Edited and translated by Hillel Fendel
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| Rav Zalman Melamed, top (credit: alchetron.com) Emanuel Shilo, bottom (credit: NashimBeYarok) |
Rav Zalman Melamed reminds us that ignoring King Solomon's warning "do
not be too righteous" can bring destruction upon us – as it has in the
past. Emanuel Shilo, the editor of Besheva, explains why this is true
politically.
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| Rav Zalman Melamed |
Rav Melamed
Our teacher and rabbi, Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, zt"l,
would always remind us of the Netziv's introductory words to B'reshit. The
Netziv wrote that the destruction of the Second Temple was not the result of insufficient
Torah study or acts of kindness. It was rather because of "righteous, pious
men who were not upright in their dealings with people. When they saw someone
who acted differently than them in matters of religiosity, they would suspect
him of being a heretic."
That is, the destruction was due to "tzaddikim who were
not upright."
Today as well, the ones who are liable to bring about the
establishment of a secular, left-wing government are precisely those tzaddikim
who fight with total dedication on behalf of the sanctity of Israel and the
Land of Israel. By their actions [i.e., running as separate parties with no
chance to win Knesset representation – ed.], they are liable to bring about a
mortal blow to the goals for which they strive.
These tzaddikim oppose cooperation with anyone they believe is
not perfect in all his ways and opinions. We must remind them of that which Rav
Tzvi Yehuda would repeatedly teach in the name of the Vilna Gaon: that the
Prophet Yeshayahu was sorely punished when he spoke ill of the Children of
Israel – for "G-d hates even holy ones who accuse His sons."
Both the Written and Oral Torah teach us that victory
depends on our unity, even with those whose opinions are different than ours or
are disputed. If our common goals are Torah, Bnei Israel, and the Land of Israel, we
will emerge victorious. Only with unity can we preserve the Land of Israel and
the sanctity of the family. May G-d remove this Satanic element that causes
rifts among us, and may we unite for the sake of His Name.
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| Emanuel Shilo |
Emanuel Shilo
Within the more religious sector of the Religious-Zionist
community, there are those who simply cannot make peace with the presence on
their party list of people like Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett. They feel
that Rabbi Rafi Peretz, Betzalel Smotrich, and the religious-Zionist parties
they head, should not be running for Knesset on the same party list as Bennett and
Shaked: Bennett is too liberal in matters affecting religion and state, they feel,
and Shaked is not Torah observant. These voters can therefore not support the
joint list known as Yemina [lit., "right-wards"].
From a political standpoint, this stance has some merit. Prior
to the deadline for submission of party lists, the various party leaders
carefully considered the idea of running separately. This would enable nearly
all right-wing voters to feel comfortable voting for one of the two parties.
This scenario could also have enabled Smotrich-Peretz to run together with
Otzmah Yehudit, and Bennett-Shaked to form an alliance with the more liberal
Zehut party of Moshe Feiglin.
However, it was ultimately decided that the risk was too
great that one, or maybe both, of the parties would not pass the minimum
threshold of 3.25% of the popular vote – as happened with Bennett's party in
the last election. For this reason, the two larger parties "in the
middle" united for the election campaign, thus all but guaranteeing a
large right-wing Knesset representation.
Rabbi Peretz understood this logic, and allowed Shaked to
head the joint list (not the party). He realized that though his party had passed
the threshold last time, it was only by a narrow margin, and that no chances
could be taken this time. Bennett, as well, who generally is more willing to
take political risks, gave in to Shaked, and agreed to unite not with the
splinter-party of Feiglin, but with the more religious elements of the
right-wing camp. It was understood that only in this way would most of the
religious-Zionist votes be saved, and not wasted on parties that would not get
in to the Knesset.
This is how responsible people act. They learn the lessons
of their past mistakes and failures, and do not take unnecessary risks. Parties
that do not pass the minimum threshold in even a single poll, yet insist on
running nevertheless, are taking a chance that is simply unacceptable. Even if
it miraculously turns out that such a party receives sufficient votes and is
elected to the Knesset, it would be like one who drives 150 mph yet does not
crash; he is still guilty of reckless driving.
The high minimum threshold in the Knesset elections
obligates all of us to overcome our inclinations toward total purity of
opinions and the resulting divisiveness. We must be prepared to cooperate with
those with whom we agree on the most important and practical things, even if in
other areas we disagree totally.
Regarding the topic of the LGBT community: It is undisputed that there is a great chasm between the positions of
Bennett and Smotrich/Peretz. Bennett has expressed and given support to the
phenomenon in a manner that angers most of the Torah-observant community. But the
fact is that in this area, the role of politicians is relatively minor. Does
anyone believe that if the Noam Party miraculously makes it into the Knesset,
the Gay Pride parades in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will be canceled the next day?
These marches have been held for years not because of pro-LGBT politicians, nor
have they been canceled because of religious politicians. Their existence is
due to grassroots activity and to the courts, and the political establishment
has little say in the matter.
Those who want to fight the growing influence of pro-LGBT
elements must first and foremost address the power centers from which they derive
their power and influence. For example, as long as the judicial imperialism of
the High Court judges invents increasingly more protected fundamental rights
that allow it to abolish Knesset legislation, the political system will remain
powerless, no matter the efforts of well-intentioned MKs on the LGBT issue.
Ayelet Shaked and Betzalel Smotrich have proven themselves to be able to fight successfully
against judicial activism. Their plans for the near future speak of legislation
that will return to the Knesset the final word regarding the validity of laws. But
until this happens, the final decision on every major LGBT decision remains in
the hands of the High Court, which will not accept any law that it feels violates
"human dignity." Continuing the trend of appointing conservative
judges is also critical, and Shaked, Smotrich, and others know how to accomplish
this from within the political system. Therefore, anyone who competes against
them and gnaws away at their political strength is not contributing to the
fight against the LGBT phenomenon, but is actually causing it harm.
Although Ms. Shaked is not
observant in her private life, she has proven her ability and willingness to
act politically on behalf of the religious values and needs of the
religious-Zionist community. Similarly, it is likely that Transportation Minister
Smotrich will be more likely to find a solution to avoid road construction on
the Sabbath than the Hareidi parties have been all these years. But for this to
happen, all sectors and yeshivot of the religious-Zionist community must unite
as one in backing them. They must certainly not erode our proven politicians'
strength by political machinations that every novice can see have no chance of
succeeding.
If supporters of Noam [and
Otzmah – ed.] can simply not bring themselves to vote for Yemina, one option
still remains: They must support one of the Hareidi parties, in the spirit of a
group of Torah-true Zionist voters who recently announced their support of
United Torah Judaism. Though this party does not quite see eye-to-eye on even
religious issues with religious-Zionist parties, this will at least enhance the
chances of a religious, right-wing coalition government.
To ignore this option is
simply to throw votes into the trash – a luxury that we simply cannot afford,
given all that is at stake for the future of the State of Israel.