Top Rabbi Declares Voting for Ben Gvir Forbidden
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, president of the Council of Torah Sages of Shas, issued a strong warning against the Otzma Yehudit party, deeming it religiously forbidden to vote for them. He accused the party of promoting the ascent to the Temple Mount, which he considers a severe transgression. Rabbi Yosef urged followers to withhold political support from the party, citing his father's opposition to similar movements. The directive aims to prevent the party from gaining political power.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef declared voting for Otzma Yehudit religiously forbidden.
- He accused the party of causing transgressions related to the Temple Mount.
- The rabbi called for a boycott of the party at the upcoming elections.
- He cited the prohibition of ascending the Temple Mount as a major concern.
- Rabbi Yosef invoked his father's opposition to movements harming Judaism.
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, president of the Council of Torah Sages of Shas, issued a sharp and unusual letter titled "A Holy Call - and a Severe Warning." In it, he launched a direct attack against the Otzma Yehudit party, specifically targeting its elected officials over the issue of ascending the Temple Mount. Rabbi Yosef accused them of causing the public to transgress a severe prohibition punishable by kareth (a spiritual death penalty) and of "nationalism." He called on believers to boycott the party at the polls and withhold political support.
The rabbi stated that the prohibition of ascending the Temple Mount is well-known and agreed upon by all major rabbinic authorities throughout generations. He criticized individuals from Otzma Yehudit who define themselves as religious and provoke and sanctify ascending the Temple Mount, thereby causing many to violate the prohibition of kareth and the prohibition of nationalism. Rabbi Yosef added that interviews given by party members in the media constitute a "desecration of God's name and the desecration of the First and Second Temples" and must be strongly protested.
Rabbi Yosef further warned the public against providing political support to the party, declaring it "absolutely forbidden to assist their party and forbidden to give them power in the elections." He asserted that anyone voting for this party is transgressing and participating in causing the prohibition of kareth. To support his position, the rabbi recalled the stance of his father, the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who fought against parties that harmed Judaism and was particularly sensitive to warning against movements that encouraged ascending the Temple Mount.
The letter concluded with a plea not to strengthen the party that supports those ascending the Temple Mount, with Rabbi Yosef writing, "May the good Lord have mercy."
