Slifkin,Ban,Online,Petition,do it.

http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/Ban_Signers_2/

Not that it'll do any good but if there are enough signatures, at least the blog world will know that people read blogs.

Feeling Disenfranchised

All this Slifkingate posts here and all over the blogosphere, as well as all those discussions offline, made me wonder something.
Have I ever felt differently about the "gedolim." Was I always such a cynic when it came to situations like this?
Honestly, I don't think so. I've always had a cynical approach to authority, perhaps because in my family things were in the open and "he's a gadol, he can do whatever he wants" was not a valid answer.
As I was thinking of what to write, (I need those hits, baby!) one thought popped right into my head: The Rally for Israel in Washington, D.C. It was after that rally that even die hard Yeshivish Jews started to, chas v'shalom, lo aleinu, have some questions regarding the actions of the gedolim, rachmana litzlan. It was at that point that some people started to realize that in order to be respected by EVERYBODY, the gedolim, as a whole, had to act in such a way so that the most right-wing fringe element would respect them. Otherwise, once the RWFE didn't respect them, others would join, just so they can say they are also right wing to the extreme.

Until this can be settled, I don't think the majority of Orthodox Jews (not Yeshivish Jews) will have the respect for gedolim that the gedolim want them to have and that the people actually want to have. I remember telling someone years ago that when you ask a shailah of a rav, the first thought will not be what is the halacha, but rather politics. It might not be true in all cases, but in many, if not most, cases, politics will trump halacha when it comes to a decision.

On Gedolim

Several comments on my blog as well as offline life makes me want to post the following:
Firstly, we hear the claim a lot that "X is a gadol so we must do whatever he says."
Says who? The Jews in Egypt didn't listen to their gedolim.
Secondly, who says they are a gadol? Just because they were "selected" to be on Agudah's Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, does not make them a gadol.
Thirdly, if someone is really a gadol, they have to act in such a way that the average person will have no questions about their actions or behavior.
Fourthly, a gadol, when issuing proclamations and decisions, will do so in a clear manner, describing the question and answer and the reason for his decision.
Lastly, a real gadol will welcome criticisms and invite questions.
Not everything in my post is mainly because of the current Slifkin affair, but it adds to the camel's load no doubt.
On a personal note, I want to, I mean really want to, have faith in our gedolim and trust our gedolim, but I really can't. If I have questions and comments, what am I supposed to do? Just push it to the back of my mind and get back in line? I won't, and I won't be a robot. To me, Judaism is about doing what Hashem wants, not what anybody else wants, and it means thinking. If you do a mitzvah just because you were programmed to, is that the same?

Thoughts for the Day (Robots Beware)

I never imagined I would feel this upset over the Slifkin incident. Perhaps it is just the straw that broke the camel's back. Now that the internet is here, and here to stay, don't people realize that whatever they say or publish will be critiqued by the entire world. Don't rabbanim realize that whatever they do or say can now be viewed by Jews all over the world and that if they do something wrong, they'll be caught?
Furthermore, based upon this: (from the Yated's "online" version)

"To this letter HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas South Fallsberg, adds, "And he also writes that Chazal Hakedoshim can err chas vesholom in worldly matters chas vesholom and therefore [they can err] in halochoh as well chas vesholom, as he wrongly proves from maseches Horayos—all nonsense!"

We must now stop teaching our children that the world is round, Chazal said the world is flat, and therefore it's flat. In addition, Rav Wachtfogel infers that Chazal can not err, if so, why is there a special korban chattas that is brought when a Rav does err?

I've had enough. I honestly never took these things seriously, and I never really took the gedolim seriously either, knowing that politics is always the first thing that decides a p'sak. But when will we, as a community, say enough?

Mechanisms of Banning

First things first, I mean no disrespect to anybody and please don't put me on the DNR (Do Not Read) list.
I had this question even before the Zoo incidents, water controversy, shaitel thingy or the Boro Park eruv.
All of the above incidents all had decisions handed down by R' Elyashiv. My question is since R' Elyashiv was not directly involved in any of the cases (I don't think he read the Zoo books, he doesn't live in NYC, etc.) all of his decisions are not based on first hand knowledge but rather on whatever information he receives. Is it fair to issue a cherem based on biased (it's obviously biased because it's being relayed) information?

J., Robot

I always wonder how the "typical" Jewfolk think about the purpose of life. The word, Robot, gets thrown around lots these days but really, it does seem to be the case. Have you seen the movie "I, Robot?" In it, the robots get a daily update from the server and then act according to the new instructions. In the movie, the robots got instructions to basically take over the humans (more or less).
I can see something similar in the Yeshivish community. We, as a community, are not allowed to think for ourselves. We must rely on our gedolim to do all our thinking, whether it's who to vote for, which minhagim to keep or how many people can be in a band at a simcha.
So what exactly is the point in living as a Yeshivish Jew? You're not spiritually growing, all you're doing is blindly following leaders, and some of the leaders are doing it for "other" reasons. Growing up in my home, this was not the case. I was always taught to question everything, get answers for everything. Isn't that what real Judaism is about? Seeking the answers and living with it? This blind faith in gedolim is wrong and also dangerous.
Case in Point:
There was once an episode with a "gadol" who did something wrong just so he can defend a criminal in a court case. I asked a relative how this gadol can do that and the response was "He's a gadol, you can't ask questions." Eventually, I got to a case where you see this gadol walk into a store, pull out a gun, rob the store and run. I asked this guy, now what? His reply was "He's a gadol, you can't ask questions. He obviously had a reason."
This scares me. Never in the history of Judaism has anybody retained so much power.

The "Matzav"

As most Jews are, I am watching the situation in Israel with keen interest. Which "situation" am I specifically referring to? Well, the selling out of the UTJ political party, of course. I, actually, am somewhat in favor of the Gaza pullout. What I can't understand is how people that are so bitterly opposed to the pullout suddenly find it OK to create a government (without UTJ, the coalition would have failed, as even members of Likud voted against the government, at least they have some principles.) as soon as money gets involved. So now, not only are they in favor of a plan that they really aren't in favor of, they are now telling the Israeli public that yes, indeed, there is actually a price we can put on a human life.
How sad indeed.
What makes it even sadder is that this can't be said publically, because how can I chas v'shalom go against the "gedolim" that agreed to this plan. It's "daas Torah" you are not allowed to question, debate or criticize.

Why This Blog?

As I'm sure you are all (I mean the one or two people reading my blog) wondering why I started a blog, I'm here to tell you why. I'm a "typical" modern-UOYG. I see the problems going on in my community and it pains me. It pains me because there are problems, but it also pains me because either nobody is doing anything about it or because nobody is "allowed" to do anything about it.
Another reason for this blog is just to post snippets from other blogs that I find interesting to give me, and others, a one-stop place for your J-Blogging needs. Perhaps this will be a mix between a personal blog and an "instapundit" type of blog.

Let me know.