B"H

HOLY COWS

People ask me why I am drawn to the Judaism of היחד. It is because their writings are wholly untainted by that which I will describe below.


Professor Abbey Hoffman, of blessed memory, once said: "Holy cows make the tastiest hamburgers."

Judaism in the intervening generations since יציאת מצרים, when it was we who stood in proud defiance of עבודה זרה, and particularly during the galut after the destruction of the Second Temple, became bogged down and distorted out of all recognition with אמונות טפלות (superstitions). These אמונות טפלות have become part and parcel of what most Jews think Judaism is; but they are עבודה זרה nonetheless. It is foolish and incorrect to think that simply because we are Jews we are incapable of עבודה זרה as everything we practice automatically becomes kosher. The תורה tells us otherwise. The Talmud is also wrong in teaching us that עבודה זרה has been rooted out of Israel. We see it today – in force. Before we can enter the Temple again we must purify ourselves of all that which is not Torah-true Judaism.

I know that my writings make people feel unsettled. I know that I am often very annoying, even infuriating. That is because most Jews have forgotten how to distinguish between העקר והטפל. We see from the expression העקר והטפל that just not distinguishing between that which is essential and that which has been added on to Torah places us firmly in the area of אמונות טפלות, i.e., עבודה זרה. We must always remember the admonition:

לא תספו על-הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם ולא תגרעו ממנו לשמר את-מצות ה' א-להיכם אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם
דברים ד:ב


Notice, please, that the word תספו is written with a חלם חסר and a חירק חסר. This is to instruct us to keep the מצות precisely and not add anything whatsoever.

To make matters worse, many unscrupulous Rabbis have encouraged the generalized confusion among the Jewish People as to what is permissible in or to capitalize on that ignorance. That is why the Rabbinut in Israel is vanishing today. If it were a holy enterprise, ה' יתברך would bless it and make it flourish in the Holy Land. Astrology, veneration of Rebbes to the point of idolizing them, visiting graves (which confers ritual impurity that makes us unable to approach the Temple), ascribing powers to stones, wearing colored strings on the wrist and so on are all practices that have been added on, come from foreign cultures and are absolutely forbidden, no matter what the people who are making money from these practices tell you, including Rabbis. Understand this. Is it written anywhere in Torah to do these things? No! In fact, we do not even know where משה רבנו is buried. This is because it was the Will of 'ה that the grave of משה not become a shrine.

I should like to add that the popular amulets (קמעות) is עבודה זרהas well. The practice of placing a particular מזוזה believed to have special powers under the pillow of a woman giving birth is a gross abuse of תורה and worse than עבודה זרה. Torah specifies how and where we are to place a מזוזה. Under our pillows is not one of them.

I once attended what I thought was a lecture at a Charedi seminar. When I got there there was a table set up laden with stones of all types, colors and sizes with price tags on them. Some cost many hundred of shekels and this was some years ago. The Rabbi of the town spoke in order to open the evening, including about the necessity of upholding “Torah true Judaism”, whereupon he ended his speech and turned the evening over to a Charedi lady who he lauded as an example of “Torah true Judaism”. Instead of talking, the woman turned directly to selling stones of all kinds that she claimed conferred all types of “segulot”. I left, not before making an announcement that what was transpiring there was עבודה זרה plain and simple.

If you will look carefully at my writings you will see that I have preserved, cherish and protect עקרי-התורהfiercely, even as I dispose of theטפל as the rubbish that it is and afford it no respect whatsoever, making a laughingstock of it in order to show people how ridiculous it is so that they may be rid of it. I do not treat these matters in a light-headed manner, however. I refute them rigorously, scholastically and bring the many sources ה' has taught me to bear in the vigil against ignorance and עבודה זרה.

Nobody likes a revolutionary. Nobody likes those who tell the unadulterated, undiluted, unsweetened Truth. Nobody says "thank you", we don't get invited for afternoon tea very often and we don't get Nobel Prizes. Such is our life and it all goes with the territory. I accept my lot. I do not expect honor, or even much respect and I will forfeit the teas and the chitchat that goes on at them (gladly, I should say), but I will defend the honor of the תורה.

Please see the discussion of this post on the following URL:
http://tinyurl.com/ypcyc

Shabbat Shalom,
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat
DoreenDotan@gmail.com