I was thinking about the Amsalem event coming up in Bet Shemesh and a thought struck me based on something somebody pointed out to me.
Rav Amsalem was attacked relentlessly for many positions he took a stand on, with his opinion as stated being considered controversial. He took a lot of criticism, and eventually got himself thrown out of Shas when he commented on the need for men to go to work and the kollel life being a syndrome imported form the ashkenazim. The main attacks on Rav Amsalem began when he started commenting on the conversion system and the IDF converts. Rav Amsalem was insistent that the IDF converts must be considered Jewish.
When he was thrown out of Shas, it was said in the name of Rav Ovadiah Yosef, one sin leads to another, and Amsalem began by distorting the halacha in regards to conversions, and ended up attacking the Torah incorrectly.
Now that Rav Ovadiah Yosef and Rav Amar came to a conclusion regarding the IDF converts, a conclusion that considers them Jewish as Rav Ovadiah himself will approve those conversions and take responsibility for them, it seems that at the end of the day he is really agreeing precisely with what Rav Amsalem had said.
Strange how these things turn out...
Rav Amsalem claimed that the Shas heads wouldn't let him speak to Rav Ovadiah anymore.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Amsalem's views on work and Torah study are exactly the same as Rav Ovadia the Posek Hador. That the Posek Hador argues with Rav Ovadia the Politician is another matter...
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Halacha MK RAmselem's views are probably pretty close to Rav Ovadiah, although I'm sure that R Ovadiah was in part working off a bidieved sitution here.
ReplyDeleteHowever when it comes to matters of hanhaga Amselem has parted ways with R Ovadia. R Ovadia has always been a supporter of the "Torah only" approach, and MK Amselem views are more or less in line with non-Chardal Religious Zionism