Senior Chabad Emissaries Issue Ruling Banning US Brokered Peace Negotiation

"We, the personal emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the Holy Land - including Rabbis of cities and neighborhoods in Israel, heads of Yeshivot and Kollelim and social welfare institutions, who were sent to Israel by the Rebbe himself over 35 years ago in order 'to arouse and encourage Jews to observe Torah and Mitzvot and help build the Jewish land physically and spiritually' - from the depths of a pained heart protest against the Israeli government’s decision to resume negotiations with Palestinian murderers on withdrawal from territories of the Holy Land, G-d forbid.…"

The late rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Arutz Sheva reports:

"We, the personal emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the Holy Land - including Rabbis of cities and neighborhoods in Israel, heads of Yeshivot and Kollelim and social welfare institutions, who were sent to Israel by the Rebbe himself over 35 years ago in order 'to arouse and encourage Jews to observe Torah and Mitzvot and help build the Jewish land physically and spiritually' - from the depths of a pained heart protest against the Israeli government’s decision to resume negotiations with Palestinian murderers on withdrawal from territories of the Holy Land, G-d forbid.

"Negotiating with Israel's enemies of Israel concerning Israeli borders in itself constitutes an ominous danger to the lives of Israel's residents, men, women and children. This ruling is explicit in the Jewish Code of Law, section 329:6: 'Even if they are only demanding hay or straw, we take up arms and violate the Shabbat.' Hundreds of prominent rabbis in Israel have ruled that withdrawal from territories is a matter of life or death for tens of thousands of people.

"Anyone who can put two and two together can see that every time Israel has agreed to concede and withdraw, this has made matters worse. It has only accelerated terror and bloodshed, G-d forbid.

"We support the tireless efforts of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace (the Pikuach Nefesh Committee) which for the past 20 years has been vigorously combating the policies of withdrawal and concessions by Israeli governments. The Committee has repeatedly publicized worldwide the definitive ruling in the Shulchan Aruch that such concessions are a matter of life or death.

"Many Jews, and not only Hassidim, reverently recall the numerous public addresses in which the Rebbe expressed his pained concern for the well-being of the Jewish nation in Eretz Israel. We now call upon every individual, in Israel and the world over, to support and assist the above Committee in every way possible. Their vital mission is to save the lives of the Jewish people in Israel – to forestall any territorial negotiations with Israel’s enemies over its borders, by bringing the public and the decision-makers to the realization that the only way to achieve peace and security in the Holy Land is by standing firm by the integrity of the Holy Land. Only thus will we see the fulfillment of the Biblical promise that 'I will grant peace in the land…and lead you upright.'

"We pray that Almighty G-d have mercy and put an end to our suffering. May we merit the Final Redemption by the righteous Moshiach [Messiah] - now"

As was typical for much of what Chabad-Lubavitch's late rebbe did, the citation from the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law) is misrepresented.

What the Shulkhan Arukh says is that if non-Jews mass and approach the border of Israel on Shabbat and demand money or other financial payments or goods, we do not break Shabbat to fight them.

But, if we do not know why they have massed and approached the border or why they have laid siege, or if they say they are coming to kill Jews or it seems that they are, then we break Shabbat and ride out to fight them.

But border cities break Shabbat to fight even if the non-Jews are only demanding hay or straw – inexpensive, portable things of little value

But what if these non-Jews are asking for a negotiated peace settlement?

The Shulkhan Arukh is completely silent, because that and similar decisions are in the hands of the king or the government, are situational, and must be based on saving Jewish lives. There is no blanket prescription for how that should be done, no ouija  board or magic formula that must be listened to or followed– something Chabad fails to mention because its late rebbe failed to mention it.

Ceding land for peace is permissible under Jewish law – a position all leading haredi rabbis and many Modern Orthodox rabbis hold – despite the false claims made by Chabad's late rebbe.

These are real world security decisions that need to made by real world security professionals like the IDF's chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the head of the Mossad, along with Israel's prime minister and his security cabinet.

They are decisions in which rabbis play no role because, despite Chabad's false claims, halakha (Jewish law) does not assign them one.

Comments

[seymour]

does this also include joining the army and doing something

[S M L]

Oy! Perish the thought!

[NeverFrum]

I just talked to Obama, after this ruling, he's giving up on any peace plan in the middle east.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

of those twerps, our sages devised:
וְכָל הַמִּינִים כְּרֶגַע יֹאבֵדוּ, וְכָל אוֹיְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכַּרֵתוּ, וְהַזֵּדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וּתְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', שׁוֹבֵר אוֹיְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

is it a directive from r' shemteuyv und krinsky fom amerike?

[rebitzman - $101 to read my posts]

The emissaries are correctly communicating the feelings the Rebbe himself expressed during his many many trips to the Holy Land.

Oh wait..........

[rocky]

Sig the Department of Homeland Security on these creeps.

[Jake]

The Rebbe rejected trading areas that are part of The land of Israel fr "peace".

He said it both publicaly and privately to Israeli officials who consulted with him.

R Ovadia Yossef had ruled at the time of the. Oslo agreement that Israel can trade land for peace. More recently he has said Israel should not trade land for peace because he no longer believes the Palestinians want and can deliver peace.

[Western Jew]

Jews do not "around and encourage Jews to Torah and Mitzvot". Hashem does that. And if you think your mission as a "Chabad" is to stimulate the other eye of fate, you are sadly mistaken that your own eye is not enough to spell Trust in Hashem.

[Western Jew]

G-d is not a G-d of referred temptation and the idea of "arousing" Torah in someone else is like removing your own time piece to ask someone else what time it is. Hashem is not a time piece. But that may be what the Chabad implies by its statement of negligent resolve. No thanks.

[Western Jew]

Orthodox Callings require dignity from all offices. The chabads preferred office is not the true way of Tapered Dreams of Trust. Israel must indeed keep Torah and the future is determined by true visions of hopeful peace. So if we are making progress, Chabad has no hand in our future.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

R' OY ...... because he no longer believes the Palestinians want and can deliver peace.

of course Jake. both OY and the Messiah are equipped with the necessary statesmanship.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

oy, alexander, alexander. u must be back!

[moshe zucker]

"These are real world security decisions that need to made by real world security professionals like the IDF's chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet, and the head of the Mossad, along with Israel's prime minister and his security cabinet.

"They are decisions in which rabbis play no role"

Its nice that you think so...... unfortunately for you, Prime ministers and security personnel in Israel didn't feel the same, as evident from their many documented consultations with the Rebbe.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

Idiot.

Those leaders also met with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who had views completely opposite the Rebbe's, with the Gerrer Rebbe, with Rav Schach, and with dozens of other rabbis.

Why?

Votes.

[moshe zucker]

Idiot.
Comparing meeting with Ovadia Yosef or R' Shach, both Israeli leaders of large hariedi vote blocks and meeting with the Rebbe in the 60's and 70's is ridiculous. While meeting with rabbis is certainly done to garnish favor with voters, to include a rabbi from Brooklyn NY who had documented closed door meetings about a cross section of issues facing Israel and brush a stroke across all of it as simply "vote getting" is a lie you yourself are aware of. That came as a result of respect, you know it and everyone knows it, you just don't like it.
Bibbi mentioning his talk with the Rebbe on the floor of the UN was probably also to sway the UN vote.
Don't be a bigot and decide that everyone you disrespect has to be disrespected by everyone.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

Please.

You are astoundingly dull.

It isn't WHERE the rabbis lived, it is where his followers lived that was important re: votes. And, as you well know, even in the 60s there were Chabad hasidim in Israel.

You are a fool.

[Jeff]

"That came as a result of respect, you know it and everyone knows it, you just don't like it."

I realize this is incomprehensible to you, but your rebbe was not the center of the universe.

[moshe zucker]

So.
Menachem Begin visiting the Rebbe before camp David was vote getting?
It's silly to make more of it then it is and less of it then it is. The Rebbe was someone that had a good and respectful relationship with many Israeli officials. They consulted him on a variety of topics that's it.
Jeff, this is not a discussion about the center of the universe. If you refer to my using the word "everyone" I think it's self understood that I don't actually mean everyone. Good but meaningless "catch".

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

Sigh.

You really are dull, aren't you.

Begin also visited other rabbis then.

You grew up in a cult. It's time you left it.

[R Nash]

Not to worry. Abbas would not show up if there were any danger of progress. It is just a forum for him to present his case to the world yet again. When Abbas says that his goal in the agreement is not to have a single Israeli living in his new state, that kind of says all you need to know. Do all nations then get to ethnically cleanse their country?

Fortunately, Kerry is scheduled to be on his yacht for the next few months, but just for an hour a day or so.

[moshe zucker]

Sigh.
you are a dolt arent you.
so he respected other rabbis too. i mentioned the rebbe because in the 70's he was not the religious leader with a very large influence in voting.
(FYI Wikipedia insert on menachem begin only mentions the visit to the rebbe not anyone else, not that it's proof of anything but....)

The hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. How many times have you used this website to denounce actions by Israeli prime ministers and officials, actions that those officials claim to be "security based". But yet a silly blogger is allowed to have an opinion but a world renowned Rabbi is not.
You obviously don't believe that, it just drives you crazy that people respect a man that you don't. Different strokes for different folks. Every one of these hypocritical articles could be summed up to
"Shmarya Rosenberg hates (insert chassidic group, rebbe or just hareidim in general). The logic itself is just simply not there.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

"Shmarya Rosenberg hates (insert chassidic group, rebbe or just hareidim in general). The logic itself is just simply not there.

of course, you should too. sheneymor:
ki me-saneikho hashem esno.