Education Ministry introduces theory of evolution into schools, but human-ape connection omitted out of concern for Orthodox

Times of Israel    Finches, doves, snails and tortoises will be on the agenda when evolution enters Israeli schools for the first time next year, but humans’ common ancestry with primates will be left off the curriculum, the Education Ministry announced Sunday. 

Until now evolution wasn’t part of the Israeli middle school core curriculum, and only the biblical account of the origins of humanity were taught in schools. 

Only those students who opted to take advanced biology classes encountered Darwin’s theory during their education.

The Education Ministry’s new plan announced Sunday revamps the 8th and 9th grade curricula in all public schools to include the scientific theory of evolution by natural selection — bar mention of mankind’s common origins with primates.

According to Channel 2 news, the ministry’s decision to omit mention of human evolution was made out of concern about potential criticism from the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox populations in Israel. Strict Orthodox Judaism interprets the Bible’s account of creation as literal, thus precluding the possibility of human evolution from a common ancestor with modern apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
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update There are a number of issues 1) historically did evolution occur? 2) If evolution didn't happen- is it useful to organize data and make predictions about biology? 3) Is there any Torah source which explicity rejects the possibility of evolution - even under Divine guidance? 4) Is it a required article of faith that evolution did not happen and that one must believe that the  creation process as described in the Torah - must be taken as literally true?

update Seforim Blog - Dr. Marc Shapiro discusses Rav Kook's view

Rav S. R. Hirsch (Educational Value of Judaism Collected Writings #7 page 265): Judaism is not frightened even by the hundreds of thousands and millions of years which the geological theory of the earth's deve­lopment bandies about so freely. Judaism would have nothing to fear from that theory even if it were based on something more than mere hypothesis, on the still unproven presumption that the forces we see at work in our world today are the same as those that were in existence, with the same degree of potency, when the world was first created. Our Rabbis, the Sages of Judaism, discuss (Midrash Rabbah 9; Chagiga 16a) the possibility that earlier worlds were brought into existence and subsequently destroyed by the Creator before He made our own earth in its present form and order. However, the Rabbis have never made the acceptance or rejection of this and similar pos­sibilities an article of faith binding on all Jews. They were willing to live with any theory that did not reject the basic truth that "every beginning is from God." In fact, they were generally averse to specula­tions about what was in the past and what will be in the future, because, in their view, such questions transgressed the limits of that which is knowable to man, or, at best, they did not enhance man's understanding of his moral function. In the view of our Rabbis, the Book of Books was intended to be mankind's guide for life on earth as it is at present, to teach man to recognize God, in the here and now, as the everlasting Creator and Master of the universe, and to worship Him by faithfully obeying the laws by which He governs mankind.

Fellow soldiers call Bowe Bergdahl a deserter, not a hero

CNN    The sense of pride expressed by officials of the Obama administration at the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is not shared by many of those who served with him -- veterans and soldiers who call him a deserter whose "selfish act" ended up costing the lives of better men.

"I was pissed off then and I am even more so now with everything going on," said former Sgt. Matt Vierkant, a member of Bergdahl's platoon when he went missing on June 30, 2009. "Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him."

Vierkant said Bergdahl needs to not only acknowledge his actions publicly but face a military trial for desertion under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

A reporter asked Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Sunday whether Bergdahl had left his post without permission or deserted -- and, if so, whether he would be punished. Hagel didn't answer directly. "Our first priority is assuring his well-being and his health and getting him reunited with his family," he said. "Other circumstances that may develop and questions, those will be dealt with later."

Chanifa: Can a chareidi Jew be involved in a sting operation to arrest Jewish drug dealers?

In the course of researching the issue of chanifa – as a central psychological dynamic – I came across the following discussion by Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein (Aleinu LeShabeach Bereishis page 424). This is an example of chanifa – for the purpose of destroying criminals by convincing them that you are also a criminal. I found it fascinating that he viewed working with the police to deceive and arrest Jewish criminals to be a desirable activity. This is another illustration of the point that there is clearly no prohibition of moser when helping the police remove harmful elements from society.

A chareidi Jew came to Rav Zilbserstein with the following question. The police had a major drug problem in a city near Tel Aviv. That meant drugs were readily available and many young people’s lives were being ruined by becoming drug addicts and becoming criminals in order to pay for their addiction. The normal procedure is to have an undercover agent gather information and buy drugs and then call in the police force to arrest the drug dealers. In this case there were at a large number of drug dealers – but the police were unsuccessful in introducing an agent that didn’t arouse suspicions. 

It occurred to the police chief that a chareidi Jew would be the least likely candidate to arouse suspicion since chareidim are typically not involved in working with the police in these type of operations. He would simply be assumed to be someone who went off the derech. The police chielf proposed that this undercover agent be given a large roll of bills to attract the sellers and bring them into one room and then the agent would give a prearragned signal and all the dealers would all be arrested at one time. The police chief persuaded this chareidi Jew to participate and the operation was successful and 60 drug dealers were arrested.

Question: Firstly this chareidi Jew asked Rav Zilberstein whether it was permitted for him to have created a chilul hashem during the time when it was perceived he was buying drugs – as a chareidi Jew? Secondly he wanted to know whether it was permitted to deceive all the dealers to come into one place in order to have them arrested – even though he knew that they were wicked people who caused others to sin?

Rav Zilberstein replied in the affirmative to both questtion and gave the justification from a similar incident in Tanach (Melachim II Chapter 10). Yehu in the beginning of his reign as king was a tzadik and fulfilled the Will of G-d. His goal was to execute all the priests of avoda zara. In order kill them he invited them all to a major feast and said (Melachim II Chapter 10:18), “Achav served Baal a small amount but Yehu will serve him a great amount.” When all the priests of Baal were gathered together in one room – he sent men in to massacre every one of them. For this G-d praised him.

Rav Zilberstein concluded, “You did not sin against these drug dealers but rather you aided the police to put them in prison to prevent them from continuing their horrible activities. Therefore it is clear that you did the right thing.”

Rav Zilberstein added the following comment

'I want to discuss an additional lesson we learn from Yehu. Sanhedrin (102a) asks why didn't Yehu continue walking with the ways of G-d until the end of his days as Tanach clearly states? Abaye tells us an incredible explanation. He says it was because of the words he used to trap the priests of Avoda Zara. By saying that Achav only worshiped idols a bit and he was going to do it a lot - he was forced at the end to fulfill his self imposed obligation to worship idols - even though he had said these words for the sake of heaven in order to convince the false prophets to come to the feast and enable him to kill all of them at once. Nevertheless.he needed to have been more careful in choosing his words and not to mention explicitly that he was going to worship idols. This lesson needs to be engraved very well on our hearts. Because sometimes at a moment of anger a person says things which are the opposite of beracha against another person. It is necessary to be aware that all words that come out of a person's mouth have great power - both for good and bad.

========================

These are the relevant verses: 

Melachim II Chapter 10): 18. And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.19. And therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be missing; for I have a great sacrifice to make to Baal; whoever shall be missing, he shall not live. But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20. And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.21. And Jehu sent through all Israel; and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they came to the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to the other.22. And he said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, Bring out garments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them out garments.23. And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, to the house of Baal, and said to the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that none of the servants of the Lord should be here with you, but the worshippers of Baal only.24. And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu stationed eighty men outside, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he who lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him.25. And it came to pass, as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and kill them; let none come out. And they struck them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains threw them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.26. And they brought out the images from the house of Baal, and burned them.27. (K) And they broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day.28. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.29. But from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, Jehu departed not from after them, namely, the golden calves who were in Beth-El, and who were in Dan. 30. And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in doing that which is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.

הרב מידן לר"ע גבעת שמואל: "תפתח בשבת"

bhol

הרב יעקב מידן, הנחשב לרב ציוני-דתי מוביל, ומכהן בראשות ישיבת הגוש - "הר עציון" סיפר על ההצעה • "יעצתי לראש עיריית גבעת שמואל לפתוח מקום לפעילות תרבות לחילונים" • הסיבה: "כדי שהעיר לא תהיה בני ברק 2" • מידן, שחתום על אמנת גביזון-מידן, מודה כי ייתכן והחילונים לא יגמלו לו "תשלום" להסכמה • שבת היא מלזעוק

האם ישנם רבנים ד"לים המייעצים לראשי ערים לחלל שבת ונותנים לכך את ידם? אם לשפוט על פי הדיווח שהתפרסם בבטאון 'מצב הרוח', התשובה היא חיובית. במהלך שבת המנהלים של רשת אמי"ת שעסקה בנושא הנחלת השבת במרחב הציבורי,התפתח דיון על היכולת לשנות את מציאות השבת במדינת ישראלהרב יעקב מדן, ראש ישיבת הר עציון, גילה במסגרת משאו, את העצה שהשיא לראש עיריית גבעת שמואל"בעבר יעצתי לראש עיריית גבעת שמואל לפתוח בשבת לחילוניים מקום לפעילות תרבות, כדי שלא ליצור מצב שחילוניים יברחו מהעיר והיא תהיה בני ברק מס' 2, עיר שתתאים רק לשומרי מצוות",כך הרב מדן, החושש מבני ברק השניה, שאף הוסיף לגבי הבידול דתיים-חילוניים
"זהו מחיר כבד מדי. חשוב לנו שבעיר יוכלו לחיות יחד ובכבוד הדדי. הליכה לקראת בקשה חילונית לתרבות היא סבירה מאוד. אני גם מבין את החשש מהיווצרות מצב שרק צד אחד נותן את חלקו בהסכמה, וכי הדתיים יאפשרו פעילות תרבותית בשבת, בלי לקבל במקביל מהחילונים את 'התשלום' שלהם באמנת גביזון-מדן, למנוע פתיחת עסקים בשבת במדינה. לדעתי סגירת המסחר צריכה להיות שאיפה של אנשים חילוניים, גם מנקודת מבטם", אמר ראש ישיבת הר עציון.[...]

Rav Dovid Eidensohn: Stories about Rav Moshe Feinstein

Capitalism Eating Its Children

NY Times    Guildhall at the heart of the City can be a lulling sort of place after a long day. The statuary and vaulted timber ceiling of the medieval great hall lead the eye to wander and the mind to muse on Britain’s strangest quirk — its centuries of continuity. Grace is said, claret is served, glasses clink and dreaminess sets in. A keynote speech from a central banker is all that is required to complete the soporific effect.

Or so one would think, until Mark Carney, the Canadian governor of the Bank of England, lays into unfettered capitalism. “Just as any revolution eats its children,” he says, “unchecked market fundamentalism can devour the social capital essential for the long-term dynamism of capitalism itself.”

All ideologiesa, he continues, are prone to extremes. Belief in the power of the market entered “the realm of faith” before the 2008 meltdown. Market economies became market societies. They were characterized by “light-touch regulation” and “the belief that bubbles cannot be identified.”

Carney pulls no punches. Big banks were too big to fail, operating in a “heads-I-win-tails-you-lose bubble.” Benchmarks were rigged for personal gain. Equity markets blatantly favored “the technologically empowered over the retail investor.” Mistrust grew — and persists.

“Prosperity requires not just investment in economic capital, but investment in social capital,” Carney argues, having defined social capital as “the links, shared values and beliefs in a society which encourage individuals not only to take responsibility for themselves and their families but also to trust each other and work collaboratively to support each other.”

Rav Perlow - head of Aguda - condemns Reform, Conservative & Open Orthodox Movements

Forward   The leading rabbi of Agudath Israel of America, the ultra-Orthodox umbrella group, condemned non-Orthodox streams of Judaism and called the religiously progressive Open Orthodox movement heretical at the group’s annual gala.

“The Torah must be guarded from the secular forces that seek to corrupt its values and the lives of [Jews], from intruders who sometimes in the name of Judaism completely subvert and destroy the eternal values of our people,” said Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker rebbe and the rabbinical head of Agudath Israel, at the May 27 dinner.[...]

NY Times   Tests of courage are found in unexpected places.

On Tuesday night, Mayor Bill de Blasio attended a gala for Agudath Israel of America, a premier event for the black-hat leaders of the ultra-Orthodox Jews of New York. The mayor is a gregarious fellow, and as my colleague Sharon Otterman reported, he chatted and joked on the dais with numerous rabbis, some of whom endorsed his mayoral campaign.

Let’s assume the best. Perhaps the mayor was enjoying himself too much to listen as Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, a top rabbi with Agudath Israel, delivered keynote remarks laced with Yiddish and Hebrew words.

Rabbi Perlow offered a shower of condemnation for Reform and Conservative Jews, who he said were among those who “subvert and destroy the eternal values of our people.” These movements, he said, “have disintegrated themselves, become oblivious, fallen into an abyss of intermarriage and assimilation.”

“They will be relegated,” he added, “to the dustbins of Jewish history.”

This was a striking statement because a majority of the Jews in this city identify as non-Orthodox. The mayor himself proudly celebrates his own mixed-race marriage. [...]

Rav Sternbuch protests against the get given to the wife of man in vegetative state.

This is Rav Sternbuch response to the case of a woman getting a get from her husband who is in a vegetative state - that had been reported  here. Freeing an agunah whose husband is in a vegetative state

Updated version In response to Rav Zalman Nechmiah Goldberg. Added letter from Rav Zalman Nechmiah Goldberg and Rav Shlomo Fischer. Rav Zalman Nechmiah Goldberg writes that he only discussed the topic from a theoretical aspect and never permitted such a type of get to be given. Rav Fisher writes that the get is a worthless piece of paper and the woman is an eishes ish

Rav Dovid Eidensohn: Personal lessons from Rav Aharon and Rav Moshe

 Go to torahtimes.com  to see three videos, two on Reb Aharon and one on Reb Moshe. Some download and some play.

Schlesinger Twins: How an outside observer feels about Beth's plight

This letter was forwarded to me by Beth. The author wants to remain anonymous

=============================

 Beth's Plight

The Brooklyn Rabbi and His Child Porn Collection

Daily Beast      Samuel Waldman, one of the main alleged child porn purveyors named in ‘Operation Caireen,’ is only the latest in a series of scandals buffeting Brooklyn's ultra-Orthodox community.

Among the 71 people charged in Wednesday’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement child porn ring bust, there are more than a handful of surprising offenders, including a Little League coach and a former Westchester police chief. But for those familiar with the Brooklyn ultra-Orthodox community’s repeated failure to report sexual abuse, seeing Rabbi Samuel Waldman arrested for the alleged possession of child pornography is no shocker.

It was Waldman’s own disturbing collection of child pornography, law enforcement officials say, that helped lead them to uncover dozens of other purveyors in “Operation Caireen.” His was one of two initial investigations—the other was of Brian Fanelli, a one-time Mount Pleasant police chief—that eventually led to Wednesday’s announcement of 71 arrests. On March 5, Waldman, 52, was charged with the transportation and distribution of child pornography. According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Waldman shared multiple child pornography files on publicly available peer-to-peer networks out of his home in the Kensington section of Brooklyn. These files, the complaint alleges, included a video of girls “between the ages of approximately four and eleven years of age” performing oral sex and being anally and vaginally penetrated by older men, and a clip of a naked prepubescent boy “being masturbated by another unknown person until the child ejaculates.”[...]

Indictments in 3 coerced divorces

NY Times   When several rabbis and ultra-Orthodox men were accused in October of being a part of a ring that kidnapped and tortured Jewish husbands who refused to grant divorces to their wives, the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey said the number of victims might run into the dozens.

But the authorities would not discuss any of those cases. Initially, the charges against the accused kidnappers were based only on an F.B.I. operation involving an undercover agent who posed as a wife wanting to leave a deteriorating marriage. In headline-grabbing detail, court papers described how the agent infiltrated a world of “special rabbis” willing to authorize the torture of recalcitrant husbands until they agreed to a divorce, which under Jewish law cannot occur without the man’s consent.

On Thursday afternoon, after months of investigation, an indictment was unsealed in Trenton that bluntly detailed three actual kidnappings that preceded the operation. The indictment charges five men, including the accused ringleader who was arrested after the operation, Mendel Epstein, of Brooklyn. Among the other defendants are one of his sons, David Epstein; a rabbi who presides over a yeshiva in Monsey, N.Y., Martin Wolmark; and two other men. [...]

Freeing an agunah whose husband is in a vegetative state

 update:  Rav Sternbuch's objection & R Z N Goldberg's clarification

update:  Original Psak

update Haaretz     Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg approves

בעקבות סירוב הרב יוסף להצטרף לפסק הדין, הדיינים בראשות הרב אוריאל לביא פנו לדיין בכיר מחוץ למערכת הרשמית של המדינה, הרב זלמן נחמיה גולדברג, העומד בראש בית דין רבני פרטי בירושלים. גולדברג כתב, כי לאחר שקרא את פסק הדין של לביא, כי "דבריו נכונים מאוד ואני מצטרף לדעתו להתיר במקרה המיוחד שלפנינו". ל"הארץ" נודע, כי בשבועות האחרונים פנו גורמים רבניים לרב גולדברג, בדרישה שיחזור בו מתמיכתו בפסק הדין. 

בין המתנגדים לפסק הדין ישנם דיינים במערכת הרשמית, שאחד מהם אמר אתמול כי"פסק הדין הזה שווה כקליפת השום". בשבועות הקרובים צפוי להתפרסם פסק דין של בית דין רבני מחיפה שהתבקש להתיר עגונה שבעלה נמצא במצב של "צמח" לאחר ניסיון התאבדות כושל. גורמים במערכת בתי הדין אומרים, כי פסק הדין מחיפה הולך להיות גם תגובה נוקבת נגד הדיינים מצפת על עצם השימוש בגט זיכוי. 

בינתיים, מי שיצא באופן נחרץ נגד פסק הדין הוא הרב עו"ד דב הלברטל, מומחה למשפט עברי שהיה גם מקורב למנהיג הליטאי המנוח הרב יוסף שלום אלישיב. "זו שערורייה ליברלית", אמר הלברטל על פסק הדין. "אין צורך אפילו לקרוא את פסק הדין כדי להבין את זה. לא ייפלא שהרב אלישיב לחם נגד רבנים מהציונות הדתית שהם דיינים והנה אנחנו רואים תוצאה שהרכב של בני ציונות דתית מוציא תחת ידו פסק דין מרחיק לכת כזה. הרי הבעל הוא אדם חי, והאשה היא אשת איש. זה כבר מעבר למדרון החלקלק של הפקעת נישואין, מייצרים כאן פתרון קל לכל בעיותיהן של עגונות או של אומללות בחיי נישואין. לא היה פסק דין כזה למעט אולי פסק הדין של הרב גורן הממזרים (1972), לא היה פסק דין חמור כזה שמשחק לידי הליברלים. יכולות להיות לו השלכות חמורות ביותר".

   kikarhashabat

פסק דין תקדימי של בית הדין האזורי בצפת התיר עגונה שבעלה מוגדר כצמח. הדיינים נעזרו בהליך שנקרא "גט זיכוי", על פיו, הדיינים קובעים כי רצון הבעל הוא להתיר את אשתו, ובכך לאפשר לאישה להינשא מחדש. ההחלטה, שפורסמה לראשונה ב"הארץ", ניתנה לפני כחודשיים, ואמש פרסמה הנהלת בתי הדין הרבניים את פסק הדין מאת הרכב הדיינים בראשות הרב אוריאל לביא 

.

הראשל"צ, הרב יצחק יוסף, נשיא בית הדין הרבני הגדול והרב הראשי לישראל, סירב להצטרף לפסק הדין התקדימי, כמו גם מספר דיינים חשובים נוספים. עם זאת, הדיינים פסקו בלעדיו, כשהם מסתמכים על אסמכתות מהרב צבי פסח פראנק והחזון אי"ש, ומוסיפים אסמכתות מעשרות מקורות אחרים 

.

הדיינים ציינו כי פסיקתם הובאה גם לפני הרב עובדיה יוסף בסוף ימיו, אבל מפאת מצבו הבריאותי לא זכו לתשובה. יחד עם הרב לביא, ישבו והחליטו על פסק הדין הרבנים חיים בזק ויוסף יגודה 

.

בפסק הדין כתבו הדיינים כי "על יסוד החומר שבפנינו ושמיעת חוות הדעת הרפואית, הגענו למסקנה ברורה שאין בה ספק - הבעל במצבו הנוכחי אינו כשיר לחלוטין לכל סוג של תקשורת עם הסובב אותו, אינו מודע ואינו מבין ברמה המינימלית והבסיסית ביותר אף את צרכיו הבסיסיים שלו 

".

בעקבות כך, החליטו הדיינים כי האישה היא "ספק אשת איש", וחובותיה כלפי הבעל, המוגדר "שוטה", אינם מלאים 

.

בית הדין ניסה בתחילה להתיר אותה בטענה ל"פסילת קידושין", אך לאחר שמצא כי לא היה פגם בהליך הנישואין לא אפשר את התרתה על בסיס זה.

What does Judaism mean by happiness?

Happiness in Premodern Judaism Virtue, Knowledge, and Well-Being

by Hava Tirosh-Samuelson

Properly understood, I contend that in Judaism happiness does not mean possessing material goods, having fun, feeling content, or enjoying physical pleasures, although some of these elements may be part of the happy life. 

Happiness is not a subjective feeling manifested in a given moment or for a short period of time. Instead, it means flourishing, thriving, and experienc­ing well-being appropriate to human beings. It is an objective state of affairs that pertains to human nature and to the quality of a human life as a whole,from the perspective of its entire duration.

Moreover, the intrinsically good life is inseparable from a set of religious beliefs, the most important of which is that God, the creator of the world, has a special relationship with the People of Israel, to whom God revealed His Wisdom and Will in a form of law: the Torah. The challenging question, then, is not "How can Judaism be concerned with happiness?" but rather, "Can the notion of happiness in Judaism make sense independent of the belief in Torah and the life that flows from it?" I answer that question in the negative. Until Baruch (Benedict) Spinoza in the mid-seventeenth cen­tury, all premodern Jewish thinkers held that Jews could flourish only if they lived the life of Torah and devoted themselves to fathoming God's Wis­dom. Nonetheless, their views were not all struck from one mold. Over time, those thinkers gave different answers to the basic questions "What does Torah mean?" "How does the Torah ensure human happiness?" "How does Torah relate to Wisdom?" and "What results from following Torah and pursuing Wisdom?