26 Iyar 5774
Day 41 of the Omer
Rav Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita on Pope Francis’ Visit
Tzfas Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita spoke out about the ongoing papal visit by Pope Francis to Israel. Rabbi Eliyahu commented on statements by rabbonim who instruct us not to look at the pope, citing he is tamei. Rabbi Eliyahu feels there is no need to argue with him, calling it a waste of time and energy. “We have good reason to be angry but it is difficult to build amid feelings of frustration and revenge”.
...He added “We are talking about a religion that is fading. 6,000 priests in Italy alone have abandoned their posts to become non religious....
...Rabbi Eliyahu adds that “one cannot erase thousands of years of repression, killing and robbery as they have done to us and it is difficult to forget what occurred during the Holocaust but we must adopt the teaching of Rabbi Akiva – to look ahead with courage and happiness and build. Not with feelings of frustration and revenge for it is difficult to build with those feelings’.
...“He will come to Jerusalem to see the beauty and size and realize there’s no point to fight the people of Israel. I believe he will see the blessing of G-d is in everything and realize there’s no point to war.”
When asked if one may look at the pope, from a Halachic perspective, he said “Christians claim they are like Yeshu and he was the embodiment of God. It sounds bizarre but this is what they say. Therefore one may not bow before him for he is like idolatry. It is so bizarre that I have a hunch that even Christians cannot believe this story even though they receipt this mantra. One should know one may not bow down before him and one should not get carried away with it. We have no reason to confront him.”
"I believe he will see the blessing of G-d is in everything and realize there’s no point to war.”
ReplyDeleteHe is less than Bilaam. I do not believe he sees anything but blame when it comes to the Jews..
Very sensible. Abundant Emunah in HaShem.
ReplyDeleteno one can deny the truth in his heart. its their arrogance that refuses to admit hundreds of years of wrong doing. i wonder what is in the note he placed at Wall, or whether its a blank, like the faith. if they wish to do teshuva, they must start by giving back the stolen birth certificates so the children and their lineage can be found, return the stolen temple artifacts, and admit to the atoricities done to the j people.
ReplyDeleteThere is an ulterior motive here and we know it, but we also know how it ends. Believe this is the beginning of the war for Yerushalayim, EY, Torah and erasing Yahadut. This is where HKB'H will intervene and by our showing unity and opposition to this chilul H' will hasten our geulah with rachamim. Emunah and Bitachon in H'!!!
ReplyDelete