Question & Answer With Rabbi Lazer Brody - World Pride 2006

A Simple Jew asks:

I am obviously against the World Pride 2006 march in Jerusalem. During Disengagement you advocated that everyone take it upon themselves to say Perek Shira as means to nullify the evil decree. You maintained that people should not take part in demonstrations against Disengagement; that it was a spiritual battle, not a physical one.

Now, it appears that you are advocating that in addition to our prayers, we lobby politicians and other influential figures as a means to stop the march.

Why is this struggle any different than the struggle against the decree of Disengagement? If Hashem runs the world, why do we need to send even one e-mail or fax?

Rabbi Lazer Brody answers:

Good question, SJ. If we had 20,000 people doing an hour of hitbodedut a day, then would wouldn't have to write a single letter, for this is a spiritual battle too. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains that where you don't have emuna, you have to exert a lot of energy in Hishtadlut.

During the pre-disengagement period, Rabbi Shalom Arush and I were speaking to every possible forum that would listen, urging round-the-clock hitbodedut. We were sure that people would prefer an hour of personal prayer a day to losing their homes. Yet, the demonstrations attracted thousands of people, whereas few were seriously talking to Hashem every day up in the hills and down on the beach.

When I saw that the call to hibodedut wasn't being answered, I watered it down to Perek Shira, which only takes 10-12 minutes a day. More committed, but the number didn't exceed 1000.

Hashem is repeatedly testing our emuna. He wants tshuva and prayer more than letter-writing. But, when we see that people lack the emuna to win the battle with the weapon of prayer, we should at least mobilize them in a letter-writing campaign. The virtues of letter writing is that it has already pulled more than 30,000 Jews together in unity, and even those who are not observant are answering the call of loyalty to Hashem and to Jerusalem - this is a great achievement.

Yesterday, The Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a, Rav Shalom Arush shlit'a, and I were in Miron, saying our prayers at Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai's gravesite. Prayer is what I personally believe in. But, this time, I received a direct order from the Melitzer Rebbe to mobilize at least 20,000 other people to protest against Impurade 2006. The Melitzer Rebbe is the one who ordered the letter-writing campaign.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev says that the sword of Moshiach will be prayer, and with that, he'll conquer the world. But, those of us on a lower level, still need conventional weapons.

(Picture courtesy of Venyamin Zaslavsky)

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Letters protesting World Pride 2006 can be sent to Eliahu Yishai (MK - Shas) at: eyishay@knesset.gov.il

Faxs can be sent to:

Jerusalem Police: [USA] 011 972-2-5391391, world wide +972-2-5391391

The Gerrer Rebbe: [USA] 011 972-2-5388774, world wide +972-2-5388774

* The Gerrer Rebbe shlit'a is one of the Jewish religious leaders of this generation in Israel, he can awaken the religious majority of Jerusalem to public action (and merely the statement that he is considering it would have tremendous impact).