חנניה ווייסמאן Chananya Weissman

Is your rabbi driving under the influence?

Many people believe that rabbis should never be suspected of being corrupted by money, prestige, or other external pressures. They believe that ironclad trust in the integrity of rabbis is praiseworthy, even a religious obligation. Just the opposite is true; such a belief is not only naive, but antithetical to the Torah.

Indeed, the Torah devotes many mitzvos to warning rabbinic judges against bribery, malpractice, bias, and other forms of corruption. After commanding us to appoint judges, the Torah warns that bribery of any kind “will blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt righteous words” (Devarim 16:19). Chazal add that even a great chacham who takes a bribe will not depart the world without blindness of the heart, and even a total tzaddik who takes a bribe will not depart the world without a confused mind (Kesubos 105A).

A judge does not even need to accept a bribe to be corrupted. Even thinking about a potential bribe is enough to incapacitate a rabbi from judging truthfully (Tanhuma 8, Rash on the Parsha).

This is not a hypothetical mitzvah like ben sorer u’moreh. Open up a book of navi to a random page and there is a good chance you will find a prophecy about the corruption of judges in ancient times (or you can just see the first chapter of Yeshaya).

Those who believe it wouldn’t happen today are willfully blind or mentally ill. Why wouldn’t it happen? What makes them believe the rabbis of today are more pious and impervious to corruption than their predecessors? Those who injected themselves with who-knows-what at the behest of such rabbis have taken a very foolish, un-Torah gamble with their lives, and will have to give an accounting for it in the next world. The rabbis who misled them will not be able to help; they will be judged separately.

How can we know whether or not a rabbi is “driving under the influence”? We cannot always know with certainty, but the Torah warns us that corruption comes with the territory. It is our responsibility to be cautious and look for the warning signs.

Yisro advised Moshe to look for judges who would have the following characteristics: men of valor, God-fearing, men of truth, who hate profit. Yisro did not focus on scholarship and “expertise”, but on character (Shemos 18:21). The former can be acquired, but poor character combined with authority is an incurable cancer.

(Chazal teach us that Yisro included the three characteristics mentioned in Devarim 1:13 – wise, understanding, and known to their tribes – but the Torah emphasized character over intellectual traits. See Chizkuni to Devarim 1:15 and Devarim Rabba 1:7, which he cites.)

The most interesting trait that Yisro mentioned is hating profit. Who in the world hates to profit? We cannot survive without profiting in some way in business or through our labor. There is nothing wrong with turning a profit, or even with becoming wealthy, but a person of character is not obsessed with “increasing his growth”, or “maximizing his profits”. The blessing of Hashem is what makes one wealthy (Mishlei 10:22), not turning the curse of Adam into the purpose of one’s life. A person of character wishes he could devote all his time to loftier things, and has no interest in vain indulgences. He recognizes that an opportunity to make money is also a burden, one which may cast him adrift from his true purpose, not enable it.

Such a profit is something he hates.

Such a person is worthy to be a judge.

According to many commentaries, Moshe was unable to find enough men of such sterling character to fill the many courts, and had to settle for the other three traits. Again, if even Moshe was unable to find sufficient men of character and truth, who would not be lured by profits, why would anyone believe the rabbis of today are on a higher level? It is not even wishful thinking; it is recklessly delusional.

If a rabbi is drawn after money, it is almost certain that he will drive under the influence sooner or later. I’m not talking about rabbis who live a flamboyant lifestyle – they are a disgrace in any case – but about rabbis who have an appetite for profit.

Nowadays becoming a rabbi is not so much a calling as a profession. Kiruv is an industry. Positions in smaller communities are viewed as stepping stones to land more prestigious and prosperous opportunities. For most rabbis, Torah is a career; a crown to boost one’s ego and a spade with which to dig (against Avos 4:5). Such people are beholden to their materialistic aspirations. They know that one misstep can derail their career, and they will always play it safe. The more Torah they know, the better they will be able to cover for it.

In better times our sages were generally independent, creating natural separation between their finances and their expressed opinions on Torah matters. This separation gradually eroded, to the extent that most rabbis today are up to their noses in conflicts of interest. Those who maintain their objectivity in spite of that are superhuman, not the norm.

Indeed, this is why so few rabbis will say a provocative word about perverse “lifestyles”, the murder of unborn children, fighting our enemies, or anything else that might disturb the establishment. They are beholden to the establishment! In many cases they are salaried employees of the establishment. If they do not receive a paycheck directly from the government, their institution depends on the government, not to mention wealthy patrons who own the buildings and all those who preside within. Rabbis in prestigious positions are expendable and easily replaced, and they know it every second of every day.

In the times of Chazal this dynamic was unacceptable for any rabbi who wished to be taken seriously. A rabbi is forbidden to take money for judging or performing most other religious functions. Chazal instituted a special dispensation for judges to receive payment for their time, and only in such a manner that it will have no bearing on their objectivity (see Bechoros 29A).

In those days the people lived under a feudal system, and the king would appoint tax collectors to oversee various regions. The tax collector was granted autonomy in how he divided the regional tax burden among the individual citizens. Naturally, they showed favoritism to their inner circle, often absolving them of taxes entirely, and placed a heavy burden on those who crossed them, with the force of the government behind them.

Tax collectors were legalized gangsters who abused their positions, and Chazal viewed them accordingly. A Jew who became a tax collector was no longer regarded as a chaver; essentially, those who were scrupulous about halacha would stay away from him.

The great rabbis needed Rav Huna bar Chiya to clarify halachos for them, and sent Rabba, Rav Yosef, and eight hundred rabbinic emissaries to meet with him. Upon learning that Rav Huna had become a tax collector, they sent him the following message: “Go to your prestige, go to your former status.” As Rashi explains, “Let him go to the prestige that he chose for himself as a tax collector; we will not go to him.”

Rav Huna immediately sent them word that he resigned the position. Rav Yosef still refused to meet with him, but Rabba accepted Rav Huna back into the rabbinic society, in accordance with a later, more magnanimous ruling (Bechoros 31A).

We see that Chazal had zero tolerance for people who strayed after prestige and inappropriate ties with the government. Even if it was the greatest sage, whose wisdom they depended upon, he would be banished from the Talmudic discourse and his rulings rendered moot. One way or another they would get along without him. Torah must be pure.

Chazal epitomized the integrity that we lack in our times. Here are just two of countless examples.

When the Jews made aliya in the times of Ezra, the Leviim did not join him. Ezra penalized them by instituting that maaser rishon would be given to the Kohanim instead of the Leviim. Centuries later, the sages wanted to gather a large enough group of rabbis to abolish this takana and return maaser rishon to the Leviim. They sought out the great Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, whose opinion would surely sway people, assuming he would support the initiative because he was a Levi and stood to gain from it.

Of course, he ruled the other way and upheld the takana (Maaser Sheni 31A).

Akavia ben Mahallel was known for outstanding wisdom and fear of sin. He ruled in four areas against the consensus of the other sages and stuck to his guns even after the halacha was established. His colleagues urged him to retract his opinion, for the sake of unity, after which they would make him the head judge.

Akavia replied: “Better for me to be called a fool all my days, rather than be wicked before God for an hour. They should not say that he retracted for the sake of a position of authority.” (See Ediyos 5:6.)

Woe to our society, in which most people would rather be wicked before God all their days than be called a name. Woe to our society, in which rabbis look the other way or say what is expected of them to keep their positions.

Indeed, if they look the other way in small matters, they will look the other way in big matters (Vayikra 20:4, Rashi from Toras Kohanim). This is Torah, and one who does not believe this does not believe the Torah.

Chazal foretold that in the days before Moshiach comes, the gathering place of sages will turn into a whorehouse (last Mishna of Sotah). These provocative words are theirs, not mine, and one who has a problem with them does not follow Chazal.

The vast majority of rabbis today are deeply under the influence of money, prestige, and ties to the establishment. Their ability to rule objectively has been hopelessly corrupted, and no amount of scholarship can compensate for this. On the contrary, the greater the scholarship, the greater their ability to fool themselves and others.

We are a generation of orphans, lacking gedolim we can trust in dark and confusing times. We have no choice but to take greater responsibility for our welfare than we might believe we are capable of, and turn to Hashem for clarity.

At the same time, we must take a critical look at our entire educational system and rabbinic establishment. We cannot wait for Moshiach to do all the work. If our society is churning out rabbis who behave like whores, who sell out the truth for profit and prestige, then we bear responsibility for changing this system from the ground up.

The first step is accepting the uncomfortable truth.

The second step is valuing integrity over “expertise”. Many people who favored the latter and got injected with who-knows-what have jeopardized everything with this mistake. May God clear their minds and save them.

The third step is stripping all the corrupt rabbis from their positions and prestige.

The fourth step is returning to the ways of old. We must establish a system in which rabbis can drive under the influence only of the Torah and their conscience.

We can do this. And we must.

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https://chananyaweissman.com/

From Chananya Weissman:

Mari bar Issak was a wealthy, powerful man who was known to intimidate people. One time a long-lost brother showed up from another land and requested half of their father’s inheritance. Mari said he did not know him. They came before Rav Chisda, who instructed the claimant to produce witnesses that he was Mari’s brother.

“I have witnesses,” said the man, “but they are afraid of him, for he is a tough guy.”

Rav Chisda turned to Mari. “You go and bring witnesses that he is not your brother.”

“Is that the law?” retorted Mari. “One who claims money from his fellow must bring the proof.”

“That is how I judge you and your fellow gangsters,” replied Rav Chisda. Ultimately witnesses came forward and testified that the man was indeed his brother. (See Bava Metzia 39B.)

This source is codified in Jewish law.

The Zera Shimshon finds an allusion to it in the first pasuk of this week’s parsha. The Torah states “ושפטו את העם משפט צדק” – “and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment” (Devarim 16:18). The words “את העם” appear superfluous.

The Zera Shimshon cites the incident with Mari bar Issak, when Rav Chisda went against the usual law precisely so a righteous judgment could come to light. He adds that “העם” typically refers to gangsters and lowlifes. The Torah is hinting that they are judged differently than other people. The burden of proof is always on them; even if they are the defendant in monetary matters, they are guilty until proven innocent.

One doesn’t need to be a Talmudic sage to apply this law to our current situation. Those who are trying to force us to take toxic injections and engage in other forms of self-harm are gangsters. The politicians, bureaucrats, media, and “social influencers” are all unsavory, untrustworthy people – often far worse. The powerful companies who pull their strings have a long history of corruption, racketeering, and every crime against humanity under the sun. Their trail of blood is staggering beyond comprehension.

We’re supposed to believe their numbers, and their studies, and their assurances? We’re supposed to accept their testimony about anything at all?

Not according to the Torah.

If they want us to believe anything they say, they must produce incontrovertible evidence. Studies they pay for, which are conducted by people they own, published in journals they sponsor, broadcast in media they control, “fact-checked” by liars they employ, promoted by bureaucrats in their pocket, have zero value as evidence.

In addition, known liars and lowlifes are ineligible to testify according to Jewish law, not to mention anyone with a vested interest. Anyone who is connected to the world’s largest organized crime syndicate – otherwise known as the government, pharmaceutical industry, and global companies – is ineligible to testify that their products are “safe and effective”. Not surprisingly, those pushing the injections and supporting tyranny are almost invariably connected to the syndicate in some way (or wish to be, or admire it).

The burden of evidence is squarely on them, and the normal rules do not apply; they are guilty until proven innocent, and we must be leery of everything they say.

As Rav Chisda said, that is how we judge them and their fellow gangsters.

(From the email newsletter)

15 Questions to Ask Your Rabbi

Please answer the following questions, and provide relevant halachic sources and precedents.

1. Must a healthy child be injected with a pharmaceutical product – which always carries risks and unknowns – for the presumptive purpose of decreasing the chances of others becoming sick?

2. Is it even permissible to force definite risks and unknowns upon a healthy child for the entirely hypothetical benefit to other people?

3. Under what circumstances, if any, is it permissible for healthy Jews to submit to a medical experiment?

4. Is there any halachic precedent to allow doctors virtually unlimited control over all of Klal Yisrael, indefinitely?

5. On what basis can all of Klal Yisrael be instructed to surrender the power to decide when, if, and under what circumstances they may daven, learn Torah, educate their children, and otherwise live a normative Jewish life to any outside group? Even the Sanhedrin did not exercise such absolute control over the daily life of Klal Yisrael; why is a group of people who are overwhelmingly not Jewish, and even heretics, entitled to greater power over Jewish life than the Sanhedrin?

6. Under what circumstances may a minority of medical opinions be followed?

7. Even in cases where the majority of doctors are followed, shall the opinions of doctors who have not independently studied and demonstrated proficiency in the pertinent science be counted?

8. Similarly, must we count the “majority” opinions of doctors who have conflicts of interest, or risk serious repercussions if they express a view contrary to the establishment?

9. On what halachic basis are we obligated to assume that doctors, rabbis, or anyone else with a serious negi’us (vested interest) will not be influenced by this, especially in matters where we are assuming risks to our health and they bear no liability for anything that happens to us?

10. On what halachic basis must we assume that pharmaceutical companies with an unbroken history of satanic greed and disregard for human life shall be trusted, especially when they have nothing to fear from the law and they have tremendous leverage over the agencies that are supposed to oversee them?

11. On what halachic basis must we assume that government agencies, politicians, health officials, and other influencers of public opinion can be trusted when they have lied, made gross mistakes, engaged in deceit and manipulation, and receive funding from the pharmaceutical companies whose products and positions they endorse? At what point according to halacha does a doctor with a valid medical opinion become compromised?

12. If a rabbi has a position with an agency that has negi’us, or will otherwise suffer repercussions if he expresses a view against the “majority”, on what basis can we assume that his support of their position is not influenced by this?

13. On what basis can we be so sure that this negi’us has no influence over his support of their position that we may bank our physical and spiritual lives on it?

14. In the entire course of Jewish history, during which our nation endured many plagues, has there ever been a response so widespread, intrusive, authoritarian, and unlimited both in scope and duration? Why does this situation justify such a radical departure from everything in Torah and tradition? On what basis are so many rabbis urging this radical departure with total conviction and severe condemnations for those who don’t fall completely into line?

15. If a rabbi instructs a healthy person to submit to a medical experiment (even if – especially if – it is referred to in other terms), and that person is harmed in any way, is the rabbi liable in human courts or the Heavenly court?

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https://chananyaweissman.com/

https://rumble.com/c/c-782463

Three timely teachings from the Gemara in Shabbos

Poisonous Injections and Shidduch Résumés

I need to take a short break from fighting Amalek and the Erev Rav to share an Ohr HaChaim on this week’s parsha. Kedoshim 19:29 commands us as follows:

אל תחלל את בתך להזנותה ולא תזנה הארץ ומלאה הארץ זמה

Do not profane you daughter to lead her astray, so that the land should not be led astray and filled with sexual immorality

The Ohr HaChaim comments as follows:

אל תחלל את בתך וגו‘. פירוש יצו האל למי שיש לו בת שלא ינהג בה מנהג חולין להראותה לפני כל ולהתנאות לפניהם אלא כבודה בת מלך פנימה. והגם שיתכוין בה להנאת זיווגה כדי שיודע כי בת יפה ונעימה היא ותנשא להראוי לה, על כל זה יצו האל כי חילול הוא לה והיוצא מזה הוא להזנותה לא להשיאה כי יבער בה אש הטבעי ותחלל כבודה, ולא זו בלבד אלא שתהיה סיבה להבעיר אש בלב רואה וחומד ותזנה הארץ ולבסוף ומלאה הארץ זימה, ונמצא עון כל הרשע תלוי בצוארו, וצא ולמד מה שפירשתי בפרשת אחרי מות בפסוק (יח ב) כמעשה ארץ מצרים שחוש הראות יגדיל החפץ בדבר ויבטל כח הרצון במניעה ויטהו אל חפץ המעשה רחמנא ליצלן

God commands us that one who has a daughter should not conduct her in a profane manner to display her before everyone and to beautify her before them, but “the glory of a princess is inward”. Even if he intends this for the sake of marrying her off, in order that it should be known that she is a beautiful girl and pleasant, so that she should be married to one who is worthy of her, despite this God commands us that this is a profanation of her, and what will come of this is to lead her astray, not to marry her off, for the natural fire will burn inside her and her honor will be profaned. Not only this, but this will cause the fire to burn inside the heart of those who see and desire her, and the land will be led astray, and in the end the land will be full of immorality. It will turn out that the sin of all the evil will hang from his neck…

I have been railing against “shidduch résumés” since they became a thing, which seems to be only since 2004. Before then the idea of singles’ pictures and personal information being peddled around like baseball cards would have been considered outrageous. But then some people started to do it, ostensibly because it was convenient and “saved time”, then more people started to do it, then it became a phenomenon, and now if someone doesn’t play along he’s the crazy one.

A girl (or her parents) is expected to share a picture to be forwarded around and ogled by strangers. A girl who doesn’t allow her picture to be ogled by strangers is told she will not get married. Not only must she share a picture, she must take a glamour shot, otherwise she will pale before those who do. (Increasingly the same is true for men, as two can play that game.)

It doesn’t matter that from the earliest age she was impressed with the supreme importance of tznius [modesty]. When social pressure enters the picture, tznius goes out the window, and she must be profaned for her own good, otherwise she will not have a chance to marry a “catch”. So the real lesson is not the importance of tznius, truly believing in God, or living according to principles even when faced with resistance, but that fitting in socially is what matters most.

The Ohr HaChaim explains that showcasing a girl’s beauty – even with the best of intentions, even for the sake of marrying her to someone suitable – profanes her, leads others astray, and leads to widespread immorality. This is a biblical prohibition. In light of this, the degrading practice of coercing singles to share pictures must be immediately ceased. It should go without saying that the common practice of both men and women displaying pictures of themselves on social media, to be ogled and admired for no greater purpose, certainly does not befit anyone who follows the Torah.

We are once again seeing the great evil of blindly following the social tide, even when we can rationalize that it is “for the greater good”. For the last two decades I have been urging the Jewish world to bring sanity and true Torah values back to shidduchim. Hopefully those who have ignored me will finally see that their mindset is the same mindset that leads people to inject themselves with poison and engage in other senseless acts of self-harm.

If you are single or the parent of a single, stop playing the game, even if people call you the usual names. If you really believe in God and the Torah, you need to prove it by doing the right thing even when it’s inconvenient and people disrespect you for it.

Stop asking for pictures. Stop sharing them. Break out of the madness, and help others do the same.

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See https://chananyaweissman.com/articles.php for nearly 20 years’ worth of  articles about the shidduch world.  You can also show the love and buy my books on the subject, EndTheMadness Guide to the Shidduch World and How to Not Get Married: Break these rules and you have a chance.  Also check out my documentary and series of short films, The Shidduch Chronicles.