Rav Mizrachi and His Ideas Should Continue to Grow
Rav Yosef Mizrachi Shlit"a has been at the forefront of Israeli Kiruv in America and Israel.
Recently, a small group of rabbis, at least 3 of whom I respect greatly, issued a letter condemning Rabbi Mizrachi. While some people were "happy" to present a letter that besmirches one of the greatest Kiruv professionals in America today, I will not be counted among them. I, for one, stand with Rav Mizrachi.
As with many of these Kol Koreis, what the letter does NOT say is who did NOT sign the letter when presented with the opportunity to do so. The fact that only a few big-time names signed onto it shows that the silent majority of great rabbis does not agree.
The fact is that Rabbi Mizrachi's approach to Kiruv is one great Kiddush Hashem - not ח"ו the opposite. If it were that opposite, how is it possible that thousands have been turned on to Orthodox Judaism through such an approach? Just because an approach is not your cup of tea doesn't make it "objectionable" or "even dangerous" as per the letter's wording.
The Hasidic movement had its objectors in years past, and yet nowadays, nary a word of objection can be found nowadays to call for banning a Hasidic Rebbe from speaking at nationwide synagogues. Rationalists objected to Kabbalistic approaches to Judaism in years past, but nowadays, rare is the synagogue that would object to a well-respected real Kabbalist coming to give out blessings in its synagogue. Objections come and go, but the truth of Torah stands forever.
The letter claims that his approach "does no justice to the Jewish mesorah". Yet, the letter-writer willfully totally ignores half the Orthodox Jewish population. As we are a splintered and scattered people, we find ourselves having different approaches to different topics. And different people respond better to different approaches. If your cup of tea is a Darchei No'am approach, gezunterheit. If you respond better to fire and brimstone, Rabbi Mizrachi is for you. No one approach is perfect for everybody, but no approach - and definitely no deliverer of that approach - should be besmirched in the process. Doing so is the epitome of Motzi Shem Ra.
Rabbi Mizrachi responded to the letter, as can be read here. In addition, he elsewhere paraphrased the verse: "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad."
May Rav Mizrachi continue to spread his message of Torah and Judaism throughout the US, Israel, and the world.
posted by yaak @ 12/08/2016 04:18:00 PM
18 comments
18 Comments:
Thank you Yaak for standing up for the truth.
Beautiful truth like this is better than the best music. May HaShem continue to bless Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi and all of his supporters. Chazaq ubaruch
Rabbi Mizrahi not only lifts the unaffiliated Jew to his proper place among Mitzvah observers, he also strengnthens the observant Jew who gets much solace that this way of life is Genuine and the Truth. May Hashem bless our Rabbi Mizrahi and all the other giants of Kiruv who spend all their days and nights giving us all the motivation to be better in our Yiddishkeit.
june slotkin
וכל נגד לו וכל הטיפשים שאינם יודעים דרך שלו ואומרים רע עליו , וכמה אנשים שחזר לדרך תורה בישיבות תלמידי חכמים כותב ספרים גומרים ש״ס. ושכרו אין מספר. והוא חזר רבבות מישראל ,
איזה שוטה ואיזה בהמה שהפוך דברי אלוקים חיים
המוציא מכבוד חבירו עליהם הראיה
ואל מרבה מחלוקות בישראל,
והקבה מחזיר בתשובה מי שצירף בקרח וכל עדתו
This generation is weak and does not want to hear strong mussar, instead of doing teshuvah, they complain to other Rabbis about it. Rabbi Mizrachi is modern-day Moshe Rabbeinu. His approach to kiruv is strong, because the Rabbi does not sweep problems under the rug. Those who want to change will change. Those who don’t want to change coward are the problem.
Hey,
המוציא מכבוד חבירו עליו הראיה
1.״approach that does not bring honor to the Torah ha-Kedoshah" - statement clearly shows how these rabonnim don't know how many thousands of Jews he was chozer teshuvah. Made so many people Ben Torah , went out of his way so hard and fought that they should be set up in yeshivas, inspired people that became big talmidei hachomim, people that finished shas, people that wrote sefarim. Oy vay to the future of people who sign on such a stupid claim, for they individually haven't produced the results he produced his numbers are far greater, how valuable is each neshama.
2. "But,on the contrary, creates considerable chilul Hashem.״ - if you wanna bash someone and accuse them of chilul HaShem שרק מיתה מכפרת. Those who sign have to present a ראיה of a case where he was wrong on certain issues and those issues can't be the "you have to be sensitive and hide the truth" statements. It can't be a statement that he already apoligized for. Thought these rabonnim were working together to make דירה בתחתונים but turned around and backstabbed him the way there.
3. "many things that reduce complex issues to simplistic and misleading sound bites." - מהיכא חזינן? He's actually way against rabbonim signing to something and create machlokes based on sound bites and snippets. Also says the same thing by online commentators.
4. ״repeatedly arrogated to “know” why unfortunate things happen to various people and has presented subtle statements of Chazal in superficial and deceptive ways.״ - bring me one statement said about unfortunate mishappenings to people that wasn't sourced from chazal, and you can't bring me a statement of him saying "maybe" their guilty of so and so.
5. "no justice to the Jewish mesorah." - yea these people clearly don't know him, r.mizrachi countless times says it's better to be part of groups that are not newly formed (Chabad, breslov) and stick to old mesorah and find meaning and good of these chasidic group by rabbis who said it earlier than them. He's not against chasiduss he's just saying your better off retaining mesorah. He a strong Jewish far right old mesorah values against any lefty liberal modernized rabbi, he attacks Christianity and the reformed like no tomorrow.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxukk-RyhY
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdR3vXPeSXM
He's against rabbis going to sport events Kal vachomer....
He's the biggest defender of mesorah and biggest attacker of the modern orthodoxy.
He has so many lectures online with hours and hours of Torah that can be replayed and one of the biggest kiruv rabbis that produced results. Never afraid of telling the truth the way it is. We should create a kol koreh that rabbis shouldn't make a kol koreh unless there is some ראיה which clearly we see they failed to provide. Aside from so many false statements the kol koreh doesn't say how many of the eruv rav did they offer to sign on but the chosheveh rabbonim declined and praised the rav
ואל ירבה כמותם בישראל , ואל ירבה מחלוקות בישראל
אוי להם שגרמו נזק גדול והיכחשו דברי אלוקים חיים
Amen vi Amen
May the haters rally in hell for their hate. I owe my entire existence of being an orthodox, completely observant, Shomer Shabbas Jew to his guidance today. I owe my modesty and die hard lifestyle of studying the Torah and being modest to Rabbi Mirachi's inspiration. Get over your discomfort in his teachings and grow for your salvation
B”H Yaak, thank you for writing this. One can see that the events occurring in the world now are sent to make Am Yisrael choose between the right path (Torah) and the other path (leftists, progressives, self-centered).
Rabbi Mizrachi represents the Torah True Path, even though a very Bet Shammai perspective; one which will be evident once Mashiach arrives on the scene. We will all have to adjust to the next dimension of the Geula. Only those with strong Emunah and Bitachon in HaShem will make it.
As it says, those who prepare for the Shabbat on Erev Shabbat will partake in the Splendor of Shabbat in all its facets.
This scourge of Lashon Hara against Rabbi Mizrachi only proves that the Rabbi is on the correct path.
Thank you again Yaak for taking the Degel and running with it.
Okay, here is my contribution: The Closest to a Prophet of Shamayim in our Times
Well said, i totally agree with you.
Neshama I click on your link but it appears blank, I am very interested in what you have to say, can you figure out why it looks like a blank page?
Thank you very much for posting this. Said pretty much the same thing to someone who posted the damaging letter on their facebook page and i got blasted for it. I really don't care. Emes is Emes.
What do you think of his comment about how the non-religious women in the holocaust were excited to have the opportunity to be photographed naked by the Nazis? This is troubling to me on so many levels. Firstly how does he even know this? Secondly even if one woman acted like this he makes it sound like every non-religious woman did this. Thirdly how can he or anyone for that matter judge people who are about to be gassed or burned in ovens? Finally what kind of thoughts must be in a person's head to even think such a sick thing?
Yitz, I just saw the video that you refer to and you have totally misrepresented his remarks.
He was contrasting the religious women and non-religious women and how they died in the Holocaust. He explained how the religious women cared for their dignity while the nonreligious women did not. He never once used the word "excited".
Of course, all women who died in the Holocaust, whether religious or not, were Kedoshim. He was contrasting the modesty practices of different women - even at a time of being tested. He wasn't judging anyone. He was praising the religious women and how they cared for their Olam Haba even in the most trying times.
The remarks were totally appropriate.
Just saw this: "No signatures from any Agudah Rabbonim and not a single sefardi Rav” from ThePartialView which gives us a complete view :-) !
Rachel, so sorry, I clicked on the link from here and it comes up. The background is dark blue, with hot pink and white lettering. Maybe it doesn’t show up on your smartphone. Try a computer. Or I can send it to you if you leave your email at my blog address.
There unfortunately were Sepharadi rabbis who signed, so let's be honest about it.
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