The justices of the High Court, who recently handed down
the disgraceful decision regarding women's prayer service at
the Kosel Hamaarovi, are currently scrutinizing the chareidi
papers, in order to ascertain whether its reactions have not
broken the law, which forbids contempt of court.
The High Court, doesn't particularly like legitimate
criticism. Every shred of criticism of its decisions is
rejected at the outset, and defined as incendiary. All they
want to do, now, is to deflect the issue from "the
intolerable intervention of the High Court in social values,"
to the issue of "defending the essence of the law from
chareidi aggression."
The best scenario, they think, would be, if they could
point to chareidi Jewry as the sector that is responsible for
undermining the rule of law in the state.
An entire team of religion haters is now scanning, with
a magnifying glass, every word of criticism against the High
Court. If even one sentence, which is too sharp for their
tastes is be found, they will find a way to report that
bodyguards have been assigned to protect the judges, from
potential murdererss. Such a report will turn the picture
inside out, and the judges will be transformed from
persecutors to the persecuted, while traditional Jewry will
be presented as hostile and dangerous.
Sorry to disappoint you, your honor, but here you won't
find the business you seek. The chareidi sector no longer
requires explanations about the nature of these judges.
They've already established their "reputation" by means of
their previous decisions.
The position of Torah loyal Jewry doesn't have to be
printed black on white. It is imbedded deep in the hearts of
each one of us, in inner recesses which they cannot reach.
There one may think and reflect without fear. There, everyone
is free to tell himself things which the law forbids
expressing.
In the long history of the Jewish people, there were
periods in which Jews were obligated to refrain from
criticizing the enemies of religion. With Hashem's kindness,
we endured those periods, and b'siyato d'Shmayo will
live through the current exile under Jewish rule.
Yet in the margins of this disgraceful decision, it is
impossible not to note two interesting points.
One of the women who appealed to permit these ladies to
pray beside the Kosel was amazed by the High Court's
ruling. "We ourselves were very surprised by it," she said.
"We had already planned an announcement to the press in
respect to the rejection of the appeal, calling the ruling a
slap in the face of every Jewish woman."
Hard to believe. The petitioners themselves were
surprised by the High Court's decision. They never dreamed
that the High Court would ever decide in their favor. In
essence, they knew the truth, which is that to comply with
their request makes absolutely no sense. Their entire
purpose, then, was a provocation for publicity's sake. But
the High Court dared to execute what the petitioners never
even dreamed would materialize. Could there be any stronger
proof that the High Court operates illogically, than the
declaration made by the representatives of the
petitioners?
Another point, we generally assume that this self-
described "Women of the Wall" group is comprised mainly of
Reform and Conservative women. However, this is not the case.
The only avowedly Reform member that group is its leader, a
Meretz member of the Jerusalem Municipality. The others are
of a totally different mettle, and describe themselves as
Orthodox. And they see no contradiction between their so-
called Orthodoxy, and their demand to be allowed to wear
talleisim and to read from the Torah at the
Kosel.
Over the years, the term "Orthodox" has become a chess
piece in the hands of those who distort religion. Today we
must know, that not everyone who calls himself Orthodox is
really so. Slowly, a new sect has developed, somewhere
between the Reform, the Conservatives and the Orthodox, which
in the meantime hasn't found the right name for itself, and
presents itself as Orthodox.
This trend is very well known in the area of
conversions. Jews who are defined as Orthodox, and even those
who avowedly belong to the Orthodox rabbinate, have decided
to "erase" all sorts of paragraphs that they don't like from
the Shulchan Oruch. They collude with the Reform and
the Conservative, reach "understandings" and "agreements"
with them and "delete " halochos which are not
convenient for them, while preferring to still call
themselves Orthodox.
This trend is expanding every day and it should be cause
for alarm. Whoever follows the hashkofa articles that
appear in the National Religious newspaper Hatzofeh
constantly encounters this trend. More and more elements, who
brazenly and consciously call to espouse the adapting of the
halocho to the mood of Israeli society, insist on
calling themselves Orthodox.
The provocation which these women initiated by a
supposedly Orthodox group underscores in bold, the need to
find this sect a suitable name. If we don't wake up on time,
we are liable to find the members of this "Orthodox" sect
representing Orthodox Jewry and speaking in its
name.
The High Court might one day even include some of this
type of Orthodox judges in its ranks in order to present
itself as representing the various streams of
Judaism.
