There’s some guy who, from time to time, shows Rabbi Aviner things by the local rabbi. Rabbi Eng. Aviner even wanted to get into a polemic with him over the last booklet, but the go-between didn’t have the energy and told him, “Find material on your own.” He hasn’t read any of Rabbi Michi’s books, only summaries and short articles. Maybe he also saw things on YouTube. He has a soft spot for people with hand-and-head skills, especially scientific ability and analytical ability; that’s where his fondness for the rabbi comes from.

More than once I ended up chatting with Rabbi Aviner about Michi. He appreciates him a lot and thinks highly of him. I asked him what he thought about learning Torah from Rabbi Michi and not just wisdom, and he was in favor. Of course, he said Rabbi Michi has “unusual” views, but several times he expressed admiration and appreciation for him.

To Shai Zilberstein,
Rabbi Aviner put Cassuto under a ban over views far less unusual than Rabbi Michi’s, so I don’t believe that today he wouldn’t put the rabbi under a ban — unless maybe you spoke decades ago, when the rabbi was still “moderate” and not too much “outside the norms.”

Absolutely not. I spoke with him about him a year or two ago.

And regarding Cassuto, look at the following response:

Q: Should one throw into the garbage a Hebrew Bible with the Cassuto commentary?

Answer:

A. First of all, it’s not Cassuto but Rabbi Cassuto, who was a Torah scholar and a righteous man.

B. He didn’t write it; rather, it was written by Prof. Hartom, his brother-in-law.

C. It is a straightforward and kosher commentary.

True, but check right after that: Rabbi Aviner retracted that statement, claiming he didn’t know that “Cassuto adopts the approach of the biblical critics.”

Aviv, obviously this is one of those cases where he “got slapped down” by Rabbi Tz. Tau, and that’s why he changed his public stance. And from both of their perspectives, it’s less about the content and more about the public struggle they’re conducting.

Aviv, he didn’t retract. He’s simply reserved about him. That’s completely legitimate. I only came to show that with all his conservatism, he didn’t “put him under a ban” — that phrase represents something more extreme than recommending not to study him. In any case, with Michi that’s not the situation. He appreciates him and is reserved about some of his views. He told me explicitly that Rabbi Michi is a serious Torah scholar, and people just attack him for heresy for no reason.