40 years I am in the Rabbinate, my father and my grandfather were in the Rabbinate, in my entire life I never heard of the concept of a "deal". To make a deal between rabbonim to be selected? Whomever is selected via a deal is not a rav and cannot be a rav.
While I understand what he is saying, the fact is that perhaps the word 'deal' is tefel to the main issue of politics deciding the chief rav. We have utmost respect to Rav Amar and Rav Metzger, but were they really the 'best' (bad word I know) for the job? Has the rabanut progressed at all in that time (and I am not talking about reforming for the seculars)? Sorry, I don't seem to see how. Then again, they were voted in to perhaps keep the status quo.
I"m sorry but this is not the first time there are deals regarding the Chief Rabbinate. With all due to respect to R' Metzger does anyone think he was the best candidate to be chief Rabbi? He became chief Rabbi because the Charedim wanted to do 2 things: 1. Control the Chief Rabbi (and all the jobs etc.) 2. Make the Chief Rabbi not a threat to the Charedi hegemony. Everyone know that R' Metzger was not a Gadol B'Torah and therefore he could be easily ignored.
This is the real reason why the Charedim are so against R' Ariel. He is a real Gadol B'Torah on the same level as the Charedi gedolim and therefore they are afraid.
Rav Metzger's being a puppet of Rav Elyashiv's henchmen and the desire to block having a Godol bTorah like Rav Ariel in the job were not the "major" factors in Metzger's selection, they were the ONLY factors in why the already disgraced Metzger was selected.
rav kook's comment is somewhat disingenuous. although in this election (and in the previous one) the politics is obvious, with daily stories in the news, almost every election of the chief rabbi has had its political elements to it. there is always some sort of deal. rabbi saks has an article in the JP http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Opinion/Then-and-now-311856 describing the deliberations regarding rav soloveitchik serving as rav harashi. completely political!
While I understand what he is saying, the fact is that perhaps the word 'deal' is tefel to the main issue of politics deciding the chief rav. We have utmost respect to Rav Amar and Rav Metzger, but were they really the 'best' (bad word I know) for the job? Has the rabanut progressed at all in that time (and I am not talking about reforming for the seculars)? Sorry, I don't seem to see how. Then again, they were voted in to perhaps keep the status quo.
ReplyDeleteI"m sorry but this is not the first time there are deals regarding the Chief Rabbinate. With all due to respect to R' Metzger does anyone think he was the best candidate to be chief Rabbi? He became chief Rabbi because the Charedim wanted to do 2 things:
ReplyDelete1. Control the Chief Rabbi (and all the jobs etc.)
2. Make the Chief Rabbi not a threat to the Charedi hegemony. Everyone know that R' Metzger was not a Gadol B'Torah and therefore he could be easily ignored.
This is the real reason why the Charedim are so against R' Ariel. He is a real Gadol B'Torah on the same level as the Charedi gedolim and therefore they are afraid.
dnot forget that a major factor in his selection was his commitment to follow Rav Elyashiv regarding shmitta issues and hetter mechira
ReplyDeleteRav Metzger's being a puppet of Rav Elyashiv's henchmen and the desire to block having a Godol bTorah like Rav Ariel in the job were not the "major" factors in Metzger's selection, they were the ONLY factors in why the already disgraced Metzger was selected.
ReplyDeleterav kook's comment is somewhat disingenuous. although in this election (and in the previous one) the politics is obvious, with daily stories in the news, almost every election of the chief rabbi has had its political elements to it. there is always some sort of deal. rabbi saks has an article in the JP http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Opinion/Then-and-now-311856 describing the deliberations regarding rav soloveitchik serving as rav harashi. completely political!
ReplyDelete