רשעות and/or stupidity

הגר"ד לנדו יצא בחריפות נגד יוזמות של עידוד אי הצבעה בתוך המגזר החרדי - כמחאה או מטעמי אנטי ציונות.,  "מי שמסית לא ללכת לבחירות אוי לו, אוי לו - ואני לא רוצה להמשיך. או רשעות או טפשות"   The רשכבה"ג, ר' דב לנדוי שליט"א spoke this חוה"מ סוכות & strongly opposed initiatives to encourage non-voting within the חרדי sector - as a protest or for anti-Zionist reasons. The Rosh yeshiva said: "Whoever incites others not to go to the elections, woe to him, woe to him - and I don't want to continue. Doing so is either רשעות and/or stupidity".   Going back sixty to seventy years, the Steipler Gaon זצ״ל—together with the overwhelming majority of גדולי הדור—held strongly that it was of great importance for frum Yidden to vote in the Israeli elections. They firmly opposed the שיטה that argued against voting. The exact same reasoning then still applies 60-70 years later (Today) The opponents claimed that by voting for a frum חבר כנסת, one is: a) מודה בעבודה זרה, b) joining the רשעים, c) עובר על ג׳ שבועות. The Steipler wrote explicitly that these arguments are untrue, and that even in matters of קנאות, one must rely only on אמת, never on שקר. To say that voting is מודה בעבודה זרה is simply untenable. The entire purpose of sending a frum representative is to fight for the needs of the Frum ציבור, to protect Torah institutions, and to strengthen Yiddishkeit—not to agree with the ideology of the State. To claim that voting means joining the רשעים is likewise the opposite of reality. Throughout Europe, R’ Shimon Sofer זצ״ל, son of the Chasam Sofer, and many other Gedolei Yisroel served in gentile parliaments. No one ever argued that they were “joining the Goyim,” nor did anyone suggest that parliamentary representation was inherently forbidden. As for the claim of violating the ג׳ שבועות, such an argument could only be made before the State's establishment; once the State of Israel already exists, the framework of the שבועות no longer applies. The Steipler had an extraordinary יראת הכבוד and deep respect for the Satmar Rebbe זצ״ל. He regarded him as a גאון עצום, a towering גדול, and a קדוש עליון whose greatness was beyond question. Yet despite that profound reverence, the Steipler respectfully disagreed with the Rebbe’s שיטה on this particular issue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Excerpts of ספר קריינא דאגרתא ח"א letters from the Steipler zt"l ( English-Loose translation)  Do you want to be added to mailing list?   Click here.

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