{"id":42336,"date":"2012-03-24T19:10:55","date_gmt":"2012-03-25T03:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=42336"},"modified":"2012-03-25T10:00:40","modified_gmt":"2012-03-25T18:00:40","slug":"should-rabbis-have-temporal-as-well-as-spiritual-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=42336","title":{"rendered":"Should We Look To Rabbis For Temporal And Political Guidance?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Baker writes<\/a>:<\/p>\n

This is a set of summaries of a series of six lectures on the teachings of Harav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zt”l by Rabbi Aaron Rothkoff-Rakeffet at Lincoln Square Synagogue from 7 June to 12 July 1993. They were transcribed and posted electronically by permission of Rabbi Rakeffet (who said that the lectures are in the public domain, but that I should try to quote him accurately). Rabbi Rakeffet is a Rosh Yeshiva and Professor at Yeshiva University’s Gruss KollelElyon in Jerusalem, and is the author of the recent books The Rav.<\/p>\n

Lecture 3: The Rav and the State of Israel<\/a><\/p>\n

In the 1920’s, contrary to their claims, Agudat Israel did not
\nexist in the United States. America was viewed as a place to go
\nto lose one’s Yiddishkeit. If you went to America, it was 100:1
\nthat you would not stay religious. By the late 30’s, European
\nrefugees brought Agudat Israel to the U.S. It originated in
\nEurope in 1919, claiming that “Any Zionist cannot be a good Jew,
\nand cannot join Agudat Israel.” The idea was that by gathering
\nJews together in conventions and retreats, their faith could be
\nstrengthened in the face of modernity.<\/p>\n

Initially, it had few members, but when they convinced the Gerer
\nRebbe to join, all his Hasidim followed, giving the movement
\ngreat strength. Rabbi Silver brought the movement to America in
\n1937. The Rav then became active in it, because Rabbi Chaim Ozer
\nGrodzinsky, the rav of Vilna, had told him to establish Agudat
\nIsrael in America.<\/p>\n

In 1940, Rav Soloveitchik gave a hesped for Reb Chaim Ozer, which
\nwas a gem of Agudah ideology. He stated that rabbis must rule
\nthe Jews both spiritually and temporally. He showed this via the
\nChoshen, one of the garments of the High Priest. This was the
\nbreastplate which held the Urim and Tumim, the gems which would
\nlight up showing how the Kohen Gadol should rule in political and
\ncriminal matters. Just as the Kohen Gadol was in charge of the
\nreligious life of Israel, so he was in charge of the political
\nlife of Israel.<\/p>\n

During that period, the Zionists were organizing huge anti-Hitler
\nrallies and protests. The rabbis of Agudat Israel forbade people
\nfrom participating in these rallies, for fear that such noise
\nwould only serve to enrage Hitler, and encourage him to kill more
\nJews. This hesped was Rav Soloveitchik in support of this pure
\nAgudat Israel philosophy.<\/p>\n

Why did the Rav support Agudah if his father was Mizrachi? In
\npart, it was youthful rebellion, as the Rav confessed in 1955.
\nRakeffet’s theory is somewhat different: Agudah in Berlin was the
\norganization for young Jewish intellectuals, where the Neo-
\nOrthodox were fully integrated into German society. So it was
\nthe only real social group the Rav could join.<\/p>\n

In 1946, the Rav became the honorary president of Mizrachi<\/a>. Why
\nthe switch? <\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In his first lecture on R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinksi<\/a> for Torah in Motion<\/a>, history professor Marc B. Shapiro<\/a> says: You need to go to the gadol (the Torah sage). How do we respond to modernity and other issues.<\/p>\n

In earlier years, the High Priest dealt with with halachic (Jewish law) issues and with war and peace and everything that affected the people. So too his must continue today. A quasi-theocracy. The High Priest was God’s second in command. That’s the model for Torah sages.<\/p>\n

The Holocaust showed [J. B. Soloveitchik] that da’as Torah<\/a> (following the gadolim) can err and err grievously. <\/p>\n

How do people get in the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah<\/a><\/em>? The same way people get in the college of cardinals. Other people in the moetzes appoint them. That’s how all boards operate.<\/p>\n

It means that you can have great rabbis who don’t have yeshivas who don’t get put on the moetzes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jonathan Baker writes: This is a set of summaries of a series of six lectures on the teachings of Harav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik zt”l by Rabbi Aaron Rothkoff-Rakeffet at Lincoln Square Synagogue from 7 June to 12 July 1993. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,19874,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marc-b-shapiro","category-r-j-b-soloveitchik","category-rabbis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t