The following article at
http://www.5tjt.com/news/read.asp?Id=2731
describes an edict, from many who would be described in the Charedi world as Gedolei Yisrael, that calls upon landlords in Lakewood to be careful to whom they rent apatments. The concern is the renting of premises in areas populated by frum Jews to "undesirables". The "undesirables" being referred to are actually individuals who would be looked upon as problematic in almost any neighbourhood -- i.e. people associated with crime, drugs, promiscuity; this does not seem to be a call to only rent to frum people. So the question is: why the need for such an edict? While I applaud these rabbis for their stance -- and clearly our sensitivity to others should demand of us to be careful about placing undesirables as neighbours to others, especially those we share commitment, values and community with -- I wonder what this need for an edict tells us about our Torah educational systems, our understandings of Torah and our practice of the mitzvot bein adam l'chaveiro, the commandments between people. Do we also now need an edict that pork is prohibited according to Torah law? This edict is specifically directed to people who would follow a directive of these rabbis -- so I wonder, how could such individuals, committed to Torah, not know that they should be careful to whom they rent apartments close to other Jews? I don't think this is a problem in only the Charedi world but is something of concern within all of Orthodoxy.
2 comments:
Whose to say, though, that the edict was really directed against this general classification of undesirables or whether there was a hidden message that people should only rent to frum people? According to the Constitution, it most likely would be illegal to direct people to only rent to frum Jews so maybe this was a way of getting across this point in a manner which would be legal. I am presuming, of course, that telling people not to rent to undesirables bssed upon some objective criteria would be acceptable according to the law.
It doesn't mention toilet paper in the Shulchan Aruch either. Be careful the next time you shake one of their hands.
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