Yesterday, Matzav.com reported that Shmuly Yanklowitz, an Open Orthodox rabbi and dean of the Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix, Arizona, responded to the election of the 45th President of the United States by rewriting the traditional Shabbos tefillah for the US president so as to avoid actually blessing him.
Yanklowitz, who founded the Uri L’Tzedek Orthodox Social Justice organization, publicized an alternative prayer, dropping the blessing for the success of America’s president and instead accusing the incoming president of promoting white supremacy.
“Because of my commitment to the integrity of prayer, starting this week, I can no longer recite or say amen to the Shabbat prayer for the success of the U.S. president,” Yanklowitz wrote. “I felt that it was not enough to simply avoid the U.S. President in the prayer for the government but to remind myself of the billions of vulnerable people who are at risk under his rule, and challenge myself each Shabbat to build up the strength for another week of spiritual resistance.”
Today, Yanklowitz is back with more brilliance.
This time, he wants us all to make a taanis this Erev Shabbos, the day of Donald Trump’s Inauguration.
“Please consider joining us in Fasting this Friday on Inauguration Day,” Yanklowitz wrote to his followers. “In an era where greed, selfishness, & hate have become validated & normalized, we must nourish our souls with Spiritual Resistance for Love & Justice.
For those who fast, Yanklowitz adds, “I would recommend reading the Yom Kippur haftarah that morning which emphasizes that religion, in general, and fasting, in particular, is only of value if it prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable in society.
Yanklowitz then says: “Here’s a little taste from Isaiah (57:14 – 58:14): ‘This is the fast I desire: To break open the shackles of wickedness, And undo the bonds of injustice. To let the oppressed go free; To annul all perversion. It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the moaning poor into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe them, And not to ignore your own kin.’”
Yanklowitz concludes his missive by stating that he recommends “fasting a 3/4 day in order to honor the entry of Shabbos Kodesh! May it bring joy & spiritual relief!”
{CB Frommer-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Sheim risha’im yirkov.
It might help
We should have fasted the the he became a so called Rabbi
This are the new conservatives…… Hashes should help us remove these ideas from our heads speedily in our days.
Why do you give this apikoris a forum for his dreck?
Better off to ignore him.
Think for a second what this fellow is doing against the most powerful person on earth.
If he would have talked this way, say, against the Czar of Russia, he would have been branded by Klal Yisrael as a rodef.
And that’s exactly what he is now too. This “Rabbi” is harming us in major way!
thank you reform rabbi but its a sin to fast on a friday the eve of the shabbos
he’s not Orthodox – he’s not even considered Jewish according to the Jewish religion
STOP CALLING THEM ORTHODOX!
Moshiach must be on the way!
We, as a nation have had moshichei sheker in the past as well as many other MISHIGOYIM.
But these first two posts on Matzav, are horrifying. And coming one after another it seems like our people have gone totally MAD!
We need a Yeshuah!
And although it’s said that it’s better to laugh than to cry in difficult situations, the very fact that these to extremes are presented concurrently, WE NEED TO CRY YELOLOS AND SCREAM AND BEG HASHEM TO emancipate us from such Mishigoyim and send MOSHIACH speedily!
Why does Matzav pay so much attention to Open Not-Orthodox?
Why do you keep calling him rabbi?
What’ll this attention-seeking buffoon’s next stunt be? Rewriting Megillas Esther, with every mention of “Haman” replaced by “Trump”, “Esther” by “Hillary”, and “Mordechai” by “Kerry”?
What a nutter.
This is a RABBI? or a RABBIT or RUBBISH????
This guy could fast for the next four years, for all I care. The problem is that he has a following of some misguided Yidden that he is stringing along.
i really think he is not jewish
I think he’s a convert, I think his mom wasn’t Jewish.In any case, what a nut, and since he’s using his position for politics, I hope that the people of Phoenix work to take away his tax-exempt status
What does being a covert have to do with the subject?
Looser you should be saying hallel it’s a day of celebrating
What prayer do you have to say for him?
rachmanah Litzan…not acceptable
I beg you – PLEASE stop reporting this garbage. It mamash pains me in my heart to look at the faces of these Reshaim, let alone read about the propagation of their sheker. Please do your part to silence the sitra achr…
What a shoyta. You’re not allowed to fast on erev Shabbos. Where is his ahavat yisroel towards his fellow Jews? Jared & Ivanka Kushner are Jewish and he is causing them pain with his hurtful comments about their Father.
The Tzibur should make a MI Shbeyrach for the above-mentioned who is diagnosed with Choley Hanefesh !!!
Truly off the wall.
May he merit to do teshuva before it’s too late
At least we have a clown dictating halacha to us. My dayan paskend that one may not fast on erev shabbos except in certain circumstances, trump inauguration does not qualify. Perhaps your dayan paskens otherwise, at least he’s a dayan. This clown is none.
Find santas hat in his background as informative of where this “dayan” halakah originates.
The guy is off the wall! Why are you promoting this written the way it is. He represents a very small and absurd (maybe a couple hundredpeople) radical fringe group. Him and his ilk don’t even deserve negative attention.
. I would love to know what the Beis Din was smoking when they decided that he was Mekabel ohl hamitzvos.
The guy is off the wall! Why are you promoting this written the way it is? He represents a very small (maybe a couple hundred) radical fringe group of kooks. Him and his ilk don’t even deserve negative attention.
We should actually make it a Yom tov because we are rid of the Obamanation
don’t worry, open ”orthodoxy ” allows eating during a Taanis, if no one is looking ( some of their poskim hold you can even eat if people are looking as long as you close your eyes and make beleive you don’t see them)
Looks like the Arizona heat has affected this troubled soul.
He should move to cooler climate and seek help
Just wondering if Yanklowitz fasted on Asara bTeves.
this whole open-unorthodoxy shpiel deserves a taanis
Well said
Who are you to mix in politics my advice fast till u ……. we
This guy is just tooooo stupid for words.
He doesn’t deserve attention.
Some things are just left better unsaid…(delete soundbite)
In the spirit of Leitzanusa d’avoda zara . . .
Riddle: How does an Open Orthodox gabbai call up a man to the Torah?
Answer: “Ya’amod b’Mkom LADY!”
This is silly. He cannot mention President Trump’s name in a prayer. I can just imagine the Ribono shel Olam listening to this prayer and remarking to the angels, “What a foolish man. And he calls himself a Rabbi. Who does he think got Trump to be President, the Russians? I got him there.”
so this cretin Yanklowitz because of his political views introduces a Taanis on an erev Shabbos. There should be a Taanis Nidche a whole day on Sunday to save Yidden from becoming Avi Weiss Zombies
Why only in previous article about Naturei Karta did you put Rabbis in quotation marks? This guy surely is a “rabbi.”
Could anyone explain the difference between these guys,Conservatives and Reform, other than cosmetics?
Oy! Did anyone recommend fasting and repentance for those who voted for, and subsequently enabled, the most anti-Israel president ever on the day the Security Council passed Resolution 2334 with the complicity of the Obama administration?
Oy. Did anyone recommend fasting and repentance for those Jews who voted for – and subsequently enabled – the most anti-Israel president ever when the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334 with the complicity of the Obama administration? Strange priorities, indeed.
I think he should fast for a week straight!
What a mixed up bird. All over religious Jews are celebrating the Trumpvictory but this guy hates Trump because Trump is going to appoint Supreme Court judges who will do away with abortions on demand and toieva marriages.
He’s probably a sincere man who truly believes in what he’s doing. For one indication, he donated a kidney to save the life of a person he didn’t know. You can google his name and read about this.
Having said that, his reaction to the election seems really off-base.
So what you trying to say?Plenty gentiles donate kidneys. That soent make the ehrlicher yid.,makes them be fine upstanding chasdai …
Who is going to play in the Super Bowl this year?
The Boston Bruins vs. the Atlanta Flames
Incorrect. It’s going to be the NY Cosmos vs the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.
Matzav should not post this garbage. Period.
TO MATZAV EDITORS
JUST LIKE YOU DO NOT REFER TO REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE CLERGY AS RABBI PLEASE DO THE SAME FOR THE OPEN ORTHODOXY MOVEMENT. IT IS CERTAINLY NOT ORTHODOX. Please strongly consider this. Thank you.
He needs to see a psychiatrist desperately. Medication would help his delusional pschotic episodes.
I’ll be hosting a kiddush.
everyone stop saying lashon hara! ur worse then him! at least he has good intentions
Everyone who posted against these menuvalim will be adding to their Olom Haba
You have a clue what lashon hara is !?Or worse ,you do !
Good for you Rabbi! Integrity!