Rabbinical World in Israel Stunned over Chief Rabbi Lau's remarks

The Rabbinical world in Israel is stunned in wake of an interview with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and currently Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv with a Yediot weekly supplement “Yediot Tel Aviv” this past Friday in which Rabbi Lau is quoted as saying: “If there should arise a government that will say that it is necessary to form large settlement blocs and dismantle isolated settlements I can understand that because “they were here before us.” The screaming headline of the interview is especially appalling, it reads: “They were here before us.”

These remarks are even more shocking and infuriating and elicit protest and condemnation in light of the Halachic ruling that has been signed by the majority of rabbis in Israel forbidding withdrawal from any territory currently under Israeli rule. The ruling determines that any withdrawal constitutes a blunt violation of the Halacha in the Jewish Code of Law Orach Chaim 329 for it will lead to war and bloodshed as has been proven many times in the past.

The Director-General of the Rabbinical Congress of Peace known as the Pikuach Nefesh Committee which comprises over 350 prominent rabbis in Israel, Rabbi Avrohom Shmuel Lewin, issued the following statement:

“I was shocked to see these words in the name of Rabbi Lau. I know Rabbi Lau for many years and I just can’t believe that such words came out of his mouth.

“These words are in full contrast to the famous teaching, perhaps the most famous comment, by Rashi, the foremost elucidator of the Bible, in his opening clarification of the first verse in the Bible: “In the beginning G-d created heaven and earth.” There Rashi explains why the Torah begins with the creation of the world and not with the precepts of the Bible? Because “the strength of His words He declared to His nation, to give them the heritage of the peoples,” (Psalm 111:6), that if the nations of the world will ever accuse the Jews, you are robbers, you stole the land from the 7 nations (“who were here before us”), the Jews will reply – the entire world belongs to G-d Almighty, He created it and gave it to whoever He wants. At first He wanted to give it to them and then he wanted to give it to us,” and it has remained under the exclusive ownership of the Jewish People ever since.”

“I personally heard Rabbi numerous times quote the words of King Solomon that “may one thousands Solomons be erased but don’t dare erase even one letter from the Torah.” He also repeated many times the words of Maimonedes that “the Torah is eternal and can never be modified – and now he says such terrible words?! His reported remarks go against tradition, against the Jewish faith and against Jewish Law. I’m sure that there is some kind of a mistake here.

“It is totally inconceivable that during a time when Israeli leaders are struggling for every voice in the Hasbara (information) campaign, Rabbi Lau will come and support the position of our enemies. Only a day ago PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Abu Mazen in the UN disputed who was here first – now Abu Mazen can wave the interview with Rabbi Law where the former Chief Rabbi of Israel supports the Arab claim….

“What is even more absurd is that Rabbi Lau buttresses his remarks by bringing proof from the “mother of all sins – the withdrawal from Sinai and destruction of Yamit. Begin himself regretted deeply on signing the tragic Camp David accords when he saw that it was a precedent to further demands of Israeli withdrawals. Today the whole world sees that the withdrawal from Sinai has led to an Iranian proxy a few minutes away from Israeli cities and kindergartens. Not to mention that the whole peace with Egypt is hanging on a thread and no one knows what the next day will bring, how much more we will suffer from this withdrawal G-d forbid.

“The interview continues with even more dangerous comments like ”he supports the dismantling of large settlements and to leave the final status of Jerusalem till the end of the negotiations!”

“Some very prominent chief rabbis of Israeli cities called me demanding to convene a special rabbinical conference to protest these remarks but meanwhile I think it is unnecessary because I’m sure there is some error here. We hope that Rabbi Lau will clarify that the words attributed to him are false and he believes like every Jew that Eretz Yisrael belongs to the Jewish People and that Jews were here first – not only a hundred or two hundred years ago but for thousands of years there was a Jewish presence in this land. We also expect him to clarify that any withdrawal from Israeli territory is forbidden because it is a matter of “pikuach nefesh.” More