The casual reader browsing the Israeli press might have thought that the front page announcements that a 'Religious Settler Rabbi' had endorsed Kadima was some sort of major news story. Every outlet from Yediot Aharanot to the Jerusalem Post seemed to give it top billing with the impression being that even 'such a person' supports Olmert.
The reality is that it would have been much more shocking if Oslo's Rabbi, Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun hadn't endorsed Kadima, since he was also a supporter of every land giveaway politician from Rabin to Peres to Barak. To say that Rabbi Bin Nun supports Kadima is as redundant as saying that a Yankees fan wants his team to win the World Series. This however doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of who Rabbi Bin Nun really is.
After Rabin's assassination when the Labor party did their best to hang the act of one man around the neck of their political opposition, one of their key claims was that Yigal Amir had received Rabbinic authorization for the crime. Rabbi Bin Nun functioned as one of the chief propagandists of this lie rushing from interview to interview claiming that he personally knew the names of these Rabbis and would 'expose them' even if it 'cost him his life.' For reasons unclear he would claim that he would reveal their names after the seven days of mourning for Rabin, since apparently exposing these homicidally dangerous Rabbis could wait a week.
The entire charade of course came to absolutely nothing. The man who most encouraged Yigal Amir to assassinate Rabin was not a Rabbi but an employee of Shabak. This didn't however interrupt Rabbi Bin Nun's career of slandering religious Jews and doing his best to portray them as dangerous religious extremists who had to be stopped before it was too late.
The following quotes illustrate the sort of hysterical ravings Rabbi Bin Nun was churning out before the Disengagement.
"I will fight against that. I will fight against refusal to obey orders in the army and against suicide. I prefer to surrender. To leave quietly, with rent clothes, with black armbands. But it's unlikely that I will be listened to. The zealots will have the upper hand. Gush Katif is liable to become Masada."
"Altalena' will pale in comparison to what is liable to happen in Gush Katif. Because you had Begin on the `Altalena,' and thanks to Begin the matter ended after 20 were killed. Zionism was extricated from the greatest danger it ever faced. But I don't see a Begin in the Yesha leadership."
At every turn Rabbi Ben Nun has worked to promote the myth that the settlers and religious Jews are violent and dangerous. This lie helped pave the way for an Amona and for any act of violence by the police against settlers by painting the latter as dangerously violent extremists. When the full responsibility is measured out for Amona, it cannot help but also rest at the doors of those who did the government's bidding in slandering unarmed people who served in the army and gave their lives for the state as terrorists and criminals.
But a completely disgraceful track record hasn't actually ever caused Rabbi Bin Nun to apologize or admit he was wrong. Instead he's continued onwards with his career of supporting the left wing politicians working to dismantle Israel while continuing to smear the opponents of giving away land to terrorists as dangerous religiously inspired extremists. Rabbi Bin-Nun primarily represents himself rather than any movement and to say that Rabbi Bin Nun endorses Kadima is to say that the sun rises tomorrow. It would be much more surprising if for once he stood on the side of Torah but that day is not likely to come.
Comments
I'll keep this relatively short:) What I see going on with this rabbi supporting Olmert and villifying the settlers is yet another example of the "let's have a Jew (perferably a rabbi) on board" phenomena.
ReplyDeleteHaving a Jew or better still a rabbi offering support to an organization or cause lends legitimacy in the minds of most people.
Having a Jew on board so to speak, they feel they can speak with more authority and get people to back them.
And sadly, the average person won't read past the headline to learn what the rabbi supports He can be anti-zionist, even "messianic" but as long as their a rabbi or in the case of lay people Jewish they can speak with authority and their faulty opinions go relatively unchecked.
I channel surfed past a Christian television station a month or so ago. A "messianic" rabbi (a Christian preacher really, but he's not billed that way). He was wearing a huge Star of David pendant and excessively large kippa to prove just how Jewish he was. The hosts of the show repeatedly addressed him as "Rabbi Moshe."
Even I could poke numerous holes through his inaccurate statements.
Still, this messianic rabbi warned anyone to dare challenge his ability to speak authoritatively as a Jew. After all, he argued, he was born in Williamsburg.
And because of his feign "authority" and "credentials" people will follow these types like the Pied Pipper.
Of course, the rabbi supporting Olmert is not a messianic rabbi. I only use the above example to demonstrate a point.
Don't follow anyone blindly just because they claim to speak for all Jews or are offering the official Jewish position on a matter.
Most voters I fear won't look beyond the fact that Olmert has a rabbi supporting him. Never mind that he's anti-zionist and gives the impression that religious Jews are dangerous, violent people. No matter! He's a rabbi!
Hope that made some sense, and thank you for letting me post my long posts here.
(They wouldn't be so long if I didn't feel comfortable and safe posting my opinions here. So thank you again :) )
glad you posted and make it as long as you like :)
ReplyDeletea Rabbi is a title of respect, a man must earn that respect with the life he leads and the deeds he does, anyone can call himself a 'Rabbi.' The left wing activist Michael Lerner does though he didn't even bother to attend any kind of school or even recieve ordination, christian preachers who want to lure Jews in play messianic rabbis as you pointed out, reconstructionists who reject any religious authorities call themselves rabbi too
people though focus on the title rather than the man, Doctor, Rabbi, Lawyer, Prime Minister, President. People all too often are impressed by a title and never think it through. A true Rabbi is a servant of G-d and does this by teaching and leading, by serving his community and doing G-d's work.
This though is a man whose name is 'dropped' in order to impress voters most of whom don't know who he is but are supposed to be impressed by his title. Like the messianic 'rabbi' it makes him a front for corruption and evil, to lie and trick people into serving his masters, whether that's evangelical christianity or in this case the politician responsible for amona.
Rabbi Quisling of Norway.
ReplyDeleteYeah, seems about right.
Calling good evil and calling evil good is something navi'im spoke about and we see it now before our eyes. This generation so involved in money and self satisfaction that it cannot see the clear demarcations between right and wrong anymore.
ReplyDeleteThis "Rabbi" and I use the term very loosely, is of the same cloth as Olmert and Sharon, etc.
They think Hashem is as asleep as they are spiritually and that their destruction is not coming quickly.
They do what is expedient at the moment rather than what is right.
They have lost their moral compasses so they fly about in all directions and stand for nothing.
Sad.
Make that Rabbi Been-None
ReplyDeleteI did a name search for this rabbi supporting Olmert and company and came across an article from the J Post dated 2002.
ReplyDeleteThis same rabbi supported the mass conversions (to Judaism) of non-Jews during their service in the armed forced. According to a study, something like 87-percent of non-Jewish immigrants wanted to more connected to the Jewish people but only 14-percent actually wanted to convert.
The rabbi's "logic" was that mass conversions would hamper assimilation and mixed marriages.
I don't like to judge the motives people have for wanting to convert, but if they're converting for marriage and the marriage dissolves the person might lapse into their former religion, all the while still being under the obligation to live as an observant Jew.
As I said, I don't like to judge, but conversion should be strictly for religious reasons. Only from a genuine love of Hashem; his law, his people.
exactly, conversion has to be motivated by a genuine search for G-d or it's entirely worthless, social formalities like the conversions of celebrity actresses to their husbands religion have no meaning at all
ReplyDeletethere were mass conversions of Edomites at one time too. More forced but still this is not exactly from deep desire either.
ReplyDeleteIt was a mistake, a horrid mistake.
Another problem I see with these mass conversions is that they also deprive the convert of developing a deep, teacher-student relationship with a rabbi. Teacher-student doesn't seem like the right phrase to describe the relationship.
ReplyDeleteA relationship in which the guiding rabbi can share the joy of a convert grasping and comprehending a difficult subject, being totally awestruck at the beauty of a song or even a single word in a siddur.
And for the rabbi, the teacher, there must be joy at showing someone a glimpse of Hashem.
Something very precious is lost when a convert and rabbi are deprived of this one-on-one studying. Does that make any sense?
Why rob and cheat either of these shared experiences? I don't know how to convey it accurately.
But to get back on topic, it is truly tragic that there are rabbis in the world who abuse the title of rabbi, or allow others to use them as fronts.
Blessedly, most rabbis are G-d fearing, loving, honorable men.
there are sadly always people who will abuse titles, it's why judaism doesn't rely much on titles, a rabbi is ultimately an acknowledgement that a man is your teacher and worthy of respect
ReplyDeletewithout a personal teacher, it can be hard to gain knowledge, which is the sayings of our fathers counsel, asei leha rav ve'kane lecha chaver, find yourself a rabbi and obtain for yourself a friend
Rav Bin Nun is not justa "Rabbi", but a pretty serious talmid chacham. I see plenty of reason to attack his politics and his judgement (I would myself), but see no reason to disparage him personally.
ReplyDeleteHe is not some kind of corrupt official out for personal gain, but an idealistic and brilliant Rav (although misguided, in the opinion of many).
yerovam and korach were much greater talmidei chachamim
ReplyDeletethis is not a matter of politics or judgement, he's lied, he's tried to destroy other rabbonim, he's taken sides with the people trying to destroy eretz yisrael time and time again
being knowledgeable in torah does not make one a talmid chacham, someone who knows torah but doesn't live it, his torah is worth nothing... ein hachmotoi mitkayemet
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
ReplyDeleteWhich Rabbonim did he try to destroy?
What tactics did he use that were not honest?
everything I'm refering to is in the above post
ReplyDeletenice comments, haha. you discuss rabbi ben nun and link chaim simmons on the same page. a guy who has no idea at all of history and writes just opinions.
ReplyDeletetell me, sultan knish, as you are a journalist, in which newspaper can i find articles by you, that i can enjoy some enlightenment?
if you will publish this post...
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