I sure am glad that I did not vote Habayit Hayehudi in the last national elections... while not voting for them provides no guarantee that I would be saved from a trip to Hell after death, according to Rav Shalom Cohen had I voted for them I definitely would have been guaranteed that trip to Hell.
Since I will most likely end up there anyway, for one thing or another, for some period of time, maybe I should have taken advantage and voted for them!
Two weeks ago, Rav Shalom Cohen, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Porat Yosef and a senior Shas rabbi, said in a shiur that kippa sruga people are Amalek. Many were upset and disturbed by such a statement, and Shas went on a campaign to "explain", or soften, when Rabbi Cohen said. Some politicians apologized for the misunderstanding, the words were out of context, it is not what he was referring to, he only meant the politicians, he only meant this or he only meant that. There was a symphony of explanations and apologies as to what Rabbi Cohen meant by his words.
The truth is that I find it almost insulting that they feel the need to apologize for him and to finds way to explain his words. He is being treated almost like the old senile uncle at a family affair - nobody knows quite what to do with him when he says or does crazy things, so people just smile, maybe grimace actually, and apologize. I think it is demeaning - as an important rabbi he should be responsible for his words, he should be considered to say what he means. If he thinks his words were misunderstood or taken out of context, he should explain them. He should know he is responsible for his words and be careful about what he says, or be held responsible for what he says.
So, after all the apologies and explanations, Rabbi Cohen has made them all moot, basically saying he meant what he said and he said what he meant. Rabbi Cohen has been recorded saying that anybody who voted for Habayit Hayehudi will go to Hell. And, he has no problem assuming everyone with a kippa sruga supports Bayit Yehudi, because that is how they associate themselves, unless he is told otherwise that someone did not (referring to a letter of protest he received, about which he said he would want to ask what party she voted for but assumed it was Bayit Yehudi)
(source: kikar)
In brief, stop apologizing for him and the other Shas rabbis who insult and curse everybody they do not like. Either fall in line and promote that agenda openly, or disassociate yourselves from people who say those things.
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