Thursday, April 7, 2022

Chazon Ish: Why Satan loves elections

From Mishpacha (October 17, 2013 page 39)

Summary: The Chazon Ish needed a cab to get to a bar mitzva - during the elections. The Aguda had reserved a number of cabs for the purposes of getting out the vote. They refused to allow the cab's to be diverted even for a short time and even for the Chazon Ish! A cab was provided courtesy of a political party which would eventually merge with Likud and seemed to have a better appreciation of who the Chazon Ish was. 

The point is that a chareidi party empasizes that they are not concerned with politics per se but only as a means of enhancing the kavod of talimidei chachom and kiddush hashem. Elections unfortunately show that many times - even for chareidi parties - the concern is first and foremost to win - and their official goals get pushed aside if they get in the way of winning.

אחת התמונות המפורסמות של החזו"א, היא זו שבה הוא נצפה לצדו של הגאון רבי יעקב לנדא זצ''ל אב"ד בני ברק - העומד משמאלו, ומימינו ניצב נער צעיר כבן שלושה עשרה. זהו הגאון רבי אליהו לנדא הי"ו )ראה מסגרת,( שחגג באותו יום בר מצווה והחזון איש הגיע להשתתף בשמחה. מאחורי הגר"י נראה רבי מאיר וונדר, שהיה אז תלמיד בישיבת פוניבז'. 

קוריוז שאולי הוא גם בעל משמעות מוסרית - על אודות אותו מאורע, שמענו מפיו של רבי מאיר וונדר

"החזון איש ביקש ממני להשיג לו מונית, כדי שייסע לבר המצווה. היה זה  בדיוק יום בחירות אפוף שאון, המולה ותעמולה, וכל המוניות היו תפוסות. הן נשכרו מראש בידי מפלגות אגודת ישראל והמזרחי, לצורך הסעת הבוחרים הפוטנציאליים שלהם אל הקלפי. ברירת המחדל האולטימטיבית שעמדה לפני חיתה לגשת אל ראשי המטות, ולבקש מהן 'לשחרר' לי מונית אחת, למשך זמן קצר, על מנת שתסיע את החזו"א למחוז חפצו". 

למרבה החרפה והכלימה, אף אחד לא הסכים לפנות מונית מתוך המצבת המצומצמת. 'גודל השעה' וה'אילוצים המפלגתיים', עמדו, ככל הנראה, בראש סדר העדיפויות של הפעילים הנ"ל, על פני נוחותו של החזו"א

"תתפלא לשמוע, אבל כאשר נואשתי מלחזר אחר הפעילים 'שלנו', מיהרתי לפעיל נמרץ בשם לאופר, שהיה ראש המטה של מפלגת חירות - התנועה שערכיה לא עלו בהכרח בקנה אחד עם האידיאלים של הציבור החרדי - ודווקא הוא קיבל אותי בסבר פנים יפות. הוא מיהר להורות לאחד מנהגי המוניות להתלוות אלי כששמע במי הדברים אמורים

"הנה לך עוד דוגמה, לגודל הערכת הציבור הכללי את דמותו העילאית של החזו"א".

26 comments :

  1. I didn't get your point, can you elaborate??

    Am I the only one who totally didn't get it?

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  2. kind of reminds me of the study you mentioned yesterday about people who think they have the moral upper ground behaving less ethically.

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  3. The Chazon Ish needed a cab to get to a bar mitzva - during the elections. The Aguda had reserved a number of cabs for the purposes of getting out the vote. They refused to allow the cab's to be diverted even for a short time and even for the Chazon Ish!

    A cab was provided courtesy of a political party which would eventually merge with Likud and seemed to have a better appreciation of who the Chazon Ish was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the point is that a chareidi party empasizes that they are not concerned with politics per se but only as a means of enhancing the kavod of talimidei chachom and kiddush hashem. Elections unfortunately show that many times - even for chareidi parties - the concern is first and foremost to win - and their official goals get pushed aside if they get in the way of winning.

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  4. Oh, I thought the idea would be that the Satan loves elections because an election allows the people to express their will instead of being guided like mindless sheep by their "Gedolim" which is, of course, the only Torah-true way.

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    1. I guess you think it's better to let the people use their misguided and warped ideas of what's right and what counts such as those wonderful people in New York who are Orthodox and voting for DeBlasio despite the fact that he will impose gay rights, favor the Muslims, stop checking violent people for arms and all sorts of other wonderful liberal things.

      Their free thinking ideas must certainly be great.

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    2. Since when has threatening a Gadol b'Torah been a good middo?
      Now haredi political parties see there is no use in fighitng the seculars or the tzionim, they are now threatening each other with violence.

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    3. > I guess you think it's better to let the people use their misguided and warped ideas of what's right

      Tzoorba, you've couldn't have proved my point better!

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    4. MGI,

      Apparently your idea and mine of who is a gadol differ radically. The litvish Gedolim such as Shmuel Kaminetzky came out against him.

      Its outlandish to group all Rabbonim together into one amorphous group.

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    5. IF we can step aside from Israeli politics and look upon the upcoming candidates in the tri-state area, you will find there is NO 100% agreement for or against any individual. There are Gedolim that base their decision on the moral fiber & issues of the candidate, those that concern themselves with Religious precepts & $$$ for Yeshivos and Jewish poor, those that desire a candidate that has ISRAEL's security at heart, and those that will increase housing, reduce taxes and offer abatements to the religious population. SO who is the Gadol to follow??

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    6. There has never been a 100% decision by Gedolim/Manhigim on who is the candidate of choice. (In Israel depends on what kehilla you are aligned with...Shas, Rebbes, Chardal, Yeshivish, UTJ). In American elections the criteria has many facets, it could be the focus of religious percepts (bris & shechita), moral issues & behavior, staunch supporter of Israel, tax abatements & increased funds to Yeshivas, zoning and promises of housing, etc. SO who then is the choice? Might have to then use 'individual daos'.

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  5. The story would seem to be more accurately described as a problem with the Askanim of the religious parties rather than with elections.

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  6. As an adherent of Rav Moshe Sternbuch, do you vote in the municipal elections and why?

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    Replies
    1. Yes I vote. I am also an adherent to Rav Eliashiv, Rav Shach, and many others

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  7. What is the halachic rational of following one gadol or another on issues of public policy?

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  8. The lesson is, keep political parties out of the taxi business.

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  9. I still don't understand the title. Whatever was the party that later merged with likud went out of its way and did the right thing during the election while aguda sinned. So that doesn't show anything inherently wrong with elections, it shows that elections bring out the worst in corrupt people, but good people will behave properly even during elections. Isn't that true of almost all things?

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    1. the point is that a chareidi party empasizes that they are not concerned with politics per se but only as a means of enhancing the kavod of talimidei chachom and kiddush hashem. Elections unfortunately show that many times - even for chareidi parties - the concern is first and foremost to win - and their official goals get pushed aside if they get in the way of winning.

      Delete
  10. Elections unfortunately show that many times - even for chareidi parties - the concern is first and foremost to win - and their official goals get pushed aside if they get in the way of winning.'

    so is that the toeles in publishing this loshon horah about agudah ?

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    1. ספר חפץ חיים - הלכות אסורי לשון הרע - כלל ד
      י. וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן (מא) אִם רוֹאֶה אָדָם (מב) בְּאֶחָד מִדָּה מְגֻנָּה, כְּגוֹן, גַּאֲוָה אוֹ כַּעַס אוֹ שְׁאָרֵי מִדּוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹ שֶׁהוּא בַּטְלָן מִתּוֹרָה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, נָכוֹן לוֹ לְסַפֵּר דָּבָר זֶה לִבְנוֹ אוֹ לְתַלְמִידָיו וּלְהַזְהִירָם, שֶׁלֹּא יִתְחַבְּרוּ עִמּוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמְדוּ מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, כִּי הָעִקָּר מַה שֶּׁהִזְהִירָה הַתּוֹרָה בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרָע, אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, הוּא אִם כַּוָּנָתוֹ לְבַזּוֹת אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ וְלִשְׂמֹחַ לִקְלוֹנוֹ, אֲבָל אִם כַּוָּנָתוֹ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמֹד מִמַּעֲשָׂיו (מג) פָּשׁוּט דְּמֻתָּר וּמִצְוָה נַמֵּי אִיכָּא (גַּם כֵּן יֵשׁ). אַךְ בְּאֹפֶן זֶה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה נִרְאֶה, דְּמִצְוָה לְהַמְסַפֵּר לְבָאֵר הַטַּעַם, לָמָּה מְסַפֵּר בִּגְנוּתוֹ שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִטְעֶה הַשּׁוֹמֵעַ לְהַתִּיר עַל יָדוֹ יוֹתֵר מִזֶּה, וְגַם שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹא לִתְמֹהַ עָלָיו, שֶׁהוּא סוֹתֵר אֶת עַצְמוֹ, כִּי פַּעַם יֹאמַר לוֹ, שֶׁאָסוּר לְסַפֵּר אֲפִלּוּ עַל אֱמֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר לְקַמָּן בִּכְלָל ט', שֶׁמִּצְוָה רַבָּה הִיא לְהַפְרִישׁ בָּנָיו הַקְּטַנִּים מִזֶּה הֶעָוֹן, וְעַתָּה הוּא מְסַפֵּר בְּעַצְמוֹ, (וּכְהַאי גַּוְנָא אִיתָא (וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה כָּתוּב) בְּשֻׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ יוֹרֶה דֵּעָה, אִם הוּא מַתִּיר דָּבָר, שֶׁיֵּשׁ פּוֹסְקִים לְאִסּוּר בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה):

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  11. does this apply even if the bad middah was not known to the person ?

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  12. wow- just wow!
    Now they have all these shining books about him, but at the time they couldn't even spare a cab for him to a barmitzvah???!!!

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  13. > The point is that a chareidi party empasizes that they are not concerned with politics per se but only as a means of enhancing the kavod of talimidei chachom and kiddush hashem

    That's a bunch of bovine faeces. The point is that a chareidi party exists to suck as much money out of the public coffers as possible to maintain the impoverished lifestyle of the community it represents.

    Of course Chareidi leaders wouldn't prefer democracy. Democracy requires people to think for themselves and reach their own decisions, anti-Torah values!

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  14. To take one unsubstantiated story and extrapolate chareidi political philosophy from it is ridiculous.

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  15. True. You need at least 3.

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  16. "stolen elections" even more!
































    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/07/donald-trump-regret-not-marching-us-capitol-supporters/




    onald Trump said he regretted not marching to the US Capitol when it was stormed by his supporters last year - and teased a 2024 run, saying things had become “boring” in his absence.




    The former president said he had tried to march to the Capitol on January 6 last year, when a violent mob stormed the building in a deadly attack, but was stopped by his security detail.




    “Secret Service said I couldn’t go. I would have gone there in a minute,” he said.




    The crowd halted Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory in
    the 2020 election as they stormed the building, while Mike Pence, Mr
    Trump’s vice-president, and members of Congress had to be rushed to
    safety.




    Four people in the crowd died during the unrest and five police
    officers who served at the Capitol on January 6 died in the aftermath of
    the attack.


































    Police clear the Capitol Building with tear gas as Donald Trump supporters gather outside on January 6 last year




    Credit: Stephanie Keith/ReutersD

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