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Maran Rav Elyashiv: Whoever Steals Has The Din of A Rodef


Shock waves were sent through the Charedi community of Eretz Yisroel Sunday morning, when the police raided numerous Kollelim, and arrested close to 10 people on suspicion of defrauding the state of millions of shekels by submitting falsified enrollment forms – in a story first reported by YWN Israel.

Over a thousand fake identification cards, as well as the machinery to produce them, were confiscated in the joint operation by investigators from the Jerusalem District Police Central Unit and fraud detectives.

Police believe that the institutions – located in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Betar Illit and Meah Shearim – have for years been forging ID cards for people who are not enrolled in the yeshivos in order to receive monthly financial support from the Education Ministry, claiming that hundreds were studying at the yeshivos, when in fact only dozens were.

The most significant development in the story is a comment made by the Posek Hador, as reported by Bichadrei Charedim.

In a conversation with a Yungerman this afternoon, Maran Hagon Rav Elyashiv Shlita told him “if the story turns out to be true then the Ganovim have a Din of Rodfim”.

The Posek Hador explained that these acts cause irreversible damage to the Charedi public in Eretz Yisroel and abroad, and “whoever takes money from the Medina Shelo K’din, has a Din of  Rodef”.

(Chaim Shapiro – YWN Israel)



20 Responses

  1. A crook is a crook. Doesn’t matter if he wears a black hat or a baseball cap! This act only enforces the hatred Mr. and Mrs. Israeli public have on the Haredi community. One rotten apple or in this case 10 rotten apples hurt the entire community. Shame on them for causing such a Chillul Hashem!

  2. I am not here to justify he alleged crime, but the state of Israel has been squeezing the frum community financially in every possible way, and when people have no choice the do mistakes and furthermore they allow them selves to do things which are forbidden by the Torah and by law that they are taking only what should have been coming to them but was taken from them unjustly

  3. #5 uj:
    Do you hear yourself? You are justifying theft by claiming the money should have been sent to them in the first place? So if I decide I really should have had a car and take my neighbors car I am also just taking what was rightfully mine?

    I don’t even want to know in what “yeshiva” or “kollel” you picked up that warped way of thinking and can only hope you picked it up outside of said institutions because if you picked it up inside those institutions are more of the rodfim mentioned by R’ Elyashiv shlita and should be zoche to fast and complete closure.

    One of the big mistakes of both the dor hamabul and Sodom was that they were thieves….

    It also amazes me that you can claim that the government is squeezing the frum though I don’t know the numbers it would not surprise me at all if just like lehavdil the arabs more money flows to the frum than comes from the frum.

    Theft it theft is theft is theft.

  4. Um, there is NO excuse to STEAL. Just because the state might do wrong things.. doesn’t mean chareidim have the right to violate the Torah. Also, what ever happened to BITACHON!

  5. “but the state of Israel has been squeezing the frum community financially in every possible way”

    The State of Israel probably gives more money to Torah then any other government in the entire world. The frum community feels “squeezed” because many don’t make enough money to support their families and blame others for not giving it to them. If you can’t handle the kollel salary than don’t go to kollel. Don’t expect the government to pay you what you want and then steal from them when they don’t.

  6. uj (#5):
    “…what should have been coming to them” according to whom? “unjustly”, according to whom? When people sign legal documents, if they tell a lie, it’s criminal, squeeze or no squeeze.

  7. כי מגיע לי
    is not a valid excuse for theft, EVER.

    [If this can be tagged on to my other reply that would be great]

  8. UJ

    im sorry but there is only so much bashing that the charedi community can do to the state, before the people of the state dont want to support their torah learning. Is that the correct thing to do? probably not but that is the reality. Nothing should have been coming to them, if they didnt deserve it, and stealing it was an even bigger mistake. What a chillul Hashem!!

  9. Unless I see this in writing I’m not sure I would believe it Rodef is a very strong word and I’m sure Maran Posek HaDor doesn’t use it lightly and you have to know in what context he said this (if he did?)

  10. What’s the big fuss? They were simply keeping a Halacha s brought down in Hilchot Talmud Torah: Whoever does not teach his son a trade is essentially teaching him how to steal.

  11. A few days ago the Treasury began to cut off money to a number of Universities. There are tens of millions of shekels unaccounted for and the Universities refuse to cooperate in finding it. So will we see paramilitary troops raiding the Universities next? Don’t hold your breath. Fraud and theft must be prevented and dealt with. There is the unfortunate impression though that theft by those on the inside is allowed and is only illegal to those on the outside of the establishment.
    Aryeh Zelasko
    Beit Shemesh

  12. UJ
    Don’t make excused for crooks. No one has the right to steal, even if they think they are justified. The frum community in Israel thinks the country owes them a living. Well, the State does not. If you want to sit and learn, that is your privileged, but don’t expect the State to pay you a salary. Working is not a dirty word. If you need money to support yourself and your family then you have 2 choices…work part time or have a private donor support you. All of my nephews sat and learned for many years and some still do, but they always supported themselves.

  13. WELL SAID! People think that the gedolim matir such behavior. All they had to do was ask, and he gave the psak. NO MORE GENAIVA!

  14. To uj:
    I don’t understand your point.
    When you say that they are taking only what should be coming to them, on what do you base this? Has there been a Psak Beis Din? And even if there had been such a Psak, one is not allowed to steal to get the money.
    So you’re not justifying them, just finding excuses?

  15. I understand teh Poisek hador calling these thieves RODFIM!! Because of these crooks, people will not receive what has been alloted to them or there will be no increase as per the recent debate and therefore are RODFIM for preventing needy people getting money they are desperate for!!!

    If people sitting in Kollel would lower their standard fo living to what was 20/30 years ago, they wouldnt need so much money?
    It is a new crank nowadays that yungerleit have to live on a ballabatish lifestyle and be supported by the government and parents etc. If you want to sit and learn give up all the extras and you will manage easier on less.

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