What Unqualifies a Chief Rabbi?

I had a disturbing discussion with some Chareidi relatives the other day.

I innocently (sure) asked what they thought of the results of the vote for Chief Rabbi and of Rav Stav.

As I expected, as Chareidim, they were very happy with the results, and I wasn't taken aback by their vitriol of disgust towards Rabbi Stav, I expected that too. But what did surprise me was the example they used to vilify him.

The example they used to prove that Rav Stav was unqualified to be Chief Rabbi, is that he had at some point answered a question from a young man, a yeshiva student, who wanted to know what to do at the movies when they showed a bad scene.

The specific answer he gave is unimportant, nor did they bother to mention it.

The problem in their eyes, is that he answered a question like that at all.

You see, their argument was that the young man was obviously not a yeshiva student, or even religious, because religious people don't go to movies.

And someone who isn't religious (because he goes to movies), obviously doesn't care about Halacha (you're following the logic I presume), and therefore, any Rabbi who answers a question like that, can't represent Judaism or Rabbis - but, not because the only answer is, "Don't go to movies".

Here's the kicker.

They said that since Rav Stav was providing answers to religious questions to "non-religious" people, he clearly wasn't qualified to be chief rabbi, as the chief rabbi is only supposed to deal with religious issues for religious people, and non-religious people don't have religious issues, as they don't care about Halacha!

I asked them where they heard this insane argument they were making, that they apparently completely believed.

They all said they heard it on Radio Kol Chai (a Shas-controlled radio station), which is  apparently the only radio station a "religous" person is allowed to listen to.

To make a long story short, the argument they've been told to believe, by Shas controlled radio, is that only religious people have real religious questions, and rabbis should only provide answers to real religious questions to real religous people, and any rabbi that bothers to provide an answer to a religious question to a non-religious person is clearly not qualified to be a chief rabbi in Israel.

Is that messed up, or what?

I didn't bother to ask them the next question, because I already know the answer. But if you were to ask them if they'll eat food certified as kosher by our two new, chareidi chief rabbis, whom they're so happy with, the answer will be "no", because their certification isn't kosher (enough?).

It makes you wonder who exactly do they think a chief rabbi is supposed to be the chief rabbi of.


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Newsflash: Chief Rabbi Slams "bug-free" Vegetables!

This bug-free product photo is for
reference only and might not contain deadly toxins

Newsflash November 1rst, 2012 Jerusalem, Israel

Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi, R' Amar announced today that the public should avoid "bug free" lettuce, scallions, and vegetables that are now very popular around Israel.

Due to [allegedly] toxic levels of pesticides found in routine checks of the "bug free' vegetables, R' Amar says its forbidden to eat them, and its far better to buy traditionally grown leafy vegetables, and simply wash them off, as done in the days gone past.

"The vegetable growers must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are correct [and that the products are healthy to eat with pesticides].  There is no justification [to buy "bug-free vegetables] for people who are careful not to eat worms and bugs, who pay good money, and for some very poor consumers who don't even have enough money for food for their children to avoid serious halachik infractions [by not eating bug-free vegetables], and yet endanger themselves which is far more serious."

This psak halacha (ruling) is now being reported throughout the internet in Israel in Hebrew, though I have yet to find the actual ruling (which is reportedly many pages long).  The latest kashrut bulletin from the  Chief Rabbi website in Israel is "unavailable", and I will post a link to it as soon as I locate it.

The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, R' Yona Metzger admits this is a precedent setting ruling, and reminds us of the rule "חמירא סכנתא מאיסורא" -- the danger of eating toxic pesticides is greater than the kashrut issue,  and one cannot declare a poisonous toxin as "kosher."

Found in Hebrew: here, here, here, here, etc.


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The Lord vs. the iPad

Post removed due to clarification from Rabbi Sacks' Office.

Chief Rabbi: I admire Jobs and Apple and use my iPad daily (more here)

Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!

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Jewish Pride when meeting the Pope

When a group of rabbis met the Pope today, the Rishon L'Zion, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Amar added distinctively Jewish symbolism to his robes -- that of the ten commandments on 2 tablets.

Yes, the tablets given at Sinai were rectangular without rounded tops, but then they would be less identifiable.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד