On My Mind

Thanks Ed,

My issue was not with the JT for not editing but with Phil for not editing his own piece. I think the post was submitted on the fly without much thought and he would have done himself a service, and all of us who were subjected to his rant, by looking over his piece a few times before hitting the submit. He may have a right to publish whatever he wants, but I would expect much more from a professional than letting it all hang out.

@Sam - while I personally disagree with Phil regarding this subject, the question of whether or not this blog is edited is inane. It is a blog. It is opinion. If the JT were to edit it because it wasn’t PC, it would be a sad and troubling day. Just as you (and I) have the right to disagree with Phil about the meat of the matter, he has the right to his opinion and the right to broadcast that opinion.

I blog for the JT. They have never edited my comments. If anything Neil Rubin beats me up for not publishing on a more consistent basis. If he did tell me that they were going to edit my submissions, I would tender my resignation as a blogger for them.

I personally think that the Rabbi who conferred smicha on the woman in question was out of bounds of normative Torah observant Judaism. I think that Phil’s argument about molesters and embezzlers has no bearing on the argument about smicha for women. But I absolutely believe that Phil has the right to believe and publish what he believes. That is what is great about this country. At least for now, we have the right of free speech. If it gets to the point that they take that away from us, it’s time to find another place to live.

Yaakov,

From the same article (see my emphasis in *‘s):

“Putting a woman in front of a group of men and women on a regular or ad-hoc basis is violative of tznius. *Halacha accomplishes much more than the letter of the law.* There is nothing in the Shulchan Aruch about keeping a cat in the aron kodesh. It’s technically permitted but it’s wrong to do.”

Perhaps most importantly, Weiss’s move was made without any authority, Shafran said.

“[If] Weiss had the backing of a world-class posek (halachic decisor) he would have a claim that he’s not departing [from the mesorah], but he does not have any such backings on the recognized Orthodox spectrum, chareidi or central. *He’s changing the face of mesorah without anyone of stature behind him.*”

Preservation of our Torah is EXACTLY what he says.

Sam,

You say that “preservation of our Torah” is what’s important, but that doesn’t seem to be what they’re doing.  In their own words, as reported in the Jewish Star:

“Tznius isn’t a mode of dress. It includes the idea that women are demeaned and not honored when they’re put in the public eye and put on a pedestal. The position he [Weiss] has created violated the concept,” [Rabbi Avi] Shafran said. Whether the ordination violates a specific halacha (Torah law), is unimportant, he explained. [http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/past-the-edge-of-orthodoxy/]

Dede (and Phil),

I agree that more work needs to be done to take a stand against “embezzlers, molesters, and those who protect them”, and much work is being done, just not in the form of public statements. There has been a recent awareness of these issues and much work has been underway to improve the situation in the forms of public and organizational gathering and policy setting to name a few. The issue of Smicha for women is not a threat to the Agudah, but a threat to Jewish tradition. While the crimes of “embezzlers, molesters, and those who protect them” are also a threat to tradition they’re a whole different sort than the ordination of woman Rabbis. Ordination of woman Rabbis is a public statement of rejection of our tradition and there’s a need to combat it with our own clear public statements. The crimes of individuals are not public statements of official policy, are readily understood as being against the Torah and everything it stands for, and public statements are not the constructive method of correcting the problem. Working on the problem in the field is, and that is what is being done. If you want to give constructive criticism to the Agudah and other leaders of the community, point out that more work needs to be done in the field. Public statements are not the answer.

I’ll also point out that while “embezzlers, molesters, and those who protect them” are an important issue to tackle, it’s not the only issue. There’s education, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse, and many other concerns which are high priorities of the Agudah and the other leaders of the community.

Above all, and this is something Phil and others might not understand, there’s the concern of preservation of our Torah and its tradition that provides the backbone for dealing with all these problems and living meaningfully. G-d and Torah is not a back-burner item - it’s the fuel that provides wisdom and energy to everything. If you don’t understand that you will continue to miss the boat in your understanding of the Torah community and how it functions and your critiques will reach no one but the choir you’re preaching to. You can continue to waste your time, or you can seek to understand your audience and provide constructive criticism. Your choice.

....or, instead of attacking the posting as a “vendetta”, you could respond to the points made therein, which I think are pretty salient. Our community is in crisis in many ways and needs true leadership; this issue is where our leaders choose to take a stand? i think it’s pretty telling that the Agudah is threatened by one woman hundreds of miles away getting smicha, but not by embezzlers, molesters, and those who protect them, right under its nose.

One more thing…

As a journalist I would think you would have some sort of vetting system for the information you read and then write about. It seems to me that you believe almost everything you read on blogs and such and jump to outrageous conclusions. It’s time to turn in your journalist degree, or send in your resume to some Mom and Pop tabloid.

By the way, all those you’re trying to convince with your rant have turned you off a long time ago. I actually thought you had turned around after seeing some very positive reports about the religious community coming from your pen. I see now that I was severely mistaken. Sigh.

If this isn’t a clear sign of Phil’s vendetta against Rabbis I don’t know what is. In his obviously unedited rant he brought up completely unsubstantiated claims and falsehoods. An agenda has hijacked your good judgment sir.