The Elor Azaria Verdict

Any and every society has to have a judicial system. It is even one of the Seven Noahide Commandments. A nation without a strong judicial system and a strong government is in big trouble:

Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.

Unfortunately, sometimes the judicial system can be corrupted. Here in Israel, one cannot help but feel that the verdict of "guilty" in Elor Azaria's manslaughter case was a miscarriage of justice. As Education Minister Naftali Bennett noted:

“We need to say the truth. The trial was corrupted from the outset,” continued Bennett. “The harsh comments by political leaders even before the opening of the army’s investigation, the removal of the soldier himself from the investigation process, the critical media coverage surrounding the case (including Army Radio) caused Elor irreparable harm.”

The verdict was based on fake morality, as one would expect from judges that lack the fear of God. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat had this to say about the verdict:

Judge Maya Heller and her colleagues must console themselves by saying that they at least acted according to their consciousness and morality when they see the chaos they have brought to the IDF.

Well, you should know that their verdict is, first and foremost, immoral, even if the judge read it for two and a half hours.

There is no morality in having mercy on enemies who come to kill our soldiers. There is no morality in breaking the spirits of the soldiers who risk their lives to protect us. How is it moral to give strength to a cruel and merciless enemy when there is nothing between us and ISIS except the strength of the IDF alone?

The Sages of Israel, who were a little bit smarter than you, said about morality and the excesses of self-righteousness: 'The great humility of Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos destroyed our home, burned our Temple, and exiled us from our land. The great humility which a rabbinic authority took upon himself in the middle of a battle against a foreign enemy caused the destruction of the nation and an exile which lasted thousands of years, the crucifixion of hundreds of thousands of Jews by Rome and the rape of hundreds of thousands of women. The Jews became prey for other peoples, being killed and robbed, for generations. Our Sages were wise men and all raised their objections to Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos, asking him to see the big picture as one might expect from a man of his status.

On this matter is is possible to say to Judge Maya Heller that her morality has broken the spirit of the soldiers. The heads of our attackers have been raised and the spirit of our enemies has been strengthened. There is no morality in a judgment which gives impetus to those who send boys and girls with numbers and knives. There is no morality in strengthening the killers and terrorists. There is no morality or self-righteousness which rests on the backs of the soldiers. They is no morality in trying to beautify hate. In the eyes of Ra'ed Saleh and his followers we all bake matzot with the blood of Palestinian Arab children. All of us. Even you, Judge Heller.

I pray that Elor will be pardoned for his "crime". He and his family have suffered enough. And may God return our judges as in the days of yore.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Disassociates Himself From Kashrut Orot Eliyahu

About three and a half years ago "Orot Eliyahu" was born:

A new mehadrin, super-kosher kashrut authority was launched this week from Safed, targeting the national-religious community.

The more discerning members of the crocheted kippa-wearing public will be now able to purchase fresh poultry slaughtered under the auspices of the Badatz Orot Eliyahu authority.

Badatz Orot Eliyahu is the brainchild of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, chief rabbi of Safed, and Rabbi Ezra Sheinberg, dean of the Orot Ha’ari yeshiva in Safed.

The birds will be slaughtered in accordance with the rulings of former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, father of Shmuel, after whom the new authority is named. The nationalreligious Badatz stamp will apply to beef in the coming months.

However, starting from today, 1 Av, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu has nothing to do with "Orot Eliyahu".

FYI.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Wants Banks Without Interest

Now this is interesting. Rabbi Eliyahu says that we can learn from the Muslims how to run banks that don't take interest. Personally, I like the idea.

The Fire on the Carmel: The Rabbis Say...

When a tragedy of this scale occurs two different kinds of investigation take place: One to investigate the immediate cause (was the fire arson or the result of carelessness?) and the other to seek the deeper spiritual reasons for the blaze.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef attributes the disaster to Sabbath desecration:

Hagaon Chacham Ovadia Yosef Shlita said on Motzei Shabbos that the devastating Carmel fire was a result of insufficient Shmiras Shabbos in the area.

“Fires only happen in a place where Shabbos is desecrated,” he quoted from the Gemara in his weekly Shiur. “Homes were ruined,” he continued, “entire neighborhoods wiped out, and it is not arbitrary. It is all divine providence.”

“We must repent, keep Shabbos appropriately. When the People of Israel repent, God safeguards them with a wall of fire,” but not of the incinerating type, the Chacham added.

Rabbi Dov Lior writes that the fire was Divine punishment for giving away parts of the land of Israel to terrorists.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu calls for soul searching on the individual and national level.

Rabbi Uri Sherki says that the fire was "yissurim shel ahava", and that it was in place of a potentially greater disaster.

One may wonder: If Rabbi Yosef is correct, then Rabbi Lior is wrong. Likewise, if Rabbi Lior's reasoning is correct, then Rabbi Yosef is mistaken! The same with all the other rabbis mentioned. The answer is that, "eilu ve'eilu dirvrei elokim chayim". They are all correct!

A related item: Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Zini takes to task the rabbis that claimed that the current drought does not justify declaring a public fast (See echoes of that in the comment section of this post).

Potpourri: Persecuting Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu,Tithing Wine, Censorship, Latest New Israel Fund Scandal, Etc.

Remember the awesome interview? Now the left wants to hit Rabbi Eliyahu in the pocket:

Minorities Affairs Minister Avishay Braverman on Wednesday called on Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman to immediately suspend Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu for his ruling banning the renting or sale of Jewish-owned apartments to Arabs in the northern city, Radio Israel reported.

Rabbi Eliyahu has abused his position to engage in a racist campaign against Arabs in contradiction of the peaceful spirit of Judaism, Braveman told Ne'eman in a letter he wrote. He added, the incitement against Arabs harms the social fabric in the Galilee region and Arab-Jewish relations in the area and does not advance the state interests that a municipal rabbi should serve.

LOL!!! Braverman thinks that he knows more about Judaism than Rabbi Eliyahu! How do you spell "hubris"?!

Rabbi Eliyahu replied to Minorities Affairs Minister by pointing out Braverman's hypocrisy:

Responding to Braverman’s letter – which had been in the works but was released after a front-page interview with Eliyahu on the subject was published Wednesday in one of the Hebrew dailies – Eliyahu slammed the minister, saying that as a member of the government, Braverman endorsed the same values, as far as land ownership.

“The Labor Party founded the State of Israel bearing two banners, redemption of the lands and Jewish labor,” Eliyahu wrote. “Braverman is putting the legacy of the party, whose depleted remains he represents, to shame.”

Eliyahu contended that “the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which deals in redeeming lands for the Jewish state, wouldn’t have existed, either, if the Labor party had endorsed Braverman’s ways.

“Braverman should be reminded that he, too, is bound to the government’s decision, which with the justice minister’s approval endorsed the JNF’s regulations that prohibit selling lands or homes to a non- Jew,” he went on.

“Braverman should further be reminded that as a minister in the government he is bound to its decisions, including that of ‘Judaizing the Galilee,’ a resolution aimed at preserving the Jewish character of that region, as required from the Declaration of Independence of the ‘democratic Jewish’ state,” he said.

“If I ought to be fired, thousands of other rabbis who ruled in the same manner should be fired as well,” declared Eliyahu. “If I should be fired for issuing a ruling to prohibit selling apartments to non-Jews – all the government’s ministers should be fired for being signatories to the exact same ruling. Enough of this hypocrisy!”

And now for something completely different:

Ladaat.net has pictures of the separations of tithes at the Hebron Winery. You can really see the happiness in the faces of the people performing this special mitzvah. Definitely worth seeing!

Next up:

The "Yad LeAchim" organization created a community service announcement that warns Israelis about missionary activity that takes place at various festivals. Israel Army Radio and the Voice of Israel refused to broadcast it. You can hear it here.

We'll finish this post with the latest scandal involving the nefarious New Israel Fund.

The Awesome Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Interview - in English!

I already blogged about this interview, which fellow blogger Yaak described as "awesome". I agree with Yaak, and I searched in vain for an English translation of the interview. I was unwilling to accept the fact that those that haven't mastered Hebrew would miss this gem. So the Cosmic X translation team, which includes me, myself and I, have worked hard to bring the interview that was the talk of Israel to the English speaking public. Here it is:

Interview of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu in an Arab-Israeli Newspaper

Q: To respect a neighbor and nation, and others is considered a biblical commandment. How does that fit in with your declarations against the Arabs?

A: It is certainly a commandment to respect every person that was created in God's image, be it Arab or Jew. Certainly it is a mitzvah to respect a neighbor and nation. But there is no commandment to respect those that wage warfare against us. If the Arabs of Israel identify with Hezbollah and Hamas, who have inscribed on their flag (the goal of) destroying us - they are no longer in the category of a close neighbor.

Apart from that there are other biblical commandments that God has written. The main one among them is that God swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that the land of Israel will belong to the nation of Israel. We respect God's will. I think that the Muslims must also respect it especially since Muhammad himself wrote in the Koran in the name of Allah that the land of Israel belongs to the Jews:

In Sura 5 verse 21-22 is written in the words of Moses to the nation of Israel: "O my people, enter the holy land that God has decreed for you, and do not rebel, lest you become losers." In Sura 7 line 137, the words of Allah: "We let the oppressed people inherit the land, east and west, and we blessed it. The blessed commands of your Lord were thus fulfilled for the Children of Israel." Even regarding these very days Muhammad says that the people of Israel will return to the land of Israel. In Sura 17 which deals with the end of days it is written in verse 104: "And we said to the Children of Israel afterwards, "Go live into this land. When the final prophecy comes to pass, we will summon you all in one group."

We are now in the age where the prophecies regarding the ingathering of the nation of Israel that was dispersed all over the world are being fulfilled - how can a true Muslim that believes in the word of God go against God? How can one fight against the return of the nation of Israel to the land that was promised to it by God?

Q: There are Arabs in the hospitals and the clinics and there are construction workers...why did you come out with these proclamations specifically now?

A: This is not something that I made up. I mentioned this law twenty years ago when I became Rabbi (of Tzefat). This law was mentioned by rabbis 500 years ago and 1000 years ago. That is the law and it is the word of God. It is not something that we made up. We do not have permission to change the words of God. For if we change them they will not be the words of God but the words of man.

Q: One can understand from your proclamations that you are in favor of and call for deporting the Arabs. And in your opinion we cannot live together in coexistence?

A: God gave the Arabs twenty-two states and gave the nation of Israel one. This is the state of the nation of Israel, the Chosen People. Even according to Mohammad in the Koran this nation is the Chosen People and one must respect them because of that. It is true that the nation of Israel sinned and was expelled from the Land but since then many years have gone by and God has brought us back to the Land of Israel just as He promised.

According to Jewish law if there is an Arab who recognizes this fact and he comes here as a guest of the Israeli nation - he is welcome. If he comes to undermine God's promise and imagines taking the Land for himself, if he thinks that the Arabs should have twenty-three states and that the nation of Israel shouldn't have a state at all - we must expel him from the Land of Israel immediately.

Q: You have declared that you wish to guard the Jewish character of Tzefat. Are you also in favor of guarding the Arab character of Akko?

A: Akko, Yafo, Tzefat, and Jerusalem should be Jewish cities. Even if Arab families are living there now - these cities are part of the Land of Israel that was promised by God to the nation of Israel. And therefore if the Arabs in Akko will respect Israeli rule in the land of Israel they can in the future enter the category of "ger toshav" (resident alien) who according to God's Torah can live in the land of Israel. In any case the character of Akko and every city in the Land of Israel will be, in the end, Jewish.

He who thinks differently does not believe in the word of God. It's a shame for a man to fights God's words. In the end he will lose.

Q: You claimed that Arabs are sexually harassing Jewish females...on what are you basing yourself after all this is a matter for the police?

A: According to Jewish Law one must love his wife as he loves himself and honor her more than he honors himself. Not all Jews are behaving in this manner however that is the goal and objective of their lives and they are continually progressing towards it.

To my dismay, in Arab society women are not being properly respected. I do not want to interfere in your lives; however it is a mistake to degrade women. Apart from that, if an Arab man would harass an Arab woman like they harass the Jewish ones - they would stone them in the streets in the manner that you do when family honor is desecrated. I personally witnessed married Arab men harassing young Jewish women on the streets of Tzefat. Have you no shame? Where is your faithfulness to your wives?

I think that the harassment of Jewish women is not just our problem, it is yours as well. Also according to the Koran it is forbidden for an Arab to marry a Jewish woman. This is unfaithfulness and adultery.

To sum things up: in the end we are all humans and we must know that the word of God is above all. If we fulfill them - we will be able to exist in this world. If we go against it - we shall be obliterated. It's a shame to go against God and against his promises and oaths which he swore that the land of Israel will be the place of the nation of Israel.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu - Like Father Like Son

This is amazing! You may remember the story I told not too long ago about Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l: how he explained that Arabs, when told the truth, appreciate it.

Here his son, Rabbi Shmuel, the Chief Rabbi of Tzefat, writing in an Arab newspaper, tells the Arabs the truth and nothing but the truth! In the meantime the article is available only in Hebrew .