Tel-Chai Nation

Rabbi David Stav spoke with Israel Hayom about Shas leader rabbi Ovadia Yosef's horrific attack on him, which led in turn to a physical assault by some Haredi youths at a wedding. He said:

"This statement can only fan the flames of hatred against the Torah and Israel's rabbis," Stav said in a special interview with Israel Hayom's weekend magazine, which will be published Friday.

"I am convinced that it was the work of ill-wishers and gossipers that has led Rabbi Ovadia to these conclusions. I was hurt, both for myself and for the people of Israel. I have the greatest respect for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef."

Stav said that he heard of Ovadia's condemnation through his associates, adding that the two have never met. "Over the past few months I have expressed my wish to meet with him, but Rabbi Ovadia has not been receptive to the idea. I asked that Rabbi Ovadia look over my book as well, and I might have even altered things, but they would not hear of it either."

I think the point here is really Yosef's lack of etiquette in his attack on Stav. What kind of rabbi is he to just call Stav "wicked" and other vulgar things straight off the bat, devoid of constructive disagreement? Yosef only casts off a very bad impression of himself as inciting against anyone with positions he doesn't agree with, to say nothing of being a very rude man. Whether he was misled is beside the point.

Meanwhile, the haredi newspaper Yom Leyom, which is affiliated with Shas, ran a scathing article against Stav on Thursday titled, "It's okay to call him evil."

The article, which dubs Stav as "the rabbi of cinema" over his 2012 book exploring halachic issues in popular culture, calls Stav "The third party in [Finance Minister Yair] Lapid and [Education Minister Shay] Piron's horrible strategy to uproot Judaism."

"Stav carries an equal part in the cruel war waged to destroy us and he does not hide it," the article said.

Pretty rich coming from editors who don't hide their hatred for Stav. Nobody in the right frame of mind should pay a plugged agora for that shoddy paper, since it would only benefit Shas in part.

Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, Judaism, Moonbattery