The Need for Self-Criticism
With the arrival of the new year, we must stop to reflect upon our deeds in order to pave the way for self-
We have been negligent about criticizing government systems.
improvement. After the blow we suffered at the hands of our deceitful brothers, we cannot allow things to continue in the manner they have until now. This crisis indicates that there is a serious problem. If we do not draw the necessary conclusions, we will be forced to face additional, more difficult crises, until eventually we will be forced to abandon evil and choose good. However, if we draw the necessary conclusions now, we can emerge from these difficulties into the light of solace and salvation.

We may establish our approach upon three fundamental principles:

a) inward strengthening;
b) open criticism of all authoritative systems and elitist networks; and
c) preparation of alternative programs for all government and social systems in Israel.

The underlying foundation for all of this is a consciousness of our freedom.

Learning to Criticize and Reproach
Over the years, we have been negligent about criticizing government systems. It is true that the underlying motivation for this approach was a positive one. We preferred to seek out the light and the good, not to focus on shortcomings and evil. Criticizing inevitably offends people. A person who criticizes is liable to overlook all of the good which God has bestowed upon us through the ingathering of the exiles and the establishment of the state of Israel.

However, this approach was at the same time plagued by weakness and flattery. It is easier to esteem the rulers, to feel partnership with those in power and to receive a small piece of the "cake" of their power. Yet, without taking note of the weaknesses and corruption which exist in all of the state's governing establishments, it is impossible to correct them.

The Failure of Working from Within
For years, we strove to fix things from within, to assimilate into all of the systems and to improve them gradually. We believed that if we would adopt an approach of love, we would receive love in return. We thought that if we would acknowledge the worth of the nationalist and humanist values espoused by forerunners of Israel's secular public, they too would acknowledge the importance of Torah values. The schisms would be mended, the polarities would dissolve, a process of mutual fertilization would evolve. This situation, we believed, would lead to the building of a value-based Jewish society that would advance, stage by stage, until reaching a level of complete faith in God, His Torah, and all lofty human ideals.

The destruction of the settlements, the cruel expulsion of the settlers, the suppression of those who demonstrated against the state and the government all taught us that the working-from-within approach is destined to fail. The establishment behaved toward the religious-Zionist community in a manner reflecting what our sages say regarding the reshut (authority): "Be careful with [those in] authority, for they do not draw a person near except for their own needs. They appear as friends when it is to their advantage, but they do not stand up for a person in his hour of distress." (Avot 2:3)

When it was necessary for us to request help from the courts, the media, the IDF and the police, everybody closed their ears and hearts and sided with those bent on destroying us. All of their talk of democracy, justice and morality turned out to be worthless.

The Elite and the General Public
The wider Israeli public, both traditional and secular, is actually interested in strengthening the state's Jewish and Zionist values. We must therefore show them love and trust, and strive towards mutual fertilization with them.
All of their talk of democracy, justice and morality turned out to be worthless.


The problem is the elite circles. They exploit the general public so that they are unable to realize their true ambitions. The media maligns those who are faithful to Zionism and Judaism and causes the general public to repudiate those who would give expression to these Jewish values. The courts and the academic establishment, each in its own way, block any Zionist and Jewish initiative. Thus, the elites distance and disengage themselves from the values of the Jewish people, pulling the wider public along behind them.

Systematic Criticism
We must make a shift, moving away from the approach which calls for criticizing particular aspects of the system in order to mend things from within. It is time to critique the very foundations of the establishment, in order to change things from the bottom up.

We must criticize the media. It distorts reality to the point where it ought to be called "falsehood" (tishkoret) instead of media (tikshoret).

We must uncover the true face of those leaders who deceive innocent citizens by portraying themselves as laboring for the good of the nation. Furthermore, we must expose the lifestyles of the state's wealthy who are disengaged from values and from Judaism.

We must voice criticism of the High Court. Even if its members are not personally corrupt, their arrogance knows no bounds. They ridicule Jewish values and, without having been chosen for such, determine the domestic and foreign policy of the State of Israel.

Constructive criticism that is penetrating and continuous has the power to possibly bring about a change for the better. It is likely that, initially, only a handful of those targeted will actually respond to the criticism. The great majority will resent it and prefer to stick their heads in the sand. But if we are persistent we will make progress.

At the outset, progress will be difficult and slow, and we will have to fight for every additional percent of support. However, when we reach the fifteen percent point, the effect of the criticism will grow. The process of eroding the elite's public standing will be accelerated, and in a relatively short amount of time we will be able to begin changing the establishment for the better.

Only he who is capable of standing courageously and rebuking leaders is worthy of leadership. In the words of Rabbi Yonatan (Sanhedrin 101b): "Why did Jeroboam merit the crown? Because he rebuked Solomon." However, it is important to take note of the continuation of this source: "And why was he (Jeroboam) punished? Because he rebuked him in public," and Rashi comments that he rebuked him in public in order to embarrass him.
Rebuke must be aimed at improvement alone, not at insulting and humiliating.


In other words, rebuke must be aimed at improvement alone, not at insulting and humiliating. Therefore, we must make sure that our criticism is founded upon truth, and that it is voiced with the sole intention of bringing about improvement. This, after all, is the definition of the Torah commandment to admonish, as it is written, "Do not hate your brother in your heart; you must admonish your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him," and in the next verse, "You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am God." (Leviticus 19:17-18)

Voicing criticism will allow us to create alternative programs for all of the difficult problems which accumulate before us. It will create an open space which we can fill with new content. We shall start with the necessary criticism of all governing systems. One might think it necessary to begin by preparing alternative programs and then, naturally, there will be no need for criticism, because everybody will acknowledge the excellence and desirability of these alternatives. However, in reality, this is not the case. There is evil in the world, some stems from direct intention and some from laziness. Without criticism, there will be no room for change.

Send comments or questions for Rabbi Melamed to Yonaton Behar at yonatonb@yahoo.com.