Harav Edelstein: How Can Jews Enact Decrees Against Fellow Jews?

Hagaon Harav Gershon Edelstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah, Yeshivas Ponevez, on Tuesday evening responded to the government’s new decrees on the chareidi and general public, during a weekly shiur held at his house.

At the shiur, Harav Edelstein said that “the situation now in Israel is that there are decrees, decrees that it will be difficult to devote oneself to learning Torah, bittul Torah, that’s the purpose of these decrees.

“The decrees are not only against the shomrei Torah public, but also against those who are careful about kashrus and who will now be prevented from keeping kosher.

“And besides for that, in general as well, on the entire general public, that there should be a leadership which does not follow Jewish law, with serious issurim, serious issurim that the general public as well does not transgress; they do not transgress such serious prohibitions, and the government wants to make them transgress! So that they will transgress, and the entire public will have sinned.

“It’s something we can’t comprehend, that Jews should enact decrees against Jews? That’s against the nature of Jews. The Gemara says that there are three signs of the nature of Jews: rachmanim, bayshanim and gomlei chassadim, merciful, bashful and doing acts of lovingkindness.

“Everyone, even those who aren’t shomrei Torah umitzvos, every Jew who has a neshamah is different than the nations of the world. That’s something that is well known. People who are familiar with the world also say this. I have heard them. They see the difference, the character of a Jew is something different, it’s not the character of the nations of the world, it’s something different. Rachmanim, bayshanim and gomlei chassadim, that’s the reality of Bnei Yisrael. We have seen the gentiles make decrees against Jews over the years, but that Jews should make decrees against Jews?

“That’s something which is not understood from acheinu Bnei Yisrael.”