Rav Sternbuch is a great man, but I doubt he asked Levin to fly to Eretz Yisrael to protest. They have plenty of protesters, trust me. Perhaps Levin flew in and got involved in his favorite past time. He may have even spoken to Rav Sternbuch; does that make his positions in the least bit valid or endorsed by Daas Torah?
Something!
However, has Rav Sternbuch endorsed Yehudah Levin in any way? Something public? A letter? Stand behind his organization? Hearsay doesn’t count; Rabbonim make it very clear who speaks for them – and even then it’s complicated (Agudah/Lakewood Vaad etc.) ! Even then it’s a gesheft; here, no one has given even the smallest signature. No one! Just a rumor about Rav Sternbuch about a protest in Eretz Yisrael – about gays! Maybe he could have helped Shemiras Shabbos? Or Kiruv? What else does this guy do for Khal Yisrael – not for fundamentalist christians, Khal Yisrael ! – other then shray in their name about Toeva! Who is he? What is he?
You build credibility when you actually do other things; Ribono D’Alma Kula – have you ever heard his name involved in ANYTHING other then politics? Even the Agudah has a whole bunch of things going on other then washington. Politics! Not just politics, but his only issue – you can sell yeshivas to timbuktu, chuck ever voucher in the book – just publicly say you hate gay people and he’s yours.
Don’t you think a Gadol should make that decision – that Khal Yisrael should have a single issue? Have they? Good, let it be a machlokes – between who and who? Live people are the only ones that count. That is how Daas Torah and Halacha work. You need to be breathing to cast a vote. It’s great to quote dead gedolim, do whatever you want in their name – because, guess what, they’re dead and can’t say “oy, are you brain damaged?” as opposed to living Daas Torah.
Who gave him his ballot? Manhigus is given, never taken.
And look how he acts! Look how he talks! Al Sharpton would be embarrassed (well, maybe not)! This is a Torah leader – in the mantle of Rav! “Asasuni Kinor Sh’Managim Bo Letzim”
There is a posuk in the Torah, true. But there is Shas, Poskim, Shulchan Aruch – interpeted by the greats of the day, Where does that entire his equation?
Again, who backs him? Who says – “this man speaks the word of the Torah”? Who? And if you don’t have that behind you, you have no right to speak for Torah Jewry! Especially in his vernacular, Lo Alenu!
Now it occurs to me that perhaps I am old fashioned. Perhaps people do not care about shas & poskim through the lense of true daas torah- they want some one who “speaks the truth” – that is, the truth how they feel it in their own – shas and poskimless – boich. If that is true, then perhaps…they deserve him. V’Oy Lanu!
And yes, the “establishment” certainly must do some soul searching, because the fact that he even has the slightest maamad means we are not getting the true message out, or have strayed from our own truth.
But Yidden, if we still care about Daas Torah – which governs WHAT to say, to WHOM to say it, WHEN to say it – not “speaks from the gut” – since when it that a Torah concept? We speak from the brain! – what do we have with a man with barely even Daas – never mind Daas Torah! Speaking the truth when it is not to be spoken – is SHEKER!