On personal attacks against groups and individuals
Peace and blessings, Rabbi,
As someone who greatly appreciates you in terms of character,
I wanted to share with you something that has always bothered me in your posts. This was not said against you, God forbid, precisely because I appreciate you. I want to share my insights with you (prove yourself wise and he will love you).
You came out very strongly against groups (such as the Merkaz HaRav and Har HaMor groups and the Haredim) and also against people (Rabbi Druckman, the 16th, and many others) and I must admit that most of your criticisms were accurate, but the style very, very depresses the atmosphere. In the eyes of many, you are not only a publicist and philosopher, but a sharp and attentive scholar, and the words of the sages are easily heard, and a person who studies Torah needs to be refined by the Torah (you are surely familiar with the words of the Chazo"a about the importance of subtlety in a scholar), and I know that you said that this is your style and that is precisely why you say everything without being ashamed, but I really ask, is this the way?
I'm not telling you to silence any of your opinions, no matter how harsh they may be, but in the end, behind these attacks are people, many of whom have hearts of gold and do not mean harm.
I'm also sure that if you spoke in a more respectful language, your words would be accepted by more people and you would succeed in spreading more truth.
It is precisely because of my love for you and your thought and teachings that I tell you this, expecting an answer.
לגלות עוד מהאתר הרב מיכאל אברהם
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- It's my style, but that in itself is no excuse. Style can be changed.
- This politeness is not symmetrical, and for some reason it is always demanded of me and not of those I oppose. All these guys really do not make a point of treating their opponents politely and respectfully, so being strict about respecting them sends a problematic message.
- In my opinion, politeness is an important part of the problem. The strictness of respecting people or ideas that do not deserve respect sends a problematic message. There are wrong ideas or personalities that deserve respect, but there are ideas and personalities that do not deserve it. It is customary to say that where there is blasphemy, the rabbi is not respected.
- In closing, I would just like to say that using harsh words is not the only measure of the appropriateness of an expression. A person can express themselves in mild words and yet still be treated in a very inappropriate manner. For example, a person who does not provide reasons and arguments but only uses labels is treated inappropriately, even if his nicknames and labels are not particularly severe.
- And finally, for me, politeness is a minor issue. I know there are those who think differently and take it hard, but that's part of the problem, that they're concerned with style instead of substance. That's one of the messages I'm trying to convey through my style.
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