Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, who was the long-standing principal of the Ramaz Jewish day school in Manhattan, and is the rabbi of [modern orthodox] Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, was invited by President Obama to recite a prayer at the National Prayer Service the day after Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
The following are excerpts of an email written by Rabbi Lookstein:
January 20, 2009
In just a few hours I leave for Washington, D.C., where I will recite a prayer as part of the National Prayer Service taking place tomorrow morning, Wednesday, January 21, at the National Cathedral. The service, which will be broadcast live at 10:00 a.m. on MSNBC, will include scriptural readings, prayers, hymns and blessings delivered by religious leaders from across the United States. The National Prayer Service, a custom which dates back to the inauguration of President George Washington, will conclude the activities surrounding the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to participate in this historic moment in modern American history, and though my remarks will be very brief, they will represent all of our hopes for this young, dynamic President and the great country that he has been chosen to lead.
Haskel Lookstein.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
29 Responses
I’m not a Rov, but isn’t it assur to enter into a makom avodah zarah? From Wikipedia: The Washington National Cathedral is officially dedicated as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
Orthodox?
AzoyIsEs is obviously not a halachik jew, as that person is willing to cast aspersion on other jews.
At worst this is a case where mishum eivah would allow it.
its not a gsmack inyan, however , meshum eivah i imagine he is going.rabbi lookstein is considered an orthodox rabbi.
Calm down the witch hunt #2 and #4! All AzoyIsEs did was ask a question in a very humble, respectful manner. There were no insults, unlike #2 and #4 responses.
And furthermore, #2 and #4 should put their foot in their mouth. Rabbinical Council of America has already come out with an announcement that they do not approve of this prayer. For more info, look up “lookstein Rabbinical Council of America” on Google News.
You 3 MO guys are too quick to validate what he did. For all you know it is completely wrong. Both of you think that mishum eiva is a reason you can go into a church? Is that a mantra at YU or something?
Obviously no real Rov is going to weigh in on this issue because it is unlikely that this MO rabbi would listen.
It’s ironic that #2 casts aspersions on #1 at the same time as he berates him for casting aspersions on this rabbi.
#2,3,4. I’m not sure if you care but the RCA doesn’t agree with you.
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/01/21/1002407/rca-says-lookstein-violated-its-rules-by-participating-in-national-prayer-service
take a deep breath all. Since he didn’t ask any of our opinions on the matter, and our opinion won’t change it anyway. lets not make judgements one way or the other. If you are ever in that situation I would suggest asking a shailah. how bout that?
I don’t agree with Yeshiva World editor for posting this story. There is nothing newsworthy about a modern orthodox rabbi praying for his country’s leader. After all, don’t most “real” shuls say the prayer for the President and Vice President immediately before the Prayer for the Medinah? So what is the big deal that he is praying for Obama.
every if we like it or not he is going. so we may as well not argue about it and this is loshon hora and we have to be dan lcaf zchus
The Rambam says you can enter a mosque but not a church because a church has idols. Who knows what he would say today about Protisten churchs where they do not have idols.
Feif Un – Are you having an imaginary conversation? Wipe your eyeglasses clean, and read what people are actually writing. Who questioned whether he is Orthodox? Who has made an insinuations except you and #2?
It’s sort of like being between a rock and a hard place. Obviously, R’Lookstein was invited to participate. And if he hadn’t of attended, that would have made the conservative and deformed participating rabbis more legitimate as “representatives of the Jewish faith”. On the other hand, I personally have more problems about an Orthodox Rabbi being with those latter two, then his being in the cathedral.
Folks, gone for now are the days when Roshei Yeshiva were GBW’s guests in the White House.
We have a tefilloh originating with Yirmiyohu ha novi and that is Hanosein T’shuah.which SHOULD be said in shul every Shabbos in shul,but not in a church.Pirkei Avos also states that we should daven for the government of the country we live in.I beg to differ with those who say that frum people and shuls should not say this. They do not know what they are talking about and have forgotten the mesorah of our forefathers. However,going into a church or joining and ‘ecumenical prayer service’ is ossur for a Jew.הנותן תשועה למלכים
May Hashem and Yisroel find favor in the eyes of our (USA, Israeli,etc) government and may Hashem protect them and their Jewish citizens.
When a man (rabbi or not) is willing to go to a church and represent Orthodox Jews by doing so, it would behoove him to seek guidance from the leaders of the community he is representing. His Orthodoxy does come into question if he is willing to visit a bais avodah zara. It is expressly forbidden in halacha. So who knows what other express halachos he chooses not to abide by?
Orthodox Jews pray for the president every week, but in their shuls. He could offer to do the same.
The shulchan aruch says, to the best of my memory, that the only time one can go to a church is if it is mamesh pikuach nefesh – what’s the hava amina that a church without real idols would differ from today’s churches? it has a statue or picture of yushke for sure, and even without it, they are worshipping a man, which is avodah zarah, enough to make their places mikomos tiflos.
Mishum eivah? what’s the mekor for that? Also, you’re not questioning a posek here – maybe we shouldn’t question co-ed schools, since there are rabbis who are heads of such schools? maybe we should all embrace wholesale abandonment of shmiras negiah, tznius and the mitzvah of lo sasuru(both components) since there are rabbis who are in charge of such groups?
give me a break..you dont go to a church, and you dont pray with ovdei avodah zara, even if you’re a rabbi, or rather, certainly if you’re a rabbi.
Hey I love all of you holy Jews. Each one of you are just stating what you think is truth.
#14: Did you read the first comment? Look at the last line.
Comment by Feif Un — January 21, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
—
I just wiped my eyeglasses 🙂
#20 – feh. “Anything goes” is not a concept in Judaism. Even your beloved Shloimele could have told you that.
“If a Rosh Yeshiva of a well known Yeshiva did something he didn’t understand, he wouldn’t ask if he was Orthodox or not. He’d say he wanted to understand the actions of the RY. It should be the same here.”
Unfortunately, Rabbi Lookstein hasn’t the standing of a Rosh Yeshiva, well known or otherwise. Remembering what Rav Gifter zt”l said about him, I have a hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt.
#23 just beat me to it there is a tape intitled diversity of orthodoxy by R’Mordechai Gifter ZT”L in which he takes care of this apikores who wrote an article in the ny times attacking R’Shach ZT”L
#23 Anonymous:
I do not believe that your comment is l’toeles.
I could be wrong… even though I am NOT a Rosh Yeshiva 😉
Please elaborate on what it is you are trying to accomplish by posting that here. Or come up with something that is not a random invitation for people to start raising motzi shem ra due to lack of information.
It appears to me that your comment is a clear violation of hilchos lashon hara… and will cast aspersions on the very gadol you obviously respect.
It was about 25 years ago that Haskal Lookstein was one of the originators of a new strand in the modern orthodoxy world called “centrist” orthodoxy. Just the mere fact that a delineation was created implies that there is a distinction, and that the hashkafas, are not the same.
Thank you SCES for at least providing some (albeit minimal) information as to what #23, Anonymous was thinking (to himself).
It is important to say what you mean, in order to prevent a chillul Hashem. When one takes on a public issue, they can not afford to be vague, and leave room for all kinds of misunderstanding.
A difference of opinion, a machlokes l’shem shamayim, or a Ta’us B’cheshbon are all possibilities.
Lifnai Iver Lo Sitain Michshol!
Even if it was not in the sanctuary(there is a shita, a very widely-used one, which would only asser going to the sanctuary itself), this would be assur for many reasons – hischabrus im reshoyim comes to mind, as well as making it seem like judaism is just another religion to be lumped into one pile of dogma with other ‘faiths'(read: avodah zara), indistinguishable from the latter – showing solidarity, or cooperation with frei groups like reform and their ilk is assur, kal vechomer avodah zara like hinduism(which actually is worshipping etzem idols) – I dont know what this rabbi was thinking, but whatever his cavana was, this was surely wrong. We dont have to judge him lechaf zchus or chov – dont judge him at all, just judge the actions – it was assur, no need to get into his personality or the like.
All of the above are correct. The issur is not on the building itself,one may go in for voting if that is where the polling place is,but NOT in the ‘sanctuary’ itself. We do NOT daven/pray for the person,but for the institution,the government,not thr governing person .but the Presidency.Joining a group of non-Torah people in prayer
or organizations has been assered by our gedolim/rabbonim.
@Thinking out loud,
I posted a link to a website where you can listen to Rav Gifter’s shiur, but for some reason it didn’t make it through the moderators. Just google the following: “diversity in orthodoxy” gifter
@IsraeliYid,
It was a prayer service not a prayer breakfast, held at the Washington National Cathedral.
It is not becoming of the writer of this article to make a distinction of “modern orthodox” to imply we all know that “real” orthodox person would not want to be a well wisher for the President of the United States unless he were a republican goy.
#30, I know of the psak you are referring to, and I know which church you had to go to to vote (sorry you weren’t in the Moeller Hall district). But don’t generalize beyond what was paskened. You were allowed to go to the church to vote. Don’t add to that. One may not benefit or APPEAR to benefit from the Church or its grounds. I know of another psak that allowed one to use a porta-bathroom on church grounds but not to go inside to use one, because of appearances.
i would like to remind everybody all the rabannim assured going on the internet so before you criticize someone make sure your not doing anything wrong