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| The recent Satmar wedding |
In my view, what the word Charedim really means is being observant and it should apply to all segments of observant Jewry. But it has been hi-jacked by the right.
It is interesting to see how that term is seen today among different segments of Orthodox Jewry. Charedim see the term in a very positive way and wear it proudly. To be Charedi is to be the ultimate servant of God.
But in some Orthodox circles the term Charedi is almost a pejorative.
I think there are two reasons for that. The first is based on a misunderstanding of what the word means. Charedim do not ‘tremble’. They do not shake with fear. What they mean is that they try to fulfil the word of God to the best of their ability. They will go the extra mile and be stringent. That is called being ‘Choshesh L’Daas HaMachmir. When there are two legitimate ways to interpret a given Halacha, one stringent and one lenient, they will often choose the stringent interpretations just to cover their bases. Because the more stringent opinion might be the correct one.
Those of us that rely in the more lenient opinions are doing nothing wrong. But we are not worried about the more stringent opinion.
It is laudable to be stringent in matters of Halacha when possible. Charedim are to be admired for that. Those who ridicule them are quite wrong in doing so. We would all do well to serve God that way.
But there is another reason that the word Charedim is seen as pejorative. One which I am beginning to see has some justification. One that has become much more apparent because of the pandemic.
It has been my experience that far too many people in the Charedi world do not take this virus seriously enough. Now there are a lot of exceptions to this. And it is also true that a lot of non Charedim are guilty of that too.
But every time I encounter Charedim in circumstances that require masks and social distancing like in a Shul during Teffilah B’Tzibur, I see a lot of cheating. In most cases it is by Charedim that simply seem to not care enough to do it right if at all. Sometimes letting the mask fall below their nose until someone reminds them to pull it up.
When speaking with them about the pandemic many have an attitude that is fairly dismissive of the mitigation protocols. Even if they begrudgingly adhere to the policy of the Shuls that require them.
That attitude was grossly on display at a huge Chasidic wedding a few weeks ago where none of the guests wore a mask and were all glommed together watching the Kallah doing a Mitzvah Tanz with their Chasidic Rebbe.
As I have noted all too many times when Charedim do these kinds of things - the Chilul HaShem is enormous. This is not being Chareid L’Dvar Hashem. it is self indulgence in a custom that has no Halachic value. At the expense of the entire world seeing them as no better than the crowds showing up in bars doing exactly the same thing - indulging themselves in a custom with no Halachic value. Impervious to the damage they might be inflicting upon themselves and others.
Making matters worse is that Charedi organizations have looked the other way. Apparently in an attempt to avoid negative publicity about a visibly religious group. As if an event like that hasn’t had humongous publicity already in multi media outlets. Some Jewish and some not.
That not only increases the Chilul HaShem, It contributes mightily to turning Jews away from Judaism. If I am an ethical but non observant Jew and see this, I run the other way. I look at these black clad Jews no differently that the drunks in a bar who do the same thing.
And this doesn’t even touch so many other situations where Charedim have been caught flouting the law when it served their purposes. The worst kind of Chilul Hashem is the kind that causes Jews to run away from their Judaism.
But I guess they don’t see it that way. Apparently they think that what they do is holy and they are not going to let a government guided by health experts tell them what to do. As Charedim they know better what’s good for them. They are Godly people. Unlike the un-Godly people that want to take their God given rights away. Their belief is that their high level of observance will protect them. What outsiders - Jew or non Jew - think is irrelevant to them. They will not be denied.
What if they are wrong? They don’t think they can be wrong. Pointing to past events like that which did not result in a major outbreak.
Even if that’s true, just because it didn’t happen last time doesn’t mean it can never happen. As has been mentioned numerous times by health experts this disease is very contagious. It spreads easily and quickly. The numbers of positivity cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID are at an all time high. By their behavior the Charedi world seems oblivious to that. Or maybe they just believe they will somehow be spared because of how devout they are. But they aren’t spared. Orthodox Jews right here in Chicago are today seeing a huge spike in positivity and hospitalizations.
The idea that their devotion to God makes them ignore or less likely to observe mitigations protocols endangers themselves and others. In my view that removes them from the category of being Chareid L’Dvar Hashem. It is not what this kind of behavior indicates. Instead it indicates an arrogant ‘holier than thou’ attitude that has great potential of getting other people sick and sometimes even die. That and the acquiescence of Charedi organizations by virtue of their silence has in my view cost them the right to identify as Charedim.