Rabbi David Stav, Chair and Founder of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization issued a harsh rebuke of comments made by former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzchak Yosef, which included personal attacks against Member of Knesset Yuli Edelstein.
In a weekly address, Rabbi Yosef targeted MK Edelstein, whose efforts to encourage increased IDF enlistment have been at the center of the debate that led the haredi parties to leave the government. The rabbi said that MK Edelstein’s father had converted to Christianity and became a priest.
Rabbi Stav responded describing the timing as “particularly shocking” in the very week where we read the Torah portion about how sinners within the people of Israel insulted Pinchas for having the bravery to stand up against opposing positions and insult his lineage.
“While thousands of years have passed, we are once again witness to a situation where when someone has no substantive basis upon which to criticize, they lower themselves to personal attacks. It is deeply painful to look on as the intensity of debate among Torah scholars leads them to lose any semblance of composure and choose to disgrace and curse those who think differently than them.
All the while, they are choosing to completely ignore the Torah prohibition of reminding an individual of parent’s sinful actions. Even when people are facing truths that might be difficult for them to accept, it is critical that they continue to abide by the basic tenets of how to engage in respectful debate in the spirit of the Torah, which demands that we argue the issues themselves while never abandoning respect for our fellow man or woman. It seems that when those attacking MK Edelstein have exhausted all their legitimate claims, they quickly resort to personal insults. This is a clear sign of a debate that has lost its merits.”