The Stoliner Rebbe sharply denounced the recent unrest in Bnei Brak, expressing deep anguish over the violence and particularly over reports that tefillin and a siddur were burned during the disturbances.
Speaking to his chassidim in a special address marking Rosh Chodesh Adar, the Rebbe addressed the events that took place in the city.
“We all heard with shock what happened two days ago in Bnei Brak. To our shame, these riots have become somewhat of a norm, and this is something terrible,” the Rebbe said.
He acknowledged the strain facing many in the chareidi community but stressed that hardship does not justify lawlessness.
“It is true that we are in a very difficult situation, many in the chareidi public are going through a challenging period and do not know how this will be resolved. But none of this justifies behaving in a wild and reckless manner.”
The Rebbe emphasized that throughout Jewish history, even in times of suffering, there was never any license to violate halacha.
“Throughout the generations we endured troubles and difficult times, and we never found any permission to act against clear halacha, against the Shulchan Aruch. It is forbidden to cause damage, it is forbidden to burn. We have the Torah and we have halacha above all. It is absolutely forbidden to harm others or damage property. Not garbage bins and not other objects — these are clear matters. How did we deteriorate to this point? Who permitted this?”
He also criticized the blocking of roads during the protests, pointing out the potential danger and hardship such actions can cause.
“And it is not only forbidden to cause damage — what permission is there to block roads and prevent the public from reaching their destinations, including cases involving danger to life, and causing distress to many? What has happened to us? Does this help anyone? It certainly does not add to ahavas Yisrael. This only harms and injures our own community. We are the ones who suffer from this without having done anything wrong.”
The Rebbe said the most disturbing aspect of the events was the reported burning of tashmishei kedusha.
“And what should shake all of us is that tefillin and a siddur were burned. Heaven forbid. If this had happened elsewhere, the entire Jewish world would be outraged and horrified. How did we reach such a dreadful situation that tefillin and a holy siddur were burned by Jewish hands? Where is our Jewish feeling? How low have we fallen? Have we completely lost our minds?!”
He concluded by calling for introspection and change.
“This decline must be stopped. We must conduct a serious accounting of the soul, correct what is required of us, and act according to the will of the Creator, may He be blessed — in all your ways know Him.”
{Matzav.com}
R’ Yitzchok Zilberstein שליט״א writes that one who parks illegally and thereby blocks or slows the flow of traffic is considered גוזל את הרבים—one who robs the public, a wrongdoing that cannot truly be repaid.
Over the past few years, we have seen hundreds of video clips of bachurim and yungerleit sitting in the middle of streets, blocking traffic and preventing it from moving.
They sincerely believe that they are acting with מסירות נפש for a just cause and performing a mitzvah, even though they are causing harm to others and, at times, creating actual סכנה, such as preventing ambulances from passing.
Unfortunately, their Roshei Yeshivos, Rabbeim, and educators have not taught them that merely participating in an illegal demonstration involves at least two serious prohibitions: חילול השם and גזילת הרבים. These are among the עבירות that are exceptionally difficult—if not nearly impossible—to fully do תשובה for.
The yeshivos in Eretz Yisrael are in grave danger today. Many place the blame on the secular Zionists, viewing them as the cause of the potential tragedy that may, חס ושלום, befall on תורת ארץ ישראל.
Yet few recognize that the secular Zionists are not the cause, but rather the stick in the hand of Hashem, sent to deliver a message—calling upon us, the בני תורה, to correct what we ourselves have done wrong.
Perhaps the message is that we must teach the sugyos of חילול השם and גזל הרבים to our bachurim and yungerleit. Otherwise, חס ושלום, Hashem may be telling us that He has no interest in our learning of the rest of the Torah:
“מי ביקש זאת מידכם.”
Every word!
It’s about time somebody was מוחה. Are there any other leaders in klal Yisrael? Why are they not being מוחה? Just as they weren’t מוחה when eggs and ketchup were hurled at this Rebbe last week in Yerushalyim, so too now they’re silent. Their silence is deafening.
Everyone has been condemning this, from big to small.
The police violence was way over the top and uncalled for, making things much worse.
Also, I would like for these same policemen to go to any Israeli-Arab village, in which young men commit actual murder and terrorism, and rip the hijab off of some Muslim woman as she walks down the street.
Funny how they never do stuff like that to the Arabs…
What would be your comment if YOUR child was being kidnapped? Wouldn’t you want the entire city to come and get your child back even if means burning the car of the kidnappers and throwing eggs at him and making a ruckus? Would you consider it a chillul Hashem if it were YOUR child? FYI the protesters are saving children from others who can’t fight for their own child’s security. If you were an erliche yid, you’d help them instead of writing silly comments.
Uh…They weren’t there to kidnap anyone
You really have a lot of chutzpah and clearly have no grasp of the metzius. As my Rosh Yeshiva, הרה״ג אהרן ליכטנשטיין, זצ״ל, taught his Talmidim, “מי שיקבל את ההנחות, יקבל את ההנחיות”.
Of course one would create a ruckus were their child being kidnapped but this is NOT the case, and I write this as someone who served 36 years ago as a lone soldier in Golani. Were I to have enlisted alone, I have no doubt that this would have leveled a great challenge to my תלמוד תורה & יראת שמים, but, Boruch Hashem, I was privileged to have served with close friends from my Hesder yeshiva and other talmidei chachamim from other yeshivas, and this holy group of warrior scholars only strengthened my Avodas Hashem!
No one is advocating for Chareidim to enlist alone with secular soldiers rather together with fellow chareidim in a very sheltered Torahdik environment with constant visits from their Rabbonim. I urge you to speak with parents of the Chashmonaim Brigade, and they will tell you how their children have only grown in Yiras Shomoyim, Shmiras Torah u’Mitzvos and Derech Eretz.
The truth may hurt many, but needs to be told.
The truth as some so eloquently wrote: “Violence stopped Nituchei Meisim, Giyus Banos and Chilul Shabbos. Violence is the reason that we have tens of thousands of Bnei Torah sitting in Yeshivos and not dragged into the Gihennom called IDF. Its the only language the Torah hating government understands.”
Chillul shabbos stopped?
You do know that the torah forbids Hallucinogens.
The hilul hashem was indeed beyond comprehension.
But we are missing the main point: the lunatic left which controls the army is out to “get” (not enlist!!) haredim. This was almost certainly a premeditated provocation.
The girls knew what could happen; they did not want to go. The commanders also certainly knew what would ensue and that is what they wanted, so they gave the order. Nothing serves their agenda better than what happened.
The secular media had a haredi bashing holiday. Just what the army commanders wanted.
The army does not see its main function as security. Its main objectives today are “gender integration” (girls must be everywhere) and social engineering to create a homogeneous secular “Israeli” society.
We should stop focusing on the avreichim that are being arrested and focus on what the army really is and that is not “security”.
It would be a much better PR stance if we would declare that we would all willing to enlist if the army would be what it supposed to be and not what it really is.
I’m talking about PR and not really enlisting.
If we would take such a position the whole campaign would collapse. They don’t really want us in the army; great numbers of haredim would destroy the secular character of the army; they just want to “get” us.
And there are two reasons for this anti haredi campaign: we support the coalition and they want to bring down Bibi and they have a visceral hatred for anything Jewish.
We are very Jewish so they just plain hate us.
(I spent 24 years in miluim and about 50 years working in secular “high tech” environments I know!!!)
When my sons learned in Eretz Yisroel, they stayed in their respective yeshivos. Had any of them joined a hafgonoh, they would have been on the next plane home. This article highlights two of the problems. The bittul Torah is not mentioned. Klai kodesh do not behave with wildness, are not destructive, and do not violate the Torah even when enraged. They also do not abandon their learning. The Rebbe is correct. This situation portrays a community that has deteriorated. It would be wonderful to see our Gedolim speak forcefully about this.
Harav Hagoan R’ Moshe Hillel Hirsh and R’ Landau also spoke out against the violence.
They put out a letter I haven’t seen anywhere a speech or for that sake any other gedolim speak out publicly.
It’s beyond a shame that as frum Jews such behavior is acceptable. There’s one thing protesting there’s another thing acting like thugs and that’s the issue here.
Derech Eretz Kodma laTorah
Vert weakly. and they didn’t condemn the setting if fires, destroying property or sitting down in front of cars.
It seems to bother more than them.
See Midrash Tanchuma Behaaloscha 24, that Chur, (third in command in klal yisrael, after Moshe and Aharon) was assasinated along with 70 zekenim, because they spoke harsh words against those who wanted to create the egel.
Yirmiyahu hanavi (2:34) condemns the Jews for that.
If the Admo”r had been alive then, he would certainly have protested Chur and the zekenim for losing their minds and for their chillul haShem. So too he would have spoken out during the fight of the Chashmonaim against the misyavnim.
Uh….What….The Admor is protesting those who do acts violence. The mob in Bnei Brak is the ones who would have killed Chur. Not those who speak against such violence.
what a breath of fresh air
Unfortunately, protestors were created because of the draft law, and the mentality of a protestors is the power in the numbers. Once the protestors feel the power they have, and relish the frenzy of the violence, (you need to do it to understand what i am saying), they will not stop . They will just go on and on like an unleashed beast.
No Rav or Rebbe will stop them. They will just find another one to mattir their appetite for violence and power.
I do not know how to stop the protestors. The allowance to do violence and the powers in numbers give them an unbelievable headrush will they will seek again and again.
I am not talking about a specific individual who is a protestors, rather the idea of a protestor became allowed within our circles.
Very sad.
We need siyatta dishmaya for it to go out of the hearts, minds and desires of our youth.
This is about chushuvah Boucherim dealing with trauma. The fear of being arrested and thrown into jail for just going about your daily life. Its not a normal situation. It’s extremely frightening. Even if the fear is not justified, headlines showing boucherim dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night is very unsettling.
The Stolner Rebbe is a true manhig. He has stood up for the truth many times and even when it is unpopular. Sadly he is mostly a lone voice.
What a brave and lonely voice crying out in the wilderness! I was privileged to have been at his bar-mitzvah in Jerusalem many, many years ago. I also coincidentally returned to the U.S. on the same plane with him and indeed sat next to him. I will never forget how at the then Lod airport he sat on the floor and wept because he did not want to leave Eretz Yisrael. Even as a boy of 13 he had outstanding qualities.