To Protest or Not to Protest - That Is the Question

4 Av 5778

This is actually a question which only concerns Israeli Jews, because there is one expectation from those of us living as a nation in our own land and something completely different for Jews living among the nations.

Now, to those for whom the question is relevant, everybody will have his own opinion about whether Torah Jews should actively protest the public desecration of Hashem's name that results from these so-called "Pride" Parades. But, those opinions are highly likely to be influenced by personal feelings. Those who like to "mix it up" will be all for a confrontational public protest in the name of zealotry for Hashem. On the other hand, those who shy away from confrontation and who prefer to run the opposite direction when conflict arises will be all for personal introspection, prayer, Torah study and advocate for increasing mitzvot and acts of kindness as a remedy.

You've heard the oft-repeated saying, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion." Not true. There is truth and lie, right and wrong, light and dark, and in the gray areas in between, there is halachah. And it is the Holy Torah that defines everything.

First, how do we know we need to do anything at all? I mean, beyond our own personal teshuvah?

The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God, but the revealed things apply to us and to our children forever: that we must fulfill all the words of this Torah. (Devarim 29.28)

Rashi's commentary: The hidden things belong to the Lord, our God: Now, you might object [to God, saying]: “But what can we do? You punish the entire community because of the sinful thoughts of an individual, as Scripture says, ‘Perhaps there is among you a man…’ (verse 17 above), and after this, Scripture continues, ‘Seeing the plagues of that land [and the diseases with which the Lord struck it]’ (verse 21) [which seems to indicate that for the sinful thought of even one individual, the whole land would be struck down with plagues and diseases]. But surely no man can know the secret thoughts of his fellow [that we could somehow prevent this collective punishment!” In answer to this, God says:] “I will not punish you for the hidden things!” [i.e.,] because “[The hidden things] belong to the Lord, our God,” and He will exact punishment upon that particular individual [who sins in secret]. However, “the revealed things apply to us and to our children” [that is, we are responsible for detecting the sins committed openly in our community, and] to eradicate any evil among us. And if we do not execute judgment upon these [open transgressions, over which we do have control,], then the whole community will be punished [because they would be remiss in their responsibility]. There is a dot placed over [each letter of] the words לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ here, to teach us homileticaly that even for open sins [which were not brought to judgment, God] did not punish the whole community - until Israel crossed the Jordan. For then, they accepted upon themselves the oath at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and thereby [formally] became responsible for one another (Sanh. 43b).

Ok. But, even though we are residing in our own land, we are still essentially in exile, as we remain under the influence of the nations through a government foreign and alien to our Holy Torah. This is yet another tragedy that we have to mourn, but even under the civil laws, there is a right to public protest and Hashem will hold us responsible not for what we are unable to do, but for what we can do, but fail to do!

Lacking prophets among us, we must turn to the Prophets of old. That's why their words were recorded and kept for us until this very day.

The Holy Shechinah was leaving the Holy of Holies of the Holy Temple when the Prophet Yechezkel was given this vision...

And the glory of the God of Israel lifted itself from upon the cherub upon which it had been, to the threshold of the House, and He called to the man clothed in linen [a malach], upon whose loins was the scribe's tablet.

And the Lord said to him, "Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and you shall mark a sign upon the foreheads of the people who are sighing and moaning over all the abominations* that were done in its midst." [*toeivot]

And to these, He said in my ears, "Pass through the city after him and smite; let your eye spare not and have no pity.

Old man, young man, and maiden, young children and women, you shall slay utterly, but to any man upon whom there is the mark you shall not draw near, and you shall commence from My sanctuary." So they commenced from the old men who were before the House. (Yechezkel, chapter 9)

Rashi's commentary: and you shall commence from My sanctuary: From those standing before My sanctuary. Our Rabbis said: Do not read וּמִמִּקְדָשִּׁי, and from My sanctuary, but וּמִמְּקֻדָשַּׁי, and from My sanctified ones, from those sanctified to Me. They are the ones marked with the sign, whom He had warned [them] not to hurt. [Now] He reneged and commanded [the angels] to destroy [even] them because the Divine standard of justice contended before Him, “Why are these different from those? Is it not so that they did not protest?” As is stated in Tractate Shabbath (55a).

Also regarding the sin of the Golden Calf, there is a source which says...

Our sages say that it was only the Erev Rav who committed idolatry with the golden calf and a small percentage of the Jews from the tribe of Shimon. So why was Hashem so angry? Angry enough to wipe out the entire Jewish people. Every single Jew except Moshe! Was no one innocent? No. No one was innocent because even those who didn’t participate stood by and did nothing to stop it.

...there were Jews, few though they were, who were guilty of idolatry. The rest of the people did not resist the Erev Rav or the Jewish worshipers. This constituted either silent acquiescence or lack of faith, which was a condemnation of the nation as a whole. (Ki Tisa, Shemot 32:7-10)

In Or Hara'ayon (Vol. I, Ch. 17 - Mesirut Nefesh, pp. 523 - 526), Rabbi Meir Kahane wrote...

...As R. Tanchum bar Chanilai said, "The verse, 'The compromiser blasphemes the L-rd' (Ps. 10:3) was said only about the Golden Calf episode." In other words, whoever compromises on G-d's attributes, reviles and blasphemes G-d and this is what Aaron did. Although his intentions were good, he was still obligated to go all the way when confronted by Chilul Hashem, and to let himself be killed for Kiddush Hashem, because that is what complete bitachon involves.

...Let a Jew not evade his duty, claiming that today there is no Divine revelation, no heavenly voice or prophecy of any other sort by which G-d could decree the need for an act of self-sacrifice. Surely, the whole Torah, all the deeds of our ancestors and of the judges and prophets, and the words of our sages were meant to be a lamp unto our feet and to show us the path we must follow. These deeds and G-d's ways were set down in our sages' homiletics as eternal guidelines, presenting our duty regarding how we must act when there is no Divine Revelation.

Personally, I absolutely do not want to go out and make a public protest of the "Pride Parade." I'd much rather go into hiding until it is all over. That's how I felt each time I went and then, I gave up going. It seemed so pointless. But, we have a responsibility and there is no permission to shirk it. Some way, somehow, with God's help, I will do what must be done. I hope you will, too.