Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, one of Israel’s leading charedi rabbinical authorities, has ruled that a woman whose husband forbids her from voting for United Torah Judaism (UTJ) should nevertheless cast her ballot without informing him, describing the act as a sanctification of G-d’s name.
According to the question, the couple had traditionally voted for United Torah Judaism, following the instructions of prominent Lithuanian charedi leaders, including the late Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, as well as the current leader of the Lithuanian charedi community, Rabbi Dov Lando.
However, the woman’s husband had become more modern in recent years and increasingly critical of leading rabbis. He eventually declared that neither he nor his wife would vote in the upcoming election.
The woman, meanwhile, remained committed to following Rabbi Lando’s instructions. She described seeing the elderly rabbi traveling from city to city, pleading with members of the charedi community to participate in the election and emphasizing the importance of the political struggle
Nothing to do with halacha
ReplyDelete> should nevertheless cast her ballot without informing him
ReplyDeleteListen to the State... I mean the Gadol, instead of your husband. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the worst regimes in history.
> following the instructions of prominent Lithuanian charedi leaders
Yes, always choose what the Commisar... I mean the Gadol tells you instead of thinking for yourself.
> the woman’s husband had become more modern in recent years
The woman's husband found a switch on the back of his scalp, flipped it and suddenly his brain turned on and he started to think for himself.
> The woman, meanwhile, remained committed to following Rabbi Lando’s instructions
So she was sadly born without that switch. Too many people are nowadays.
I'm seriously starting to think about removing his books from my bookshelf. This isn't his first "Shut up, stop thinking and do what your told" psak.