People are not property. Souls do not belong to a community. Money does not determine holiness. Matchmaking is not commerce. Relationships are not community projects. An educational institution is not a production line. The faith of the sages is not a lever of control. • Rabbi Avraham Menachem Eisenbach, founder of the 'Migdalor Center for Education and Soul', in a sharp and penetrating article about a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored.
There is a phenomenon that is growing within some Haredi communities - a phenomenon that cannot be embellished, cannot be glossed over, and cannot be presented as "devotion" or "zeal for holiness.".
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Because this is not zeal. Not dedication. Not education.
It's control.
Control of thought, control of the pocketbook, control of relationships, control of matchmaking, control of institutions, control of decisions. And finally? Control over the definition of who God is and what He "wants.".
The result is one: people stop being people - and become property.
This is a difficult article. An article that goes straight to the heart of the phenomenon, without embellishment. An article that says what everyone feels, but few dare to say out loud.
1.
When the community decides what God looks like - it's no longer fear of God, it's ownership of heaven.
The first station of control begins in the most "spiritual" place, at the moment when a particular community determines: "God wants what we say. Whoever does not follow our method is wrong. And whoever does not straighten up is putting himself in danger.".
It sounds like spirituality. It's presented in sacred language. But in the end? This is not fear of God - this is fear of man. This is not the work of God - this is group work. Because the moment a person cannot think, ask, interpret, grow - the moment one voice determines for everyone what the truth looks like - the moment it becomes "we know," we are not facing faith, but facing a system of control.
2.
Control of finances: a community's pocket instead of an individual's pocket
And this is expressed in money. Because money is not just money - it is freedom. When certain communities decide where you give charity, who you are allowed to give to, who you are not allowed to give to, where you should deposit savings, where you must trust funds, which institutions 'must' support them, which institutions are the 'right' ones.
This is no longer “spiritual protection.” It is economic control. And when economic control is in the hands of a group - the person becomes dependent. Dependent on income, dependent on credit, dependent on connections. And the moment a soul becomes dependent - it ceases to be free. And that is exactly what happens.
3.
Control over institutions: Everyone must study in the same places, because that is how “he wants to be holy in your presence”
One of the most effective ways to control a person is to control their children. And in some communities, this is not a recommendation, it is the Torah from Sinai.
They declare: "This is the right institution. This is the only place that keeps the path. Anyone who studies somewhere else is considered an exception.".
But the truth? There are different children. There are different souls. There are different needs. There are different families. The idea that all children must enter the exact same institution is not education - it is serial production. And when you finish producing - you wonder why some break down. Why some don't succeed. Why some run away.
Simple: Not everyone fits where someone has decided they fit. And that's not a sin. It's a reality.
4.
Matchmaking Control: They Don't Ask Who You Are - They Ask Who You Belong To
The area where control reaches its peak is matchmaking. In certain communities, a matchmaking is not a meeting between two people - but a meeting between two "affiliated" families.
And what are they testing there? Not the soul. Not the compatibility. Not the dreams. Not the path. They test: “What institution are you from?”, “What court do you belong to?”, “Who is your rabbi?”, “How loyal are you to the line?”, “How much do you align with the herd?"
And then we wonder why relationships collapse. Why people suffer. Why couples live without connection. Because someone decided for them. Someone thought they knew what was best for someone else's soul - without ever meeting the soul.
This is control. Not faith. Not spirituality. Not holiness. Control.
Rabbi Avraham Menachem Eisenbach. Photo: David Haniya
5.
Relationship control: Couples who are not given the right to manage their own lives
There are places where the relationship itself does not belong to the husband and wife - but to the "system." Who decides how the couple will run the household? Not them. But consultants, businessmen, line leaders, pressure workers, and "people of tradition.".
They dictate: how to behave, how to think, how to educate, how to speak, when to speak, who to consult with, how much independence they are allowed.
And when the couple groans under pressure, weight, and expectations - they are told that they "don't believe enough.".
But he believes. He just doesn't want to be a slave.
6.
Control in everyday life: Living within a surveillance system
And the climax? When a person is no longer in control of their own life. They are told: where to pray, where to sit, what to believe, what books to read, what is “permissible” to think, what is “forbidden” to ask, what is “not suitable for people like us.”.
And a person who lives under such rules - is not living. He is managed. He is afraid to make a mistake. Afraid to feel. Afraid to think. Afraid to breathe.
7.
And where is the faith of the wise in all this? The complete opposite.
Here it should be clear: There is no connection between these phenomena and the faith of the sages. The faith of the sages is a faith that empowers a person - does not erase him. It is a faith that directs - does not force. It is a faith that accompanies - does not lock. It is a faith that gives space - does not take space.
What is happening in some communities is a cynical use of the concept of “faith of the wise” to exert power. This is not faith. This is manipulation.
And whoever acknowledges this truth is not a rebel. He simply opens his eyes.
8.
A true community doesn't create fear - it creates strong people.
A true community is not afraid of freedom. It is not afraid of questions. It is not afraid of hesitation. It is not afraid of diversity. It is not afraid of the individual.
Because a true community knows: When you give space - people grow. When you give choice - people become stronger. When you give independence - people build true faith.
A true community does not gather people as "property." Rather, it accompanies them as "souls.".
9.
One sentence that should be printed, preserved, and engraved in every institution, beit midrash, and community:
People are not property.
Souls do not belong to the community.
Money does not determine holiness.
Matchmaking is not commerce.
Relationships are not a community project.
An educational institution is not a production line.
The faith of the wise is not a lever of control.
And God, the Almighty, is not a figure that someone can produce in a factory of "this is how we think.".
And when you tell the truth, it liberates.
