Q&A: The Foolish Arguments of the Haredim
The Foolish Arguments of the Haredim
Question
How does the Rabbi explain the fact that when it comes to the Talmud and Torah, Haredim are regarded as geniuses—deep, analytical scholars who understand everything profoundly—but when it comes to ordinary worldly matters, the level of their arguments is sometimes worse than that of a 6-year-old child? For example, they claim that the army is of no use, since we saw what happened on October 7th. (I assume any 6-year-old can understand how ridiculous and foolish that argument is.)
Answer
That’s a question for a psychologist, not for me. I can offer my own point of view.
First of all, those generalizations are greatly exaggerated. There are certainly some like that among them. You mean to ask about those who are deep and analytical in Talmud study—how is it that they talk nonsense in other contexts? It seems to me that the reason is tendentiousness and apologetics. In Talmudic analysis they give free rein to their thinking, and the conclusion is whatever they arrive at. Here, by contrast, the conclusion is dictated in advance, and at most they search high and low for arguments to justify it. Just yesterday I received some bizarre question in that same style: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%d7%97%d7%a8%d7%93%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%9c%d7%91%d7%a7%d7%95%d7%9D/
Beyond that, there is apparently also great frustration among them, and a clear inner feeling that they are not in the right—and it is hard to live with that. So they look high and low for excuses.
Discussion on Answer
The answer seems very, very simple.
It seems the honored Rabbi is sparing their dignity here (which in my opinion they do not deserve).
Do you know the expression "they make the Torah into a spade to dig with"? That is exactly the reason why they suddenly become idiots on the basic value-laden questions of life—because it simply doesn’t serve them. So they say nonsense like: "I follow my rabbi," "the great rabbis of the generation," "who are you to speak about the rabbis?"
From experience, you’ll see that when they’re checking which washing machine to buy, they suddenly become smart, rational people.
Why? Because a washing machine is money, and money is very important to them.
Truth and goodness—not on their radar at all!!!!!!!!!!!
Yossi, with all due respect, you’re really exaggerating. The Haredim sincerely and genuinely believe in their ideology, but as with ideologues everywhere in the world, stubborn attachment to an ideology blocks thinking and the ability to examine things from a neutral point of view.
Just like Bibi-ism.