יא) וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹקִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃ (יב) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹקִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ {ס} (יג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כׇּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
"In cloaks of piety, they parade, Yet shadows lurk, their vows betrayed. Corrupt rabbis, hearts turned dark, Their teachings twisted, truth disembarked.
From sacred scrolls, they pick and choose, To serve their greed, they freely abuse. With silver tongues, they weave deceit, Their hands defile what's pure and sweet.
In temples grand, where prayers ascend, Their avarice knows neither limit nor end. Exploiting faith for selfish gain, They trample justice, causing pain.
Their flocks misled, their trust betrayed, By wolves in robes, whose souls decayed. For virtue's sake, we must unveil, Expose the lies, and justice prevail.
Let righteous fury light the way, To cleanse the temple, and to purify the fray."
(א) צדק צדק תרדף. הַלֹּךְ אַחַר בֵּית דִּין יָפֶה --- (ספרי; סנהדרין ל"ב):רש"י על דברים ט״ז:כ׳:א׳
Citing nepotism concerns, High Court of Justice halts rabbinical courts appointments
Petition filed by attorney notes that Chief Rabbi David Lau is a member of the committee considering the promotion of two of his relatives
The High Court of Justice issued an injunction on Sunday halting the appointment of rabbinical court judges following allegations of nepotism.
The ruling by Justice Alex Stein applies to the work of the appointments committee to the Great Court in Jerusalem and 12 regional rabbinical courts, or batei din. It followed a petition filed by Batya Kahana-Dror, a lawyer and fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute.
The petition noted that the appointments committee, which is part of the Chief Rabbinate that is co-headed by Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau, is reviewing the nomination of two candidates related to Lau: Rabbi Mordechai Ralbag to the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and Yehuda Mann to head another such court.
Lau is a member of the appointments committee, presenting a potential conflict of interest, the court ruled. The Chief Rabbinate, represented by the state, has one month to reply to the allegations.
Another candidate under consideration is Avraham Deri, a nephew of Shas leader Aryeh Deri and the son of the chief rabbi of Beersheba, Yehuda Deri. Neither Aryeh nor Yehuda are members of the appointments committee, but they are said to have considerable influence on its members, Haaretz reported.
The Lau, Deri, Ralbag, and Yosef families “behave as though the rabbinical courts are their own fiefdom, to the detriment of citizens of Israel who require the services of the rabbinical courts by law,” Kahana-Dror wrote in her petition. Yitzhak Yosef is the chief Sephardic rabbi of the State of Israel.
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Tzohar, an Orthodox rabbinical group that has challenged the Chief Rabbinate in multiple issues, welcomed the injunction on Sunday.
“A rabbinical system’s ability to have a positive impact hinges on its ability to be a model of moral conduct,” wrote Tzohar in a statement. “Only when appointments are made properly can the rabbinical courts maintain that those who need their service will receive justice, not politics and nepotism.”
The Chief Rabbinate did not immediately reply to a request for comment by The Times of Israel on the ruling.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-missed-historic-opportunity-the-haredi-military-exemption-law/
