Today was the first day of Rabbi Daniel Greer's trial. The charges stem from his alleged molestation of one of his students. Today the student testified. I was aware already from published reports of what the testimony would entail.
Sill, there's a certain weight which the actual sworn testimony in a courtroom carries. The report of the testimony was like learning, same as the jurors learned today for the first time, what Rabbi Greer allegedly did.
Before today, I was thinking that physical molestation of a student by his teacher is about as bad it gets.
But today another report was brought to my attention on the social media Whatsapp chat "Rabbi Yehuda Levin Live!"
A Rabbi who taught young men pretended to be a girl online. Using that ruse, he apparently enticed boys in the school where he taught to send him photos of themselves. The Rabbi was arrested last week.
And what has been going through my mind? Thoughts formed unbidden in my consciousness? I'm thinking, "Why can't this Rabbi be normal and molest boys the usual way." I caught myself. But still, unwanted, that was what crossed my mind.
So, I gained a new apprecistion of why the Torah calls homosexuality a Toeva, translated as "abomination."
It is because of what it does to those of us who study the sinners in order to better oppose their activity. At least in my case, I became an abomination. It was for a brief moment, but still it happened. I was outraged at one sinner, and that outrage made another sinner seem "not so bad, after all."
Rabbi Levin gives a metaphor for why we must actively protest immoral acts. He teaches that a pot which is expelling from its walls cannot be absorbing.
As long as we protest, we will keep ourselves shielded from absorbing bad societal influences.
Today I had my guard down. I didn't expect to get hit with such a shocking revelation: a Jekyll and Hyde teacher of Torah to a child robbing the boy of his privacy.
And in that split second where I lapsed, I became abominable.
I'm vulnerable to being mocked for my heightened self-awareness. Go ahead -- those who feel so moved -- make sport of my talking on and on about myself.
I know, though, that by protesting, even protesting my own foibles, that I become better equipped to stare down the evildoers.
why is that abominable?
ReplyDeleteThe abomination is that of queer Greer, a Democrat who got semicha under R' Neuwirth, but his semicha is now of No Worth!
Did he think he had a heter on this behaviour? Rambam paskens if the boy is young enough (under 9) , then it is patur. I had an argument with one very great rav on this question, who says "patur" does not men permitted, but just that there is no punishment. But patur is not assur, it means exempt.
ReplyDeleteThat question contains the answer. My thought process should engender revulsion in all those who are privy to it. It doesn't require an explanation, or so it seems to me. The very fact that someone has to ask why I was an abomination for a fleeting moment is worrisome to me.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out, I'm not an abomination in comparison to a molester. Agreed. But in absolute terms, I was abominable.
Perhaps the Torah makes it Patur because of the comparable case of an animal. We kill the animal upon conviction of the perpetrator so as people should not say about the animal it brought the death of so-and-so. If it were Assur, the child would similarly have to be killed.
ReplyDeleteThe Bais Din however has the power to deal with the molester, nevertheless.
It's not the case of an animal. The minor is not considered adult. Minor has been kidnapped in a sense, and it goes against his will.
ReplyDeleteMany times these hypocrites make noise about immorality but are themselves the most Immoral.
Rabbi Greer, to his credit, is staunchly anti-homosexuals.
ReplyDeleteZachary Mordechai Levovitz who runs Jewish Queer Youth Centers makes the case that organizing queer youth and in a sense training them to engage in homosexual behavior is positive in the sense that otherwise they might marry someone of the opposite sex and then secretly molest children.
There might be some truth to what he says. Still, his JQY Centers are wrong and his approach is wrong because it fails to educate the children about how wrong homosexuality is and how right it is to fulfill the Mitzvah of getting married.
“Rabbi Levin gives a metaphor for why we must actively protest immoral acts. He teaches that a pot which is expelling from its walls cannot be absorbing. As long as we protest, we will keep ourselves shielded from absorbing bad societal influences.”
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, yes. We must actively protest immoral acts, but, we must also be joyful in following halacha.
Torah thought on כי תבא
“All these curses shall befall you; they shall pursue you and overtake you, until you are wiped out השמדך, because you did not heed the Lord your God and keep the commandments and laws that He enjoined upon you. They shall serve as signs and proofs against you והיו בך לאות ולמופת and your offspring for all time. Because תחת אשר you would not serve the Lord your God in joy בשמחה and gladness ובטוב לבב over the abundance of everything מרב כל” (Deuteronomy 28:45-47).
דברים פרק כח
)מה) וּבָאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל הַקְּלָלוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וּרְדָפוּךָ וְהִשִּׂיגוּךָ עַד הִשָּׁמְדָךְ כִּי לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל יְקֹוָק אֱלֹקֶיךָ לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו וְחֻקֹּתָיו אֲשֶׁר צִוָּךְ:
)מו) וְהָיוּ בְךָ לְאוֹת וּלְמוֹפֵת וּבְזַרְעֲךָ עַד עוֹלָם:
)מז) תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָבַדְתָּ אֶת יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְטוּב לֵבָב מֵרֹב כֹּל:
רש"י דברים פרשת כי תבוא פרק כח פסוק מז
מרב כל - בעוד שהיה לך כל טוב:
Arachin 11a
“R. Mattenah said: [It is derived] from here: “Because תחת אשר you would not serve the Lord your God in joy בשמחה and gladness ובטוב לבב over the abundance of everything מרב כל.” (Deuteronomy 45:47) Now which service is it that is in joyfulness and with gladness of heart? You must say: It is song.”
My theory. We, in Israel and in the USA, have the abundance of everything מרב כל. New technology and abundance of everything makes life so much better. Today I saw a one-leg man walking himself so fast and easy with his prosthetic leg. I say, thank you God, for all the discoveries and developments in health care that extend our lives and make living so pleasant and joyful.
R. Mattenah says the song of the Levites in the Temple was song in joyfulness and with gladness of heart. Our daily morning prayers, indeed, all our prayers from the siddur, are filled with joyful passages from Psalms of David and other parts of the Bible. The Shulchan Aruch is filled with passages that require us to be joyful and happy. Eg, Friday is mitzvah night for the Talmid Chacham.
See http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/24452
“In contrast with Orthodox Judaism, Dr. Koller preaches that human values should mold one’s Judaism and override halakha. Rejecting what he calls “Akeidah theology”, Dr. Koller asserts that “Jewish law ought to be consonant with our values” ”
No, Dr. Koller. We must heed the Lord your God and keep the commandments and laws that He enjoined upon you. They shall serve as signs and proofs against you והיו בך לאות ולמופת and your offspring for all time. Jewish law does not have to agree with your awful values. You must stop preaching to violate keep the commandments and laws that God enjoined upon us.
No Gerald, we do not have everything. In Israel there is a big poverty gap. Also in America, and Europe.
ReplyDeleteI like your post, and I love this verse
ReplyDeleteBecause תחת אשר you would not serve the Lord your God in joy בשמחה and gladness ובטוב לבב over the abundance of everything מרב כל” (Deuteronomy 28:45-47)
It goes against everything we are programmed to think in halacha, mussar, and theodicy.
No credit to rabbi mamzer queer. He deserves 200 years in prison.
ReplyDeleteRasha aroom. Are there any alleged gedolim defending him?
ReplyDeleteZachary feigele is a rasha, and rodef. Greer is the same, by different means.
ReplyDeleteYup. A discussiilon for another time, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteThis is from Bereishit 19
ReplyDelete4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.
ה וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֶל-לוֹט וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ, אַיֵּה הָאֲנָשִׁים
אֲשֶׁר-בָּאוּ אֵלֶיךָ הַלָּיְלָה; הוֹצִיאֵם אֵלֵינוּ, וְנֵדְעָה אֹתָם.
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him: 'Where are the men that came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.'
Now, there are only 2 things that come from Sodom, Greers and queers.
The ultimate punishment for Sdom was its destruction.
In Sdmo, the 2 men were invincible supermen, and they could kill the masses. In cases of child abuse, the child is defenceless. But we get an idea of the Torah punishment anyhows.
A Muslim gadol, who tells the story of how he left Daas Koran, to become Modern Muslim, Tells of the abuse in their "Hareidi" system, and of the threats he received when he went "off the derech"
ReplyDeletehttps://blogs.timesofisrael.com/i-was-an-extremist-and-an-antisemite-do-you-know-my-story/
Where is there such a Rambam? I know a young boy can't be 'rovea' but can't he be 'nirva' (shelo kedarko)?
ReplyDeleteBeginning of issurei biah. 1.14
ReplyDeletehttps://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/960647/jewish/Issurei-Biah-Chapter-One.htm
The whole thing is irrational and contradictory. The argument (based on mesechet Sanhedrin) is that it's not considered mishkav z, and hence exempt. On the other hand, he says that the court should administer stripes, because it's is homosexual! Also, mesechet kiddushin disagrees with Sanhedrin, and says the perpetrator is liable !
ReplyDelete