Quote of the Day

I was with Maran [Rav Ovadia] for 60 years. He had nothing else besides for Torah...At the coronation of the rav [Yitzchak Nissim as chief rabbi in 1955] we sat together, side by side. at the conclusion of the coronation of Yitzchak Nissim they started to sing "Kol Od BaLeivav" (Hatikva) and I thought - they are crazy. I did not stand. The Rav stood... I asked him why he stood. Rav Ovadia said "I said Aleinu" - he did not want that stupid song to have an effect on him.

  -- Shas Rabbinical leader Rav Shalom Cohen

Rav Cohen said this at some election rally, and people are upset he called Hatikvah stupid. Shas is coming to his defense saying he has the right to think it is stupid, he grew up within the walls of Jerusalem and nobody can teach him what is zionism and about love for eretz yisrael.

I happen to agree. He has the right to think Hatikvah, or anything else is stupid. he clearly did not learn the lesson from Rav Ovadia who was sitting right next to him. Rav Ovadia stood up when they sang it. He might have thought it was stupid or might have seen no purpose to it, or might have loved it - we dont know. But even if he thought it was stupid, he respected that others found importance in it, and he stood up. So he said aleinu quietly. He still made sure not to insult anybody else over it. Rav Cohen, missing that lesson, seems to excel in casting insults.

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