Conversion crisis - because Modern Orthodox are wimps! I

I have been meaning to post on this issue – of the awesome chasm separating the Chareidi world and that of the Modern Orthodox/Religious Zionist – on one particular issue - compromising the truth to avoid hurt feelings. To use a broad but accurate brush, Chareidim ask the question – what is the halacha? while MO ask – how can we modify the halacha in order to avoid hurt feelings? Or to use the infamous words of Blu Greenberg – the MO hold by the doctrine – “Where there is a halachic will there is a halachic way” - but the Chareidim don’t.

Rabbi Adlerstein described the dichotomy in his recent article on the geirus crisis which I reported on this blog.

“Rabbi Druckman’s supporters have not responded to a single one of Rabbi Sherman’s charges in halachic language. They have thus added fuel to the fire of those who believe that the DL camp is incapable of dealing responsibly with sophisticated Torah thinking. Rabbi Sherman may or may not be right, but he raises important issues. Rav Druckman, to the best of my knowledge, is a fine gentleman, but not one of the halachic luminaries of the DL world. Professional politicians and MK’s – of any religious party – rarely are. The DL world suffers from no shortage of real bnei Torah and a group of authentic poskim who could and should be dealing with Rabbi Sherman’s point in halachic language.”

Characteristic of the non-halachic response of the MO/RZ is that of Rav Lichtenstein:

"How much hatred, grudge and demonization there is in this awful and terrible psak... The Conversion Authority has God-fearing and scholarly judges who have devoted their energy and their lives to the Torah. They cannot be pushed away and thrown into the street. We must be strong on this point: There is no giving into this kind of language and attitude... Where did we ever hear or see that someone who relies on a minority opinion against the commonly held one is considered a willing apikorus? Woe to the ears that hear such a thing and woe to the biased court that has expressed itself in such a way!"

Similarly Rabbi Vinas has responded to criticism by in essence saying – you are hateful not nice people because you keep challenging my sincere efforts to help the Jewish people – and I am not going to talk to you anymore.

This was brought to a head on this blog by one of the intelligent and sensitive representatives of the MO/RZ world who has taken the time – up until now – to present his view and understanding on these issues. However he too has folded his tent and departed while firing these parting shots:

Itamar Ross has left a new comment on your post "Rabbi Vinas' reply - discussed and rejected I":

In response to this post, I too have decided no longer to post here. Rav Eidensohn writes: "As we see in the Talmud, understanding Torah requires making inquiries of our rabbis – even if they sometimes cause discomfort." When necessary and true, and when there is no alternative, of course. But when "inquiries" are made because of preconceived notions of "Daas Torah" (a non-Jewish idea itself) with no regard whatsoever to the harm they cause, that is using the quest for truth as a lame excuse for bashing ideological rivals. Given the current conversion controversy, you are in good company Rabbi Vinas. Take it as a badge of pride. You have been publically reviled along with the greatest dati-leumi Torah scholars in Israel. Many poskim, of whom I have no doubt Rav Eidensohn is fully aware, recognize the concept of "zera yisrael". The concept is accepted halachah le-maaseh today among most Torah scholars and dayanim today (at least outside the Ashkenazic charedi world). Rabbi Eidensohn and his rebbe are free to reject or accept this concept according to their Torah understanding, but not to bash those who do accept it. No Rav Eidensohn, you cannot claim that the burden of proof is on those who do accept it, who may then be reviled and shamed in public as you have done here to Rabbi Vidas. "Daas Torah" is no mandate for doing evil, though many of its proponents see it as exactly such. Along with Rabbi Vinas, my participation at this blog is has now ended.

Totally ignoring the fact that the concept of zera Yisroel does not justify what Rabbi Vinas is doing since not a single posek says it does.

One cannot work through the hard truth when people keep replying to sincere and realistic questions by saying “because you are not nice I won’t speak with you again.”

Realistically the world requires the right hand and the left hand working together. It is time for the MO/RZ to stop being such wimps when they are challenged by halachic questions. To use a Talmudic illustration, the first Mishna in Bava Metzia describes the halacha when two people both claim the same object. Two people found a talis and each one claims it is theirs. The halacha is that it is divided. What if each one claims the talis but one is a nice guy and says – “o.k. you can have half and I’ll have half.” The logic of the MO/RZ is that they are being a nice guy who is sensitive to the feelings of the other – by acknowledging that the talis should be divided. However the halacha is that the one who concedes that half belongs to the other person, ends up getting only a quarter of the talis while the guy who asserts that all it is his – gets three quarters! The halacha is simply that whatever is disputed is divided.

Similarly the MO have tried for years to educate students in moderation. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm has insightfully lamented that the MO have succeeded in creating students who are moderate in their passion instead of passionate about their moderation.

The Chazon Ish writes about this.

Letters (3:61): Just as the unvarnished facts and truth are synonymous so are uncompromising perfectionism and greatness. Perfectionism means to develop something to the ultimate degree. One who advocates moderation and despises perfectionism—his lot is with the frauds or with those lacking understanding. Without perfectionism, there can be no completion and if there is no perfection, there is no beginning. The beginning is with constant questions and replies. The perfecter is the brilliant respondent who orders everything in its rightful place. We regularly hear announcements from well‑known groups that they have nothing to do with uncompromising perfectionists. They nevertheless describe themselves as being the true Jews with appropriate faith to Torah. We simply note, however, that just as there is no such thing amongst lovers of wisdom as love for minimum knowledge and hate for the very wise there is similarly no such thing as loving Torah and mitzvos moderately and hating the uncompromising perfectionists. All the foundations of emuna—the 13 principles and their derivatives—are inherently incompatible with the lightweight wisdom and superficial life that exists in this world. In contrast clear recognition, energetic involvement; high precision in emuna is the hallmark of the perfectionist. Those who proudly testify on themselves that they have not tasted the sweetness of uncompromising perfection are simultaneously testifying that they are missing emuna in the foundation of religion both intellectually and emotionally. Their attachment is only lukewarm. The perfectionists—who despite their genuine wish to have pity on these doctrinaire moderates—do not honor and respect their opponents. The yawning abyss that separates them is naturally only widened as the result of the disputes that occur when they interact with each other. The only true moderation that can exist is that which results naturally to those who love the perfection and strive towards it and educate their children to strive for the peak. In contrast how unfortunate are those “moderates” who cast aspersions on the perfectionists. The obligation of our education is to perfection. The only genuine protection of the educational system is to be contemptuous and to ridicule those who denigrate perfection. However given the burning spirit of youth it is not appropriate to strongly condemn specific individuals amongst the unfortunates. Instead, the youth should be developed to have true love of Torah that requires personal effort and heavenly pleasantness and they should not have obstacles placed on this road. Those schools that are labeled as moderate schools—they are not successful because of the fraud that is inherent in moderation…