Askanim as role models

Askanim in the haredi community, and in other communities as well but with less influence, try to influence the way we live our lives - whether individually to a certain extent (think kosher cell phones, where you can shop, internet access, etc.) or whether on a communal level (think signs about tzniyus, trying to make stores or buses "mehadrin", community events regulated by them, etc.).

There is a famous criticism of professors in the secular world that they often do not live what they preach. I have heard, and am sure many others have as well, stories in shmuezim, about the ethics professor who does not live according to the ethical standards he teaches and admits so publicly saying what he teaches has nothing to do with how he lives.

That form of hypocricy is one I have always heard to be rejected by us. The morals and ethics we teach are morals and ethics we have to live by and we demand of oruselves and of our leaders who teach them.

Those askanim who try to direct our communities - take a look at what happened in Bnei Brak last night, as reported by Yisrael HaYom (article below). The police raided a gambling joint. In the heart of Bnei brak. Arrests were made. Nobody is named in the article, but it says they are known askanim, aides and people in the municipality of Bnei brak, and others well connected.

So we have askanim acting holier than thou telling us the need for kosher cell phones, kosher buses, kosher whatever, and then (not specifically the same people, but the same genre of people) they are caught gambling. Actually it is not so bad. The gambling joint ran in a mehadrin format - no women were allowed!