Q&A: Demonstration and Prayer Quorum
Demonstration and Prayer Quorum
Question
Hello Rabbi,
This past weekend there was a lot of outrage that the government allowed a demonstration but banned a prayer quorum; on Twitter people cried out that the only question was which “religion” was more important.
And I was puzzled that even serious-minded people were claiming this and shouting it from the rooftops.
After all, a central question in these matters is the scale and frequency.
Prayer takes place through groups of tens to hundreds, three times a day, among about a million people or more. A demonstration takes place once every two weeks, and only by a few hundred people.
If the frequency of demonstrations were like that of prayers, they too would be banned.
And vice versa: if the frequency of prayer were like that of a demonstration, it would not be banned.
The considerations here are made at the macro level, and the distinction is obvious.
(Some said prayers should be permitted in certain ways and in certain situations, but it is clear that the concept of “no distinctions are made” is being applied at full force.)
Does the Rabbi agree with my puzzlement, or am I missing something here?
Answer
I completely agree. In fact, just this morning I was asked about it and answered similarly. People take a special pleasure in feeling deprived and whining that they’re being screwed over and that everyone else is to blame for everything. One can argue about the government’s judgment on many points. In my opinion, this is not one of them.
Discussion on Answer
And do you think the permission for demonstrations is justified?
Is democracy really so fragile that if demonstrations are banned for the next 3 months (in order to save lives) it will collapse, or is that just a ridiculous argument of the knights of freedom?
There’s room to analyze that. One has to remember that in an emergency the government takes very broad powers for itself, and the importance of demonstrations increases. But it’s true that you can also demonstrate online.
P, maybe you should go out and demonstrate for the permit to demonstrate?
https://news.walla.co.il/item/3353989
By the way, I added that a demonstration usually has police supervision and requires a permit. So it should not be compared to prayer quorums at all. It’s a baseless comparison.