Close the ‘Breslov Hotline’, so we can testify, “Our hands did not spill blood, in this plague”
Over the last few days, more and more of the leading rabbis in the chareidi world have begun to put out statements and interviews highlighting the links between the persecution of Rabbi Eliezer Berland, shlita, and the Shuvu Banim community, and the toll the Coronavirus epidemic is taking on the frum Jewish community, both in Israel and abroad.
Recently Rabbi Moshe Bransdorfer, shlita, Av Beit Din of Heichal Hora’ah, added his voice to the growing chorus, when he wrote the following letter, asking his rabbinic colleagues to join him in shutting the lashon hara hotline set up by Rabbi Berland’s persecutors within the Breslov community.
You can read the original Hebrew letter, containing the Psak Din, for yourself below, and we are also pleased to share with you a translation of Rabbi Bransdorfer’s words:
====
“It’s known to everyone that Am Yisrael is in urgent need of abundant rachmei shemayim (Heavenly mercy), in this time when this terrible magefa (epidemic) is spreading.
The Coronavirus illness is consuming many souls in Israel, Hashem should have mercy.
“No calamity happens in this world except for the Jewish people, to scare them, in order to bring them back in teshuva.”
This is how Rabbi Bransdorfer began his missive, in which he sets out his view that the terrible magefa that has been hitting the frum Jewish community particularly hard, both socially and medically, is directly connected to the awful persecution of Rabbi Berland and his community.
As more and more rabbis are beginning to openly testify, the Rav’s persecutors left no stone unturned in their vendetta against him and the Shuvu Banim community, frequently resorting to slander, bribery and outright threats of the most malicious kind.
(See Rabbi Moshe Kluger’s interview HERE, and Rabbi Pinchas Bunker’s interview HERE, for more information on some of the nefarious actions undertaken by the Rav’s main persecutors.)
====
Rabbi Bransdorfer continued:
‘I came here in order to give over the Torah din (halachic law) in a very clear way.
According to the halacha, you are obligated to act to stop this epidemic, by immediately closing down and blocking all the telephone hotlines that are dedicated to defamation and lashon hara, etc, and especially the hotline that is called the “Kav Breslov”.
[This hotline] is broadcast by a few young baalei machloket (people who deliberately cause trouble and stir things up), who terrorize the rabbis.
I have heard from all of the leaders of the Breslov communities that none of them stand behind this hotline, halila, (G-d forbid), and that not one of them takes responsibility and says “this is on my head”, about the content that is heard there.
And as you know, this hotline is totally based around lashon hara, gossip, abuse and sinat chinam (hatred without reason).
And it has ignited the fire of machloket that has burnt up so many souls of children, and young men, who pay attention to these hotlines.
====
So, the simple ruling of the Din Torah is that you must immediately close this line, and all of its numbers and all of its branches…. In order to clean your conscious, and to be able to testify about yourselves that: “Our hands didn’t spill blood in this epidemic.”
And then in the merit of this, the Holy One, Blessed be He, should help to remove these obstacles from before you – Hashem should remove His anger, and have mercy on the children of His people, who are writhing under difficulties and deaths, Hashem should have mercy.
And the Children of Israel should be saved from this harsh epidemic, and the Holy One, Blessed by He should bring the geula upon us, speedily in our days.”
====
More clues from Rav Pinto about what is causing the COVID-19 epidemic
