May I ask the honorable Rabbi why his basic assumption is that the left’s outlook is mistaken? After all, millions of Palestinians live in the territories, and if we connect with them we’ll get either a binational state or apartheid. One can argue that a withdrawal will bring missiles, but that still doesn’t explain why keep putting more and more settlers into the territories, thereby perpetuating—even if the Palestinians stop hating us—the situation in which we’ll have to choose between a binational state and apartheid.

Who said the left’s outlook is mistaken? The argument over an agreement with the Palestinians is not on the table right now. When it is, we can discuss it. I’m not ruling out a compromise at all. On the contrary. But the conduct they propose can’t really work, and I assume that if they’re elected, they themselves won’t do it either.

Sa’ar and Lieberman really aren’t left-wing, but since they won’t join a Netanyahu government, the reality is that voting for them is a vote for a left-wing government (since there is no political viability for a right-wing government without Likud). Hatred and love for Bibi are simply driving people out of their minds.

I think you’re a bit confused. If they join parties that aren’t Likud, that’s a left-wing government? There you have an example of Bibist propaganda. A government with ten or fifteen MKs from the left and all the rest not from the left is a left-wing government?
And I’m not even talking about the propaganda according to which Bibi isn’t left-wing. He himself acts exactly like all his colleagues on the diplomatic-security level. You won’t find anything right-wing about him even under a microscope, aside from empty declarations and lies, as is his way.
Oh, I forgot. Gafni and Deri are the militant right that will create a right-wing government. They’ll also make sure to pursue right-wing economic policy, since as everyone knows they are devout capitalists who strongly oppose socialist support for weaker sectors of society (especially those who are completely to blame for their situation). They encourage free enterprise and oppose regulation in various areas (for example, religious ones). Truly a glorious right-wing government.
Apparently I really am the one being driven out of my mind by propaganda, hatreds, or loves…

I didn’t mean that you were the one being driven out of your mind, but Lieberman and Sa’ar. Right-wing people refusing to join the biggest party on the right because of personal conflicts with the person heading it—that seems to me like utter blindness, and without it (a coalition according to views, heaven forbid) we’d have had several possible combinations that would have allowed change in the judicial system. On diplomatic matters I agree that everyone is similar.

The fact that Bibi did foolish things is completely true; as far as I’m concerned, it’s definitely time for someone in Likud to replace him. But that’s not a reason for what happened here.

To Vonko,

I don’t think asking any question on the assumption that he’s a right-wing person makes sense when we’re talking about someone who thinks Gantz and Lapid are not left-wing, intends to vote for Ra’am, and thinks Abbas is an “amazing” person (despite voting against the Judea and Samaria regulations…).
The left has no loyalty to the Jewish people. The right does. Therefore the Haredim are right-wing and everyone else is not. And by that definition Rabbi Michi isn’t right-wing either.

Dear Shmuel, may he live long and well.
Your short memory is apparently working against you. Abbas did not vote against the Judea and Samaria regulations. Ghanayim from his faction was the only one who voted against it, against the wishes of his colleagues. And it’s also worth remembering that Bibi and the “right” (yeah, right), and of course the Haredim, were precisely the ones who all voted against the law.
But don’t let facts interfere with the propaganda and slogans. The “right” has always been strong at that. In fact, only at that.

Honorable Rabbi, what about the fact that Sa’ar and Gantz could go with Hadash-Ta’al in some kind of constellation and rotation deal, but that probably doesn’t bother you because Bibi the lying crook drinks champagne with or without cigars, submarines, Walla, Bezeq, Noni, etc.—aren’t you just a tiny bit consumed by hatred for the vile dog, the father of the Iranian bomb, Netanyahu? By the way, bravo for the logical and/or rational thinking, truly amazing and awe-inspiring.

What nonsense. The right voted against the regulations because it isn’t the left’s slave. Let’s see the left deny settlers the right to vote. I wish it would. And there’s no substantive difference between Ghanayim and Abbas. At best both are indifferent to the fate of the Jewish people, who are not their people. And anyone who makes an alliance with them has no loyalty to the Jewish people who live here. I think right-wing people in general should leave the army, and anyone who stays is in any case not serving Israel. He is serving the State of Israel, yes, but it does not serve the Jewish people. Serving in the army is only giving power to leftists who are indifferent to the fate of the Jewish people. All the officials in this country think the Jewish people were created to serve them, not the other way around.

Well, like Bibists with washed brains, you cling to your theory (really his, not yours—you have nothing of your own) with Stalinist excuses (after all, Stalin is always right, no matter what he did and no matter what the facts are).
You brought the vote on this law as a measure of anti-Zionism and leftism, and whoops—it turns out you were wrong (or lied) regarding Abbas’s vote and that of his party, and on top of that it turned out that reality is exactly the opposite, because it was your favorites from the “right” (yeah, right) who brought down the law. Fine, the difference is only 180 degrees, so no wonder the excuses are now beginning.
Surely you’ll understand (or not) that it’s hard for me to discuss things with people under hypnosis, so I suggest we stop here.

Rabbi Michi,
Perhaps you could explain once and for all what is the reason for your hatred of Netanyahu?
If it’s because he’s a liar, I assume almost every politician could be accused of that. If it’s because of the indictments against him, well, they’re collapsing like a house of cards.
In short, what did Netanyahu do that makes you despise him so much?

As leftists do, the Rabbi also ignored the arguments (and reality).

As a Bibist, I’ve never voted Likud (I even voted for the New Right in the first election), so apparently I’m not such a successful Bibist.

That the right voted against the regulations is common knowledge, but no one sees that as anti-Zionism. The left isn’t Zionist at all, and neither is the Rabbi. The word is meaningless in their mouths, just like the word Jewish. The proof is that the settlers will keep voting for this right that voted against the regulations. Indeed, I made a mistake in identifying Ghanayim with Abbas (I thought all of Ra’am voted against), but that was only a counterexample to the Rabbi on his own terms (not a good one), and it’s irrelevant to my claim about the Rabbi’s and the left’s lack of loyalty to the Jewish people. What matters to them is the state, not the people. The instrument, not the essence. That is the way of the hollow left. Therefore even the vote on the regulations has no value except for the left.

There is no importance whatsoever in dealing with Arab society; they are either our enemies (and that is the truth), or at best indifferent to our fate. And concern for them is the core of my claim. One must not be concerned for them. No taxes, no army, no allowances, no crime. No obligations and no rights. The whole involvement with them is only because of their Israeli citizenship, which is an empty formal matter. And whoever joins with them has no loyalty to the Jewish people here.

And now that we’ve come to this,

To Volvo’s question,

If only Bibi would destroy the anti-Jewish institutions of the state. It has no purification except by being broken; its breaking is its purification. A collection of Israel-hating bureaucrats who appoint themselves. A bunch of Dreyfuses who wanted to lord it over the gentiles and got kicked in the backside by the gentiles, so they looked for other suckers to rule over. And they found the rest of the Jews and deceived them in the name of Zionism in order to fulfill their lust for power.
The only problem with Bibi is that he still tries to curry favor with these leftists and thinks he has something in common with them, and he doesn’t understand that the whole war against him is because he represents the Jewish people. He still hasn’t learned. And unfortunately he won’t destroy all that much. Let’s hope at least the judicial system. Better a dictatorship of a person who believes in the Jewish people than a dictatorship of foreign rule.

There are lots of Bibists who didn’t vote Likud. They want Bibi with a strong Smotrich, or a strong Gafni, or anything else. This is just simple logic. So this ridiculous excuse (I’m not a Bibist because I didn’t vote Bibi), which so many people use, simply makes me laugh. Well, hypnosis probably damages logic too.

Fine. If so, then I’m a proud Bibist. I innocently thought a Bibist was someone who wants only Bibi. I actually don’t. I’m in favor of competition—provided it’s suitable and for the Jewish people (not the State of Israel). At the time I thought Bennett could be a successful replacement at some point in the future, but he turned out to be a crook. But if there aren’t successful competitors, I’ll take the best one. Bibi didn’t try to curry favor with the media and didn’t evacuate settlements, and that’s enough for me. Gantz only dreams about that at night, as do all the various generals. And Bibi still believes in the Jewish people. He’ll let Smotrich expel all the progressive Israel-haters from the state institutions, while everyone else just flatters them.

You have to check who here is under hypnosis. Leftism is a mental illness.

Hello Rabbi,

I didn’t understand the considerations behind voting for Ra’am.

I can understand your appreciation for the man. I don’t understand what you gain by voting for him, when you explicitly wrote that you don’t know which bloc he’ll join. Is this a vote based only on appreciation?
Why not vote for a party where it’s clear which bloc it will go with?

Bottom line, Bibi gave Hebron to Arafat (Peres hesitated and didn’t dare).
Bibi sent Ron Lauder to Assad again and again to get a piece of paper called peace, and in exchange withdraw from the Golan.
Bibi gave the Arabs a sea of territory in the Wye Plantation Agreement.
Bibi voted three times in the Knesset in favor of the disengagement from Gaza and northern Samaria.
(And if it pays off for him, he’ll do it again to Yitzhar and its offshoots.)
For years Bibi didn’t beat Hamas to its knees (and didn’t try); now Lapid did it to Islamic Jihad in less than 48 hours.
Bibi transferred suitcases of dollars to Hamas.
Bibi did nothing in the Negev and there were almost no demolitions of illegal houses there (in the last year they demolished more there than in the previous 12 years, according to reports).
The Arabs raised their heads in Lod, Acre, and other places in the country and tried to carry out a pogrom against Jews because there is a prime minister who is “Abu Yair,” and they understand that he’s a coward and won’t do anything.
Because of him, piles of Haredim died during COVID and also in Meron.
He’s done enough damage. Let him go.

*and also in Meron

Rabbi, can you answer me?

I would gain progress in improving the situation of Israeli Arabs and integrating them into the systems, which could create better identification with the state and with Jewish society. That’s something he would do with either bloc. Although there really is some chance that he’ll go with Netanyahu, at least he’ll do something beneficial there. All the others are more of the same.

If the cost of living matters to you, only voting for my party will change the situation.

With God’s help, 24 Elul 5782

To Chazab—greetings,

It is obvious that one should vote for Ra’am, which is an acronym for “Faithful Shepherd” (numerically equal to “Messiah son of David,” counting the words).

And therefore Maimonides taught us that if a leader arises from the house of David, engaged in Torah and commandments like David his ancestor, fighting the wars of God, compelling the people to walk in the ways of the Torah and strengthen its observance, and working to gather in the dispersed of Israel—then it is fitting to follow him, for he has the presumption of being the Messiah.

And in the meantime let us pray and ask in the words of Rabbi Judah Ibn Abbas, who concludes his liturgical poem “At the Time the Gates of Favor Open”: “Remember Your covenant, O Dweller on high, and the oath; hear the blast, the tekiah and the one who sounds it; and say to Zion: the time of salvation has come; I send Yinon and Elijah.”

And may it be God’s will that we soon merit that the one crowned with the supreme crown will appear in the splendor of his majestic might before all who dwell on earth, and they will all shoulder together the service of God with vigor, through closing the ranks under the guidance of the Jewish people united as one fellowship under the banner of the Torah. Then every Jewish home will radiate Jewish strength to the world in ways of pleasantness. To every storm it will be said, “Lift up, lift up,” and the time will come to say to the ministers of the army: “Listen, cut [=weapon]” 🙂

Perhaps we will merit this as quickly as the almond tree blossoms, and perhaps like the dawn that shines little by little. The main thing is not to despair of hoping!

With blessings,
Matanya Hai Kimelman-Shiluach

And in the meantime, until a redeemer comes to Zion, we will have to live with the existing politicians, with their lights and shadows, and examine carefully who can lead the State of Israel to cope successfully with the two existential threats that Biden’s administration is trying to advance: the nuclear agreement that will lift the sanctions from Iran and allow it to move toward an atomic bomb while the world turns a blind eye; and the “peace agreement” that will lead to an armed Palestinian terror state, leaving us with a narrow coastal plain and a capital that is an enclave.

The question is who will lead: a limp left at best, and at worst one that runs amok to give up strategic territory and destroy “settlements,” see our current prime minister, who declared at the time of the disengagement that there was no diplomatic or security need for it, only a need “to teach the settlers a lesson”—hatred for its own sake…

Or a resolute right, led by an experienced leader who knew how to navigate for twenty years and “buy time” and freeze the peace process de facto; who awakened the Western world to the Iranian danger (just as he later awakened the world to deal with the danger of COVID); who stood up to enormous pressures from within and without, and at the same time brought the country to economic prosperity.

That is the question that needs to be decided!

With blessings,
Machshak

I’m glad that for you everything is firm, clear, and established, that the paths of politics and politicians are plain to you, and as you testified about yourself, that you are a “settled old man who votes well.”

I am not like that. From the day I came to awareness I have not dirtied my hands with party slips, and even when I was forced to vote against my will, I slipped a “blank note,” pure and spotless, into the envelope in secret behind the curtain. Perhaps a day will come when my mind settles, and I will merit the understanding of the old and the wisdom of the aged.

With blessings for a good inscription and sealing

With God’s help, 26 Elul (the day of the separation between water and water), 5782

To Chazab—greetings,

Indeed it suits you to cast a “blank slip” into the ballot box, which in numerology (including the whole phrase) equals “Haim Zelig Berger.” But it should be noted that “Haim Zelig Berger” also equals exactly “votes for the lesser evil.”

Perhaps one could say that as long as you are still “in the kollel,” before you have gone out into life, such purity—refusing to vote for any party tainted by scheming and falsehood—is fitting, and it is preferable to remain pure and bright like a “blank slip.” But once one leaves the kollel for practical life, it is worth taking into account the fact that in the Knesset fateful matters are decided, and perhaps it is preferable to be one who “votes for the lesser evil” 🙂

The fateful nature of these elections was made clear by our prime minister Yair Lapid in his frankness (or foolishness?…) when he announced that in the upcoming UN General Assembly he would make clear his loyalty to the “two-state solution” and to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

I, who as an 8½-year-old child in small Jerusalem experienced the Six-Day War and saw with my own eyes a Jordanian shell hit the apartment opposite ours—the apartment owner, Rabbi Yosef Dov Unterman (my brother the chief rabbi), was saved unharmed because he was in the other room, but the shell continued into the house opposite and wounded Rabbi Mordechai Neumann, who lay in a cast for about half a year.

If that was in the days of Hussein, who was relatively less eager to destroy us and was only dragged after Nasser, one can imagine what will happen when our capital once again becomes an enclave in a sovereign terror state of Fatah, Hamas, and/or Islamic Jihad.

Therefore I would prefer a government that will not run amok to establish a Palestinian terror state, and although I try to be among the “clear-minded” (equal in number to “Shatz Lewinger”), because of danger to life I would prefer to vote for someone who seeks to prevent this nightmare scenario.

With blessings for a year of life and happiness,
Ofer Badan Milvav-Muskaroner (UFO)