From viewing our good friend Garnel's blog, http://www.garnelironheart.blogspot.com, I found out about a new blog in cyberspace that is most disconcerting, "Authentic Judaism", http://blog.authenticjudaism.org. The posts are infuriating, to say the least, and, on Garnel's blog, the comments were so critical that they included criticism of Garnel for even mentioning this blog and thereby giving it publicity. Garnel, in response, actually removed his first post regarding this blog although, for reasons that will be soon apparent, he now does have some posts regarding the blog.
The problem with this blog is that it presents a charedi vision in such a way that it is insulting and malicious of any other form of Orthodox Judaism. The blog actually preaches hatred towards individuals who deviate from Torah, which to this individual means anyone outside his narrow parameters of Torah thought, and makes statements regarding Rav Kuk and the Rav that are, to say the least, are inappropriate and demeaning. It is not surprising that people responded to the blog in such a powerful way. It is vile and disgusting and presents a view of Torah that is horrendous and sad. It truly is a sad day that this type of presentation is considered "Authentic Judaism" by anyone.
It now comes out, though, that the whole blog may have been a joke perpetrated by some industrious teenager bent on satirizing charedi Judaism. You can almost hear the collective sigh of relief -- TG it was not real -- that was expressed in response to this revelation (although this theory has not, from my understanding, been confirmed). It would seem that it's just back to business as usual. The problem is that this blog, even if it was simply an attempt at satire, reveals two items that are still of grave concern:
(a) the fact that people even could have thought that it was real; and
(b) the dishonourable description of the gedolei Yisrael even in jest.
Until the presentation that this blog was the work of this teenager came out, people thought that it was real, a presentation of some charedi Rabbi. This is not to say that people thought all charedim thought this way or even that most did, but it did indicate that people thought that it was possible for someone to think this way, that some person could adopt such beliefs and attitudes given the real presentations of the charedi world. That, in itself, is a major problem. There is that old adage that it is not enough that justice be done but it must be perceived that justice is done. Perception does matter. In Pirkei Avot, we are told that chachamim must be careful with their words lest someone mistakes their meaning and, as a result, acts inappropriately. There is a problem that people even thought, for a moment, that this blog could have been real, that it would be possible for someone within the charedi world to have written it (albeit perhaps accepting that such a person must be somewhat unstable). That it may have been a joke does not necessarily remove the problem.
The fact still remains that the blogs statements against Rav Kuk, the Rav amongst others was disgusting. Jest, or even satire, cannot simply be an explanation for such bizayon haTorah. It may have been the intent of the author, by making such presentations, to eventually promote the proper kavod haTorah for these gedolei Yisrael, but still, can this intent justify the disgusting statements made about them? Humour does not justify everything and bizayon haTorah is still bizayon haTorah. Inherently there just is a lack in kavod haTorah and yirat chachamim with such a presentation, even done in jest and with the intent to attack those who are disrespectful to individuals such as Rav Kuk and the Rav. It can be asked: how could anyone, even as a joke, write such things? The very fact that we don't see individuals with Torah stature with such awe is, itself, a problem.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
3 comments:
The possibility of the blog as a joke raises, in my mind, an additional problem. If it was created by a (presumably) Modern Orthodox teenager, what that indicates is a certain hatred of Chareidim on the part of that individual that is, in ways, as poisonous as the hatred that the supposed Chareidi author of the blog espoused against the Modern Orthodox. The real creator of the blog took the time to produce a portrait that would confirm everyone's worst suspicions about Chareidim, one that was intended to paint them in the most negative light possible. The issue of sinas chinam works both ways, and the "joke" being played here is nothing but an excuse to perpetuate further hatred between groups within Judaism. Whether the blog is sincere or satire, I don't think that anyone is justified in breathing a sigh of relief.
Thank you. I totally agree.
Rabbi Ben Hecht
dear, How do we know it was hoax?
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