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Radicals, Rebels, & Rabblerousers

: 3 Unusual Rabbis
)#2 - Rabbi Menachem Chai Shalom Froman (Tekoa, 1945 - 2013
jrosenfeld@lss.org
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SponsoredbyMrs.DorotheaKreigerinmemoryofheraunt,GertrudeBrown
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OnDeath,LookingBackatHisLife
1.InterviewwithYehoshuaBreiner,Walla!NewsOrg.3/4/13

?
".,."
Areyouafraidofdeath?
There are moments, and there are moments. But it exists, and I do not ignore it. This is what
we have here.
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Howdoyoufeel?
You are coming to me after a very difficult night, there were great miracles. It is forbidden to
fight with these pains, we must flow with them, otherwise the pain just grows and overcomes
us. This is what there is, this is the reality that we must live with. Such is the political reality,
and so too with the disease.
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Eventoday,inretrospective,hehasnoregretsoverhiscontroversialpath.The
meetingswithYasserArafatinRamallah,theconversationswithAhmedYassin,the
journeytoTurkeytodiscusstheMaviMarmarawithErdogananyonewhoisseenin
theeyesoftheconsensusasanenemymeritedavisitfromhim,andhedoesnotregret
this.
I had a very special personal connection with Arafat, I called him al-Hakham Abu Amar,
which means Rabbi/Leader in Arabic, and he called me Sheikh Froman. Arafat had a very
unique sense of humor, and yet it was also clear that he was involved in murder. In his final
days, in the Muqata, he pleaded with me to come visit him, but I hesitated and in the end we
never met there. He was no Nelson Mandela, but that is what there was, and therefore it was
with him whom peace had to be made
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Fromanwasalwaysconsideredastrangebirdintheeyesofthepublic.
Wow, what we havent gone through, death threats, excommunications, stone-throwing.
One day they even sprayed graffiti on our house, saying Fatah branch: Tekoa. People dont
understand that it is only with the settlements that it is possible to achieve peace, because

they are our extension that comes in contact with the Palestinians peace is not based on
visions or some type of beautiful dreams. Peace is made with what there is
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OnRabbanutPoliticalRabbinism
2.R.MenachemFroman,
SochkiAretz
[Yediot:2014]p.20,22

Thispointofview,whichopposestheidentificationoftheRabbinicestablishmentwithsome
religiouspoliticalbody,forsureseemsverystrangeandhardtounderstandnowadays,
especiallyforsomeonewhohailsfromtheReligiousZionistpublic.Onewhoknowsitonthe
inside,forsureknowsofmanyRabbiswhodonotassociatewithanypoliticalorganization.
However,onthelevelofthemedia,itisclearthatagivenRabbiwillidentifywithaspecific
religiousparty,andhowisitevenpossibletobelieveitwhenaRabbiwouldsaythatheisnot
connectedtoareligiouspartyanymorethanasecularone!?Isitatallpossibletoreturnto
thestateofthingswhereaRabbicantranscendpolitics,aRabbiwhoholdinteresting
positionsofconsciencethatdoesnotidentifysolelywithonepartyoranother?


...TheforemostthingisthatthereligionofIsraeldoesnotrequireapersontohaveaparticular
standpoint.Becausewearetalkingaboutaconnectiontotheinfinite,[Judaism]itselfis
infinite.[RavKook]emphasizedoftenthatallofthespiritualpoliticalcampsthatexistedinhis
timethenational,thesocialist,theliberaltheyallhaveaplaceintheworldoffaith.Justas
GodiscalledThePlaceoftheWorld,sotooHisreligionisThePlaceofallspiritualpolitical
worlds

OntheRelationshipofObservanttononObservantJews
3.adloc.,p.2526

Itistrue:GodssealisTruth.Atrueconnectionwillnotbecreatedwithjustasuperficial
smearingofmortar.Inanyevent,arethewordsoftheMaharalnotfittingforus,thatpeace
transcendstruth?GodsnameisPeace.Goddesiredtocreatetheworldwiththeattribute
ofstrictjustice,andsawthattheworldcannotstand,andthenHewentandsynthesizedthe
attributeofmercy(whichistheattributeofloveGodsnameislove)...

...thequestionisarewegoingtobeabletocreatethatsynthesis?Isthereachanceforlove?
InotherwordstheonewhomHeloves,Hewillreproach.Thereisaconnectionbetween
loveandadmonishment.Thereisroomtoseetheconnectionbetweenthewordsofour
Rabbis,thatnooneinourgenerationiscapableofproperlyadmonishing,andthefactthat
senselesshatrediswhatcausedthedestructionoftheTemple
Withinallthisthequestionwestartedwitharisesisthereapossibilityofasynthesisbetween
thereligiousandsecularcultures?Fromatheoreticalpointofview,forsurethereis...

WhatOrthodoxyMustLearnfromSecularism
4.adloc.,p.2930

Perhapstherearereligiouspeopleforwhomitisimportanttoimpartthissimplelesson.
However,tomyknowledge,thisisnotthemainthingthatthereligiouscommunityis
supposedtolearnfromtheencounterwiththesecularcommunity.Themainthingforreligious
peopleistheencounter/meetingwithfreedom.Themainthingthatthesecularcommunityis
abletoprojecttothereligious,arenotitsvalues,perse,butratherthefreedomfromwhence
thosevaluesdevelop.Nottheencounterwiththereal(
yesh
),butratherwiththevoid
(ayin
).

forthemainaspectofthereligiousindividualisnotthehalachot,theexamplesand
apologetica,butratherthequestions,thedoubts,theperversions(=sin),theheresies,
thefears,andthefaithstheyhold
Forsure[AmosOz]iscorrectreligionisimportant!Itisforbiddenforustorelinquish
andgiveuponclearvaluesanddecideduponhalachot.Whenwewalkthroughthe
night,ourlegsneedtofollowaclearpathbutalongourway,wemusthaltourmarch
andwonder,withthewhisperingwind:whereareweinthisworld?Fromwheredowe
come,andwherearewegoing?
6

OnExistentialism
5.adloc.,p.34fn.19

Thecompleteheresy,andthefaithwhichnegatescorporealismcompletelythereforestandon
onesideofthebarrier,whereasontheothersidestandsthebeliefinMan(thatistosaythe
beliefthatMancancreatemeaningandmakesenseofhislifeandactions)andthebeliefin
theLordthatiswellknown.
Aswehavesaid,theonlydeviceofthebeliever(andperhapsMankindingeneral)tothe
questionoftheexistentialvoidishumility.Themeaningofhumility:torecognizeourfate,to
acceptit,andtoflowfromoneeventtotheotherexternalorinternal,tolivewiththejumps,
thosethatareincomprehensible,asadance.Thisisinmyeyesthedeepermeaningof
acceptanceof[divine]judgement,whichtrulymeanstotouchtheDivinegoodness.

OnCriticism&Contrarianism
5.adloc.,p.43

Itispossibletosaythattherearethreetypesofpeople.Thefirstistheonewhoisentrenched
withinreality.Hewalksalongthepaththathasbeenclearedforhim,fullyinvestedinthe
valueshehasreceived.Thesecondistheonewhocriticizesthatwhichhereceived,and
negatesthatclearedpathlookingdownuponthefirstindividual.Butwhatpathshouldthe
firstpersonfollow?Afterallthecriticismandnegation,willheremainempty,withoutanything
realtograspholdof?Willhisactualliferemainajumpingfromonemattertoanother,
bouncingaroundlikesomesuperball?Forafterall,thissecondtypeofperson,whoseentire
lifeisnothingbutcriticism,isstillneverthelessconnectedtowhatexistsaroundthem
however,apersonisalsofreetochooseathirdtype:theFreeMan...

MysticoPolitics
5.adloc.,p.39