Haaretz The Tel Aviv District Court on Sunday postponed issuing sentence on
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto until May 12, after a particularly tense
sentencing hearing. Pinto was convicted on
April 14 on charges of bribery, attempted bribery and obstruction of
justice in a plea bargain, after admitted to the bribery of Israel
Police Brig. Gen. Ephraim Bracha.
In making its summation before Judge Oded Mudrick,
the prosecution castigated Pinto’s conduct, criticizing his “audacity”
and “manipulations” and describing him as “a man who thought himself
above the law.”
“The indictment to which the accused pleaded guilty
describes an extensive range of serious and sophisticated acts carried
out by a venerable figure, who sole purpose was to seriously and
repeatedly disrupt the law enforcement system by cynically exploiting
his spiritual status,” said prosecutor Racheli Hazan-Feldman.
“It’s hard to find a precedent for acts similar to
these,” she added. “We’re talking about a case of unprecedented
seriousness in terms of the attempt to undermine the activities of law
enforcement. This was an attempt to bribe a senior police officer to
obtain information about investigations in which the briber was
questioned under caution. We’re talking about a very large bribe of
$200,000.”[...]
This is a witch hunt. They investigated him for years and threw all sorts of charges out against him. They were unable to pin a single charge against him! The only thing they were able to pin him on was bribing an official to let him know what was happening with all the many baseless accusations that the government was throwing against him. He is a young, charismatic man who has brought many Jews closer to Hashem.
ReplyDelete"They were unable to pin a single charge against him!"
ReplyDeleteDid you even bother to read the article? After being convicted of bribery, attempted bribery and obstruction of
justice, he plea bargained by admitting to the bribery of Israel
Police Brig. Gen. Ephraim Bracha. It seems they have 'pinned' several charges against him. And, plea bargaining by admitting to a crime does not seem to be the manner of "a young, charismatic man who has brought many Jews closer to Hashem." Are you one of Pinto's cult members by any chance?
Again, another example of your simplistic worldview where someone with a beard and a hat can do no wrong.
ReplyDeleteDid you even bother to read the article?
ReplyDeleteCertainly! Which of all the charges that they had been investigating him for, over many years, was he charged with? None! After being pestered by continuous, invasive police investigations for several years, he bribed a police officer in order to find out what was going on. OK.
Question for you: Did you even bother to read what I wrote?
Are you one of Pinto's cult members by any chance?
Nope. What is this supposed to mean? Only a cult member can defend people whom the Israeli police choose to find something wrong with?
Did you read what I wrote? Thou does project much!
ReplyDeleteCan you choose to logically respond to the actual point within my comment?
rav pinto's lawyer to judge: did you ever see a rav who gave so much to charity? judge: i never saw a rav with that much money, period
ReplyDeletethe prisons are filled with people claiming to be innocent
ReplyDeleteWhich of all the charges that they had been investigating him for, over many years, was he charged with? None!
ReplyDeleteWrong! The above article clearly states:
Pinto was CONVICTED on
April 14 on charges of bribery, attempted bribery and obstruction of
justice in a plea bargain.
True. From all their years of investigation, what wrongdoing did they find with his dealings? None. After years of being investigated and hindered, he bribed an officer to find out what they're up to now. This is not about his claims, this is even about the prosecutor's claims - which are only bribery. All their years of investigations turned up nothing.
ReplyDeleteYour comments themselves are completely illogical. First you said that they were not able to pin him on anything. Then you said that they were able to pin him on bribing an official. So this means that they were able to pin him on something. And why was he bribing the official, may I ask? You are either naive or in denial.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the phrase is, "Thou doth protest too much." Please educate yourself if you attempt to use sophisticated language. Or at least use google before you post.
ReplyDeleteThe prisons have very many innocent people. Every week more stories about innocents being exonerated after years or decades in the slammer.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing they were able to pin him on was bribing an official to let him know
ReplyDeletehaving admitted that the good rabbi bribed someone, there isn't much more to say. you just made an incredible "self-goal".
>>The only thing they were able to pin him on was bribing an official<<
ReplyDeleteThat's illegal to the best of my knowledge.
>> He is a young, charismatic man who has brought many Jews closer to Hashem.<<
1. Closer to G-d? How would anyone other than G-d know that? You probably mean that he frummed 'em out.
2. You want the judge to be lenient or throw out the charges because of that? You think that he's being singled out for harsh treatment because of this? What's your point?
Why shouldn't a rav have money? A statement like that reveals the judge's bias more than anything.
ReplyDeleteBribery isn't an aveira. Especially if the underlying item being bribed for isn't against halacha.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the phrase is, "Thou doth protest too much."
ReplyDeleteActually, the accurate phrase from Hamlet Act II Scene 3 is:
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Closer to G-d? How would anyone other than G-d know that?
ReplyDeleteWow, what a tough question. If they were formerly not shomrei Torah u'mitzvos, and he helped them to become shomrei Torah u'mitzvos, we can assume that he brought them closer to Hashem.
By the way, the phrase is, "Thou doth protest too much."
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't quoting, he was doing a play on words. That does not call for accuracy.
BTW, the original quote does not include the word "thou," which you included in the quote. So much for googling first.
I assumed he was modifying it to address me.
ReplyDeleteYour comments themselves are completely illogical.
ReplyDeleteThanks for projecting yourself onto me again. Of the many "crimes" that they spent years investigating him on, they didn't charge him with any. They did charge him with a new crime, which had not been the focus of an investigation. The bribed officer reported it immediately. However, there is no credible reason why he was being hounded by many investigation for so many years.
for every story about some innocent guy, there are 1000 stories of "yep, he's guilty". i go by the majority.
ReplyDeleteif the money was reported with all sources clearly shown as required by the tax authorities, maybe. but that ain't the case here.
ReplyDeleteOK so he's clear with god. i'm sure that will be a comfort to him while he is doing time for violating the law.
ReplyDeleteYou can't go by the majority to throw or keep a minority of innocents into prison.
ReplyDeleteHe was not found guilty of what you describe.
ReplyDeleteIf that ain't that case, why weren't they able to prosecute him on it?! It quite obviously is the case.
ReplyDeleteYour assumption, not mine
ReplyDeletei'm not and that isn't the question. the question is do you believe that most people in prison are really innocent because an extremely small number were found to have been wrongly charged. the answer of course is no.
ReplyDeletegiven that the people on this list are into conspiracy theories, so here is one: it is a dvar y'du'ah that the praklitut and tax authorities want to investigate a number of rabbanim but have held back by politicians. the backers of said rabbis have fought any proposal to require reporting of gifts to rabbis.
ReplyDeletesee my reply to honesty
ReplyDeleteit is a dvar y'du'ah that the praklitut and tax authorities want to investigate a number of rabbanim but have held back by politicians
ReplyDeleteAnd where do you have this "yediah" from? Which politicians held them back. Even if you would somehow be able to be convincing that something of this sort happened in the USA, Israel is clearly different. Even PM Olmart was convicted of financial fraud. No one gets a free pass there. Besides, if they were to give Rabbi Pinto a free pass on real financial crimes, why wouldn't they give him a free pass on the bribery charge??
Says who? (Other than you.)
ReplyDeleteThat's right. And "Honesty's" assumption too, as well as that of any other frum Jew without some axe to grind. Hence the answer to your agenda-driven "question."
ReplyDeletePinto broke the law, and was found guilty regardless how much you wish to white wash this whole incident. By flagrantly breaking the law he caused a חילול שם שמים ברבים, regardless of how much you want to cover it up. You must be one of his חסידים.
ReplyDeleteHonesty, the above comments could easily apply to Olmert - barring the last one, ie bringing many Jews closer to Hashem. Olmert was also hounded, and many charges were thrown at him, but not all of them were successful. Olmert is left wing, secular and ex PM. Thus, it is hard to accept that this is witch hunt against religious people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there was a witch hunt against Olmert. The very left wing of Israeli politics were wanted the dominant Kadima party and its combination of non ideological leftists and righties, to disappear. The same people who believe in destroying their "opponents" in any way possible - as they did with Olmert - believe in doing it to a person like Rabbi Pinto.
ReplyDeleteBy flagrantly breaking the law he caused a חילול שם שמים ברבים
ReplyDeleteThat's your opinion. There is a huge precedent in Judaism of bribing officials, under certain circumstances. Whether the case of Rabbi Pinto fit into this category is up for debate. You, however, made it clear that you think it's never permissible. Good for you. However, based upon your logic, "you must be " an ISIS terrorist.
do you live here?
ReplyDeleteKindly answer the following question:
ReplyDeleteBesides, if they were to give Rabbi Pinto a free pass on real financial crimes, why wouldn't they give him a free pass on the bribery charge??
There is a huge precedent in Judaism of bribing officials, under certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteSo, you're saying that Pinto broke NO LAWS- right? Tell me, does the word delusional have any special significance for you? You are the typical Pinto חסיד, brainwashed to defend the man regardless of what he has done, including the חילול השם ברבים he has committed.
Tell me, does the word delusional have any special significance for you? You are the typical ISIS dude brainwashed to defame the man regardless of what he has or has not done.
ReplyDeleteThe חילול שם שמים ברבים he has committed.
What would that be? Can you answer this question without resorting to circular reasoning and gratuitous ad honeims?
"What would that be?"
ReplyDeleteFor starters, how about the shameful חילול שם שמים of Pinto being convicted in a court of law, and being plastered throuout the media (on sites much more critical than this), being portrayed for what he truly is. But of course, facts mean nothing to a brainwashed deluded חסיד of Pinto- right?
It should be a comfort. It means he did nothing inherently immoral.
ReplyDeleteHonesty's point is that he was being persecuted by a corrupt regime, and in desperation tried bribery, which is a time-honored and perfectly legitimate method of dealing with corrupt regimes. I'm not saying Honesty is right, since I don't know anything about the case, but your responses are not to the point.
ReplyDeleteFor starters, how about the shameful חילול שם שמים of Pinto being convicted in a court of law
ReplyDeleteBeing convicted of what - bribery? Again, you asserting that a certain action is a "חילול שם שמים" does not make it so. Bribing officials who are baselessly pestering you is not a "חילול שם שמים", regardless of how much you would like it to be so. When you are unable to logically argue a position and you resort to ad hominems based upon ridiculous guesses, that is a "חילול שם שמים!"