Q&A: About Rabbi Berland, the prohibition of physical contact without desire, and belief in righteous figures
About Rabbi Berland, the prohibition of physical contact without desire, and belief in righteous figures
Question
Recently, interviews were published in the religious press (and it was also said in a lecture, and in pamphlets) by some of the leading followers of Rabbi Berland, who explicitly and openly claim that when
their rabbi, on his own initiative, kisses women, it is done without even the slightest trace of desire and solely for the sake of encouragement and strengthening, or to bestow spiritual abundance from the righteous man according to the esoteric tradition, and therefore there is no problem with it at all, and it is permitted because his intention is for the sake of Heaven.
This causes enormous confusion regarding “guarding against physical contact” — is affectionate touch without desire really permitted?
Is this permitted for a righteous man and an elderly man? And according to Kabbalah is there some permission for this?
And if it is forbidden, then how does such a famous righteous man behave this way, when it causes people to think suspiciously about him and question him?
Answer
Hello.
I don’t know whether this is a provocation or an innocent question. This “famous righteous man” is indeed famous, at least nowadays. How righteous is he? Allow me to doubt it. Rabbi Sheinberg from Safed was also known as a famous righteous man.
The fact that someone has a few followers — especially when the “senior” ones among them are such idiots (who appoints followers to be “senior” followers there? Maybe the same committee that appoints the “greatest halakhic decisor” or the “elder of the kabbalists”) — shows how much can be learned from the admiration of followers about the greatness of their rabbi.
As for the halakhic question itself, whether acts of affectionate touch are forbidden when they involve no desire, the halakhic authorities already disagreed about this, and this is not the place to go into it. But in any case, certainly it is said here: keep far from ugliness. Someone who did this in any valley, not according to Kabbalah and not according to anything else, is not righteous but either corrupt or an idiot (or both).
But if all this caused you to question famous righteous figures, then we’ve already gained something from it. Maybe these disgraceful acts were worth it in order to bring about this correction regarding the worship of “righteous men” (and also righteous men without quotation marks. Worship is always undesirable).
Well said — more power to you, honorable Rabbi — you show no favoritism!
Admiration is not desirable at all, except toward the Creator of the world!
Admiration for human beings, especially for the wise among them, can lead to arrogance, and we must not encourage it. But there is something that is permitted: “Rather, let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me…” — the goal is: so that you may prosper in all that you do.
And anyone who wants to taste something special should read:
Honorable Rabbi, you should be on the Sanhedrin — head of the Sanhedrin! (Don’t become arrogant because of this statement) 🙂