On Hitchazkut and Hozka

Whenever the debate about the "slide to the right" comes up in the Israeli media, one of the most common replies of the "rightists" goes something like this: Jews are being mitchazek! They are being more careful about halacha. How can this be a bad thing? (I will leave aside the question of what is and what isn't halacha proper)

My reply to this is simple: I do not have, nor could I have, any problem in principle with Jews personally strengthening their religiosity. If you feel you have found the necessary courage and strength to move forward in your avodat hashem, well, I salute you. Good luck.

My problem, and the problem of many of those who attack the 'slide', is not with hitchazkut or Jews being more frum in general. It is rather with the attitude of many such Jews toward those who are less observant, less frum than they. Either out of a sense of entitlement or genuine religious zeal, many of these frummer yiddin thumb their noses and hold not-so-observant Jews in utter contempt.

The examples of this are legion. The kid who comes home from yeshiva and disrespects his parents. The use of derogatory terms toward Rabbanim that hold to a different hashkafa (JB being a prominent example of this), or to different branches of Orthodoxy (what greater insult can there be but mizrochnik?). The refusal to eat in other frum Jews' homes simply because it's not "their hechsher" (I'm not talking here about the genuine halachic sefekot, but the "it's not ours" kind). I'm sure all of us have heard or seen these things too many times.

More than this, though, it is the attempt to force halacha, or one's understanding of halacha, down people's throats that has caused such antipathy towards Judaism, even in Orthodox segments. Too many mithazkim and frummer yiddin have come to the conclusion that it is their right, nay their duty, to make their poor benighted brethren see the light through coercion.

The result is evident everywhere. Weddings now adhere to ever stricter standards of hafrada for fear of the zealots. Tombs of the greats, like the Rambam and Shimon hatzadik, have been made practically intolerable for women who pray there because of an extremely stringent view of tzni'ut. Violent demonstrations and assaulting fellow Jews is apparently OK if it's done in the name of Shabbat.

I can not stress enough how destructive attempts at increased halachic coercion are to Jews, both the less observant and the non-observant. They accomplish the exact opposite – seething hatred and contempt for Judaism. There are tens thousands of Jews, here and in the states, who are looking to improve their Jewish identity. The one option they will not explore is Orthodoxy, precisely because of the degree of social coercion and disgusting treatment of people who cross the line. There are thousands of Orthodox Jews who completely leave religion every year because too many Orthodox educators think that bullying and halachic zero-tolerance is the way to go.

It goes that I do not object to hitchazkut, but I am four-square against the means that are employed. These methods are completely illegitimate in my view. I don't think I can come up with better examples of mitzvah haba'a beaveirot (the plural is intentional) than the above stories.

We must actively fight those who do this tooth and nail, at every turn. Not because h"v, we object to the goal, but because accomplishing this by force completely destroys the purpose. It does more than just alienate. Force and violence make the very ma'aseh pasul.

People should do mitzvot meyir'at hashem, not meyir'at thugs who use His name in vain.