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The Bais Din Rabbonei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel has issued a detailed public letter ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, declaring that Chabad is not affiliated with any political party and warning that no individual or political activist is authorized to invoke the name of Chabad or the Lubavitcher Rebbe for political purposes.

At the same time, the rabbonim stressed that Chabad chassidim are obligated to vote and should encourage others to do so, citing the Rebbe’s longstanding directive to support “the list that is most chareidi l’dvar Hashem” and that will safeguard the integrity of the Torah, the Jewish people and Eretz Yisroel.

The letter, issued by the Bais Din Rabbonei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, the senior rabbinic body of Chabad chassidim in Israel, seeks to establish clear boundaries regarding Chabad’s involvement in the election campaign and prevent political figures or activists from presenting themselves as representatives of the movement.

The rabbonim begin by reiterating what they describe as a fundamental principle established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

“The holy position of the Rebbe, the leader of our generation, is well known: Chabad Chassidus is nonpartisan, and we have no affiliation with any political party. Our mission is to engage in spreading Yiddishkeit and the wellsprings outward and to prepare the world to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu.”

The rabbonim said that this principle precludes attempts to identify Chabad with any particular political party or camp.

They then addressed a recurring phenomenon during Israeli election campaigns in which various individuals publicly claim to speak on behalf of Chabad or suggest that their political position represents the movement’s official view.

“Accordingly, no one has permission to express an opinion in the name of Chabad, and anyone who makes statements regarding the elections does not represent the official position of Chabad Chassidus, and those statements reflect their own views alone. The official position of Chabad Chassidus is solely in accordance with the directives of the Bais Din.”

The letter goes further by establishing restrictions on Chabad chassidim serving as candidates for political parties.

“A Chabad chossid may not serve as a member of the Knesset in any party [without written authorization from the Bais Din],” the rabbonim wrote.

The Bais Din also addressed Chabad chassidim who work for political parties or participate in election campaigns, making clear that such individuals are acting in their personal capacities and may not present their political activity as being conducted on behalf of Chabad.

“Chabad chassidim who work for various parties, as well as those who serve as political activists, do not represent Chabad Chassidus whatsoever, and they may not use the name of the Rebbe or Chabad in these matters.”

Despite drawing a firm line between Chabad and partisan political activity, the rabbonim emphasized that Chabad’s nonpartisan status should not be interpreted as a directive to abstain from voting. On the contrary, they said, the Rebbe repeatedly emphasized the obligation to participate in elections and to influence others to vote as well.

“At the same time, the holy position of the Rebbe regarding the obligation to vote in elections, both personally and by influencing others, is well known, as is his directive ‘to vote for the list that is most chareidi l’dvar Hashem,’ which will concern itself with shleimus haTorah, shleimus ha’am and shleimus ha’aretz, in accordance with the Rebbe’s wishes.”

The letter was signed by a broad group of prominent Chabad rabbonim serving on the Bais Din, including Rav Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky, rov of Nachalas Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi; Rav Avrohom Michel Halperin, rov of the French Hill neighborhood in Yerushalayim; Rav Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, rov of the Chabad community in Rechovot; Rav Eliyahu Yochanan Gurary, rov of Holon; Rav Yosef Hecht, rov of Eilat; and Rav Moshe Havlin, rov of Kiryat Gat.

Also signing were Rav Yisroel Yosef Hakohen Hendel, rov of the Chabad community in Migdal HaEmek; Rav Meir Ashkenazi, rov of Kfar Chabad; Rav Mordechai Bistritzky, rov of the Chabad community in Tzefas; Rav Chaim Shlomo Diskin, rov of Kiryat Ata; Rav Yeshayahu Hertzel, former rov of Nof HaGalil; Rav Yosef Yitzchok Wolosow, rov of Ramat Yishai; Rav Shneur Zalman Yaroslavsky, rov of the Chabad community in Elad; Rav Yaakov Mendelson, rov of the Chabad community in Arad; Rav Chaim Keizer, rov of the Chabad community in Emanuel; and Rav Yaakov Shwekey, one of the rabbonim of Kiryat Malachi and a senior figure at the central Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Kfar Chabad.

The letter thus seeks to draw a clear distinction ahead of the elections: Chabad itself does not belong to a political party, and individual chassidim cannot claim to speak politically in its name, while participation in the election and support for a slate adhering most closely to Torah principles remain directives that the rabbonim say were explicitly established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

{Matzav.com}

The dramatic removal of veteran MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev from Degel HaTorah’s Knesset slate represents the first major imprint of Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch on the party’s parliamentary lineup, but the shakeup is not expected to fundamentally alter Degel HaTorah’s approach toward Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the right-wing bloc.

Over the years, an almost unwritten rule has developed within Degel HaTorah: Each new generation of the party’s Torah leadership eventually places its own representative in the Knesset.

Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach selected Moshe Gafni; Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv chose Uri Maklev; Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman brought in Yaakov Asher; and Rav Chaim Kanievsky selected Yitzchok Pindrus. Now, the time has come for Rav Landau and Rav Hirsch to put their own stamp on the party’s Knesset representation.

The notable exception was Rav Gershon Edelstein, who did not make such a change during the period in which he led the party. Some attribute that to the relatively brief period before his petirah, while others point to the dynamics surrounding his leadership. An initiative to replace some of Degel HaTorah’s MKs was already raised during his lifetime, but ultimately did not move forward.

Rav Landau and Rav Hirsch have now overseen what amounts to a political earthquake within Degel HaTorah: the removal of Gafni and Maklev, two of the party’s longest-serving and most recognizable Knesset members.

The biggest beneficiary of the upheaval is Yaakov Asher. The veteran MK is expected to move into the top leadership role and serve as chairman of both Degel HaTorah and United Torah Judaism. His elevation will also make him the party’s most visible political face, including in polling and television coverage.

The personnel changes, however, should not necessarily be interpreted as signaling a significant change in Degel HaTorah’s relationship with Netanyahu or the broader right-wing bloc.

There is no major ideological gulf between Gafni and Asher in their approach to Netanyahu. Both have maintained a strong relationship with the prime minister, as have many Chareidi politicians, while at the same time expressing frustration over commitments they believe Netanyahu has failed to fulfill.

Ultimately, the defining issue for Degel HaTorah in the next Knesset is expected to remain the military draft law. The party’s political support will hinge heavily on which political bloc can assemble a majority for legislation addressing the status of bnei yeshivos in a manner acceptable to the Chareidi parties.

For Netanyahu, the present political landscape leaves him without an obvious rival capable of offering the Chareidi parties such an alternative. The changes within Degel HaTorah may therefore dramatically reshape the faces representing the party in the Knesset, while leaving its central political calculation largely unchanged.

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of Vizhnitzer chassidim gathered at midnight on Motzoei Shabbos for the first Selichos, as Rav Chaim Meir Hager, the eldest son of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, delivered an emotional address about his father’s ongoing medical treatments and urged the tzibbur to intensify their Torah and tefillos for the Rebbe’s recovery.

Just minutes before the Vizhnitzer Rebbe entered the main bais medrash for Selichos, Rav Chaim Meir Hager, Av Bais Din of Vizhnitz, addressed the massive gathering, speaking about the atmosphere within the Vizhnitzer court as the Rebbe continues to undergo difficult medical treatments.

In an impassioned address, Rav Chaim Meir spoke openly about the treatments his father has been undergoing and called upon the chassidim to continue storming the heavens on behalf of the Rebbe, Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther.

“Dear Jews,” the Vizhnitzer Av Bais Din began, “aside from all the avodah incumbent upon every Jew during these days of mercy and Selichos, we, Vizhnitzer chassidim, also have an obligation to utilize these days of mercy for our father, our shepherd, the Rebbe shlita. The tzibbur is being called upon tomorrow to recite the entire Sefer Tehillim together, as is customary, and also to add to the power of Torah by learning together for at least two hours, with a large gathering. Tefillah is one of the things in which everyone requires chizuk.”

Rav Chaim Meir then outlined three points that he said should guide the chassidim at this time.

“The first point, which everyone knows, is that we need tefillos for our crown and our shepherd, who has already been dealing for two years with an ‘unexpected guest.’ My father shlita has undergone, and still needs to continue undergoing, treatments that are not at all easy. They weaken him and take a toll on his strength, as the tzibbur can see with its own eyes. We need to daven so that the proper influence will quickly come in its entirety, as my brother (Rav Yaakov Mordechai, Av Bais Din of Elad) already urged the tzibbur this past week in a telephone message.”

“Second, from this we need to know that, baruch Hashem, we have what to daven for. In Hashem’s great kindness, we can tangibly see the words that we will soon say in Selichos, ‘Hashem guards all those who love Him.’ We see special hashgachah from Above with our father, that there is a direction in which things are going. Although tefillah is always appropriate, and Chazal say, ‘Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck, he should not despair of mercy,’ baruch Hashem, we are not in such a situation. With us, chalilah, the language of ‘despairing of mercy’ is not relevant at all.

“We can see it tangibly, even during these very last weeks, when our father was extremely weak and the doctors were considering and deliberating about how to proceed. From Shomayim, it was shown that new gates are opening, literally a reality of ‘Who causes salvations to flourish and creates cures,’ and the medical hishtadlus is continuing to advance. Therefore, as we said, we must daven, and baruch Hashem, we have what to daven for.”

Rav Chaim Meir said his third point was the most important of all: the chassidim have repeatedly witnessed the effect of the tefillos being recited for the Rebbe.

“Third, and this is the most important: all the time, literally all the time, we see tangibly that the tefillos of Yisroel help, the tefillos of Yisroel make an impact, the power of tefillah is above everything. We see tangibly that when people daven, there is a great awakening and it makes things easier for our father. That itself should be an enormous chizuk for every one of us regarding what the power of tefillah means. When we look at him, at these two years alone, we receive tremendous strength regarding what tefillah means. Therefore, from all three of these points emerges one great practical point: Dear Jews, tefillos!”

With great emotion, the Av Bais Din then described his father’s emunah and complete submission to the will of Hashem throughout the difficult medical ordeal, saying that the Rebbe has never sought to know whether a treatment had succeeded.

“I can say, and we all know this, that throughout this entire two-year period, my father shlita did not even once ask or request after a treatment whether it had succeeded — not after the major surgery and not regarding other things, not even once! My father follows a clear path: What the doctors say must be done as hishtadlus, but beyond that — nothing. For him, there is no difference whatsoever whether, according to their understanding, it succeeded or whether it did not. He did his part, and he left the rest to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Therefore, we too — and not only us — every chossid is deeply concerned for our father, checking and asking what is happening and what the situation is. But what is incumbent upon us? Tefillos! That is our obligation, and that is what truly helps.”

Rav Chaim Meir then related a story about the author of the Yosher Divrei Emes, who was once traveling during a harsh winter when he fell into deep mud as heavy rain poured down and found himself unable to escape.

“The Yosher Divrei Emes once traveled on the road during a harsh winter and fell into mud. It was deep mud and the rain was pouring heavily, and he had no way to extricate himself. He raised his hands and cried out: ‘Ribbono Shel Olam! I know what You want from me. You want me to do teshuvah. It is true, I really need to do a great deal of teshuvah, but I ask You, Ribbono Shel Olam, in such a situation can I do teshuvah? Can I accomplish anything while I am in the mud? I ask You, take me out of here, and I truly will accept upon myself a new awakening!’”

Rav Chaim Meir then applied the story directly to the Rebbe’s condition and the spiritual responsibilities of the Vizhnitzer chassidim as the Yomim Noraim approach.

“Dear Jews! My father is going through so much, not for himself, but for us! What is wanted from him is that we should do teshuvah! We are going to say Selichos; it is a time for cheshbon hanefesh, and the heart knows the bitterness of its own soul. But we need to raise our hands to Shomayim and plead: It is true, an awakening is indeed required, but when we look at our Rebbe like this, is it possible to attain the proper awakening of closeness to Hashem when we do not hear from my father the Torah of preparation for Rosh Hashanah? When we do not sufficiently have the fire of the tish? When the Pesukei Dezimrah is missing? How can we properly correct what needs to be corrected?”

He continued with an emotional plea for the Rebbe to regain his strength and return fully to leading his chassidim.

“Therefore, let us ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu: Give us back our father, our Rebbe, our leader, with healthy strength! With strong strength! And he will lead us day after day, and then we will be able to serve HaKadosh Baruch Hu with all our strength!

“We are now going to ask ‘to listen to the song and to the prayer.’ The Tiferes Shlomo writes that ‘the song’ means the song of Torah. The power of Torah together with the power of tefillah — these two great powers together, with Hashem’s help, will shake the worlds! HaKadosh Baruch Hu should help that we openly and soon see the complete yeshuah, and that there should be a kesivah vachasimah tovah for my father and for all Jews, that we should receive tidings of redemption and salvation and merit to accomplish all that is good!”

At the conclusion of the address, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe entered the main bais medrash wrapped in the inherited tallis of his grandfather, the Imrei Chaim of Vizhnitz zy”a. The Rebbe then went to the amud and led the entire Selichos in the traditional Vizhnitzer nusach.

Following Selichos, the thousands of chassidim broke into the traditional niggunim of the Yomim Noraim, as the Rebbe vigorously encouraged the singing.