The Haredim, devoted to the Torah, twisted the verse:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet,
  and a light to my path.”
Chaim K. has become their god, a modern “Baal Peor”; they hang their stench on him, and that is their worship.

With God’s help,
Well, I didn’t think the response would be any different. And as Rabbi Chaim said in that video — “May the Merciful One save us”!!!
And let this be known to all the modern Korahs who brazenly violate the command, “and not be like Korah and his congregation” —
there is a Mishnah in Tractate Avot: “Be careful with their glowing coals lest you be burned, for their bite is the bite of a fox, their sting the sting of a scorpion, their hiss the hiss of a fiery serpent, and all their words are like burning coals.”

mjh dear, maybe it’s time that the “great ones” stop behaving like foxes, scorpions, fiery serpents, and burning coals, and simply adopt normal human behavior, the kind appropriate for any ordinary person…?

Dear Binyamin!! Are you advising that Mishnah what to do and what to say? After all, the introduction to Tractate Avot is “Moses received the Torah from Sinai,” etc.
Unless, of course, you don’t believe that this is from Sinai, in which case you are an Epicurean and a heretic like most of this site.
Needless to say, the “great ones” do not behave that way; rather, this is a reality built into creation by virtue of their Torah and the honor of their Torah.
And if you have encountered “great ones” who do behave that way, then there is certainly something objectionable there.
But I’m focusing on Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky or Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, who certainly do not behave that way, so it is worthwhile to be careful with the honor due their Torah. Otherwise you join the congregation of Korah. (And it is well known what became of them in the end.)

It may be that one should distinguish between the rabbis and their flocks. And apparently there are things the flock needs to change. But with regard to the “coronavirus” plague specifically, or as I wrote, with regard to other claims as well,
it cannot be done without going in to the rabbi and asking him (yes!! exactly like Moses our teacher!!). And if you cannot do that, you will have to take upon yourself faith in the sages!!! And not question their words! Even if they tell you that left is right and right is left!!!
I’d be interested to know whether all those modern Korahs, or just the assorted critics of Judaism, if they had lived in the time of Korah, or the Sadducees and Boethusians, or the Hellenizers, or similarly Shabbetai Tzvi, may his name be erased, and the Frankists and the rest of those examples — whom would you have joined???????
The Pharisees certainly would not have looked like you. (Especially since the Pharisees said that Mishnah.)

mjh, why does the honor of the “great ones” trouble you more than the honor of God?

*trouble you more

Binyamin, the two are interconnected. The honor of the great ones is the honor of Torah, which is the honor of God.
But where did you see in my words that the honor of God does not trouble me??? Of course I care about His honor! And I try to honor Him with all my ability!
The question I wrote in the responsa section was in response to articles on this site calling in a bizarre way for Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky to go into exile and stop leading the generation. (????)
(*I tried to learn a bit about your personality on Google and I’m not exactly clear. But if you are Haredi or formerly Haredi, then you surely know that there are all sorts of strange and varied versions of Haredim. I personally am not mainstream and definitely have views of my own. And at the same time, I think one should honor a rabbi according to his stature and honor.
Just as I want people to honor Rabbi Kook of blessed memory, or the Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed memory, or Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and the like — people about whose path and approach there are difficulties, and unfortunately there are those educated to hate or mock rabbis and their students.
These rabbis are known as supremely holy people, and one should not question them. And if someone has a difficulty, there is no brilliance in attacking now when there is no one to ask. If someone does not like the approach and its path, let him find another rabbi.
In my humble opinion, voicing criticism of truly great figures on this scale is just looking for unnecessary trouble.)
All the best to you.

Tzachi – MJH
Have you considered that they are not the rabbis of the entire public, and not even of most of the public?
We appreciate their greatness in Torah, but on the other hand we are sorry that they lack understanding (at least in the sense that we consider understanding). So it may be that we are the fools and the blind ones, but in the test of results you cannot erase the great and terrible desecration of God’s name that took place here, and where there is desecration of God’s name, one does not show honor to a rabbi.

So from their side there could be two responses:
– Directly deal with the claims and provide sufficient answers to them
– Arrogant seclusion that merely reveals the truth that they have no answers to the claims. They reached their position without good preparation for the role, or without being involved knowledgeably with people, and from there they issued irrelevant and disconnected instructions.

You want to go on defending them. Good luck. But at least don’t try to sell nonsense to people who are not their followers.

Honored Y.D.,
There is no defense of any rabbi presented in my words. And I didn’t sell nonsense, because I didn’t answer any claim.
I wrote at excessive length that if someone has claims, let him approach the rabbi and ask.
And now I’ll say it more bluntly.
If some little chick gets it into his head that in a place of desecration of God’s name one does not show honor to a rabbi, and from that he understands that as a little chick he is allowed to open his mouth against the rabbi, then he would be well advised to reflect on the deeds of Korah. That’s all!!!

I would like to add that if you have a great tree to lean on —
and if there is some rabbi (not a chick) who ruled that one must protest against Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, then I would like to know who he is.

Dear Tzachi!
You are comparing Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky to Moses our teacher. Moses was authorized by God, and that gives validity to following him. Rabbi Chaim, with all his knowledge, fear of Heaven, and genius in all the treasures of Torah, is still an ordinary human being. In the Rabbi’s terms, Moses was a formal authority, and Rabbi Chaim is at most a substantive authority.
Accordingly, it is recommended to listen to him in what he understands; in what he doesn’t understand — no. And even in what he does understand I can question him, because he has no formal authority, and therefore I also don’t need to ask him about everything, why he did this. I can assume he made a mistake (especially when every sensible person understands this in the current situation). If the rabbi has a good explanation, let him gather the Jewish people at the Shomer Rabbi Akiva junction and explain himself… if he is aware of what’s going on outside, then he is also aware of the criticism against him…
You can disagree with this worldview, but you should think about it before you attack; these are points mentioned endlessly on the site.

Hello Asaf,
It is definitely difficult, when responding in writing, to give the right tone to an answer. (And it’s also important to read to the end.)

1. Regarding the comparison to Moses our teacher, there are two aspects to it:
A. The negative aspect of those who question the rabbi as though he doesn’t know what he is talking about — about that Rabbi Chaim himself said that there have already been such things in the past. Meaning: the mockery of Korah. And this has nothing to do with Rabbi Chaim’s level of holiness or authority. There have been “Korahs” against rabbis in every generation! (And that was the main beginning of the thread.)
B. The positive aspect — as you wrote, Moses our teacher was chosen by God, whereas you called Rabbi Chaim a “substantive authority.” So I certainly did not mean to establish that Rabbi Chaim is God’s chosen one like Moses our teacher. Although I believe that certainly when the public accepts a rabbi upon themselves for leadership, this is determined and proclaimed in Heaven.
C. Someone who has accepted Rabbi Chaim as his rabbi, guide, leader, great sage of the generation, “substantive authority” — must enter under the halakhic definition of student and rabbi, as ruled in the halakhic books.
D. Someone who has not accepted Rabbi Chaim as his rabbi or guide, etc., should happily choose some other rabbi.

2. I don’t think one must listen דווקא to Rabbi Chaim or to whoever disagrees with him. If you have made for yourself a rabbi, or you have decided to rule for yourself, then by all means. But there is an enormous difference between not listening to Rabbi Chaim and criticizing him as though he were on your level, while hanging it on the concept that “where there is desecration of God’s name, one does not show honor to a rabbi.” (On the contrary, let’s hear who the rabbi is that ruled one should act that way.)

3. Why does Rabbi Chaim need to stand and give explanations and answers to every critic — every little chick??
If in any case you do not listen to his voice, then you have your rabbi, or you rule for yourself.
But if a person has decided to accept Rabbi Chaim as his rabbi, guide, etc., as above… and he sees things in the sense that “even if he tells you that left is right and right is left,” then he will carry out those things without needing answers from the rabbi. (And I, in my humble opinion, indeed do not need answers from the rabbi.)

(Note that I still have not written any excuses or explanations for Rabbi Chaim’s approach, even though everything is clear to me and I truly do not understand what it is that you don’t understand… But if I try to give explanations, the previous commenter already belittled that by writing, “don’t sell nonsense.”
And therefore I will suffice with wanting to draw your attention to the fact that criticizing Rabbi Chaim (or other rabbis of a high level, and it makes no difference from which circle or community) seems to me like the deed of Korah and his congregation. And about this the Mishnah says: beware of their glowing coals.

I hope I have made myself properly understood.