Rabbi Ovadia – a brave ruling

Uri Orbach in an article on Ynet: Shas leader made a ruling that all other rabbis were afraid to make

02/03/2011 14:28

Tags: Shas ·  Ovadia Yosef ·  conversion ·  Israel

Ovadia Yosef Wikipedia

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s ruling that the conversions conducted within the Israel Defense Forces are kosher is good news, Uri Orbach writes in an article on the website Ynet. However, he continues, anyone familiar with the greatest of Ashkenazi rabbis and the lowliest of their factotums surely knows that challengers will now arise to this halakhic ruling as well. They will say that Rabbi Ovadia has not been exposed to that to which they have been exposed, Orbach goes on, they will insinuate that he is familiar with the IDF Rabbinate of 40 years ago, but that what is going on there today is utter wantonness in matters of conversion. You can trust the Lithuanian haredim to find some way to go on torturing the converts. Anyone who did not undergo an ultra-Orthodox conversion, they’ll be sure to nab him when he comes to them to

challengers will now arise to this halakhic ruling as well.

get married at the Chief Rabbinate and harass him then. Nevertheless, the ruling is excellent news. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Orbach says, is bestowing a halakhic and public seal of approval on the conversions that are carried out in the IDF. Contrary to what is said, these are not “IDF conversions”; it is an orderly and methodical system that is dealing with the most burning issue of the Jewish people in Israel: bringing numerous Israelis of the seed of Israel into the Jewish people in a manner that meets the requirements of Jewish law. Orbach notes that Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the chief Sephardic rabbi, has not gathered up the courage yet to sign 4,000 conversion certificates because he was scared of the Ashkenazim… Every child in the haredi world understands: Until Rabbi Ovadia came along and ruled, all the other rabbis did not have the guts.