Aug 6, 2017

beis din paskens regarding possible cult in Bnei Braq

This issue has been going on for a few days already (in the Haredi news - probably longer before it hit the news wires) but it has not made much sense to me. I will have but one comment on it.

There have been claims in Bnei Braq of some sort of a cult operating in the area. The claim is that this cult is kidnapping children and abusing them. People went to a local beis din to raise the issue. the beis din investigated and has now come to the conclusion that there is no evidence of a cult, but people should be careful and supervise their children and that any situation in which suspicion has been aroused of trouble, experts should be consulted.
source: Kikar

I have no idea if there is or is not a cult operating in Bnei Braq and doing the things that are being claimed. I have no comment on that. I hope there is not one, and I hope all the children remain safe.

My only comment is to ask on what authority or with what expertise does the beis din investigate this matter and make a decision? Why would the parents not involve the police about such claims and suspicions? At minimum they should call in an expert on cults - every baal teshva yeshiva/organization claims to have one. What can the beis din know about such things to be able to make a decision?

And if the beis din had decided that there is a cult - then what? Would the beis din order the cult to stop or to leave Bnei Braq and go to a different city, and expect the cult members to listen?

This makes no sense to me. I don't know what a lot of people expect from the rabbonim, and I do not understand why the rabbonim take on authority they don't and can't have.


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1 comment:

  1. Panics like these are very common. There was one in Jerusalem not long ago, and they were rampant in the US a few decades back. They turn out never to be true.

    ReplyDelete