It was about a month ago. I was sitting in the luxurious office of a respected businessman who had recently lost his wife to that disease.
The meeting was intended for one of the charitable organizations that works for the welfare of special children.
The office - high up in a prestigious office tower in one of the Sharon cities. The man - a very wealthy middle-aged man. The conversation - interested in hearing more about the important activity, but no less interested in voicing what he has to say.
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""Look. I'm done with the business world," he said. "I'll tell you a secret, I'm sure there will be elections soon, probably this year, and I intend to run for a social party. I don't want a portfolio in the government and none of the members of the party will be ministers.
""We don't want to be under pressure, but to move things quickly and nimbly," he told me, and pulled out his trump card: "A woman like you should be in our party, and I'm talking about a realistic place," he finished and waited for my response.
Of course I didn't respond. I smiled politely and explained that I had come to a meeting for special children. We agreed to talk. He is very interested in seeing the activity up close, so it is likely that we will meet again.
I left the meeting thoughtful and, I must admit, also flattered. But I didn't let the compliment confuse me and picked up the phone to my "influencer" (that's how it is in Chabad. Everyone has an influencer and everyone has an influencer, with whom they consult on anything that requires consultation. In addition, of course, to the rabbi who teaches halachic matters).
Her answer was clear, just as I thought when I heard the man's suggestion: parties are factions.
If I really want to have an impact and perhaps even save, I must do it from the outside in the way of the women of Israel throughout the generations.
In the previous elections and the ones before that and the ones before that and so on, my mother always voted the way my father (peace be upon him) told her to. And no, she's not a Priya, my mother. I also voted the way my husband Shihi said, and I'm sure none of you think I don't value myself enough.
On the contrary, in the truly important choices like living room furniture, the son's bar mitzvah menu, shopping, and so on, and even a groom for our daughter or a bride for our son, my husband chooses what I say, and trusts me completely.
""The heart of her husband trusts in her," this is not a slogan but the foundation of the conduct of a Jewish home.
Elections?! Yes. Three weeks before Passover, amidst the clean-ups and chaos. Let the men play before us and fight for budgets and control. We will do our job. We will go to the elections, because that is what the great men of Israel instructed, and we will vote as they instructed us. Yes. Not elected, voters!
This has nothing to do with gender exclusion, but rather with the Haredi Jewish worldview.
The rabbis did not invent the phrase "all the glory of a king's daughter inside," and there is no contradiction between the fact that a woman can act in public and not be in the Knesset. The main thing is that each and every one of them goes to vote, so that the Haredi force will be expressed at the ballot box. That the voice of those who fear the word of God will also be heard in this house, any connection between it and the "Knesset of Israel" is completely coincidental.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe has repeatedly expressed his clear opinion that a Jew who observes Torah and mitzvot should vote in elections, if only to make it clear that the state's path is not the path of heresy, as some might think when ultra-Orthodox representation is lacking.
""And it is already known that our holy Torah decrees, a person will always see himself as equal, etc., and the whole world as equal. And with regard to elections, sometimes by the votes of voters, a certain number of people can influence over time that a decree will not be accepted or even that existing decrees will be repealed, and who is it in our day and age that can say, 'I have saved my soul...'" wrote the Rebbe.
And here is another excerpt from the Rebbe's words: "He is obligated to participate in elections that do not provide any assistance to any office, and a minority of one vote on the more ultra-Orthodox list increases the moral importance of the lists that oppose God and His Torah.".
This week, the orchestrated chorus of 'ultra-Orthodox feminism' broke out with a mantra that was chewed over to the point of disgust in the previous election campaign. Give us a place in the party or else - we won't vote. And as is my custom, I turned to this week's episode that answers every current question.
This parsha highlights the majestic figure of Rachel, peace be upon her. The humble and proud woman who gave up all her dreams and aspirations in order to remain faithful to the commandments of the Torah. She gave the signs to her sister, even when she knew that she might never be able to marry the man of her heart.
Why? Because she didn't want to whitewash Leah's face.
She ordered Jacob to bury her on the road and gave up the right to rest in eternal rest next to her beloved husband in the Cave of Machpelah, knowing that her sons might need her on their way to exile in the terrible Babylon (they could have listened to the voice of the prophets and repented).
Is it any wonder that of all the mothers of the Jewish people, it was our mother Rachel who became the one who symbolizes the Jewish mother. The mother who gives up "self-realization" and other mantras of fake feminism, in order to achieve something much greater, something much greater than herself.
A seat in the Knesset is not a goal. It is only a means. The goal is to fulfill the will of God. It is clear that when you can receive a million shekels, you will not be satisfied with a thousand. Fulfilling a woman's mission in this world also includes giving up self-perfection, and it is her self-perfection.
God-fearing children who are diligent in Torah and worship are worth far more than any status or honor. They are the 'million shekels.' A seat in the Knesset is not even a thousand, even if it is a woman's.
The "new" Haredi women who are behind a campaign that will ultimately steal votes from Haredi representation are acting in exactly the opposite way, and I don't understand what the connection is between them and Haredim. I also don't understand what they are complaining about when they demand "women's liberation.".
Who is in charge in the Haredi home? The man or the woman? Who exactly needs liberation?
It is possible that these are women who want to be freed from the burden of the mitzvot and the clear instructions of our sages, of blessed memory. Or perhaps they are women who want control, power, and status for one reason or another.
One thing is clear: they do not want the best for the sector to which they belong (or claim to belong). It is also interesting where they receive the funding for their aggressive activities to change the face of Haredi society in accordance with the agenda of the extreme left.
I was taught that a kosher wife does the will of her husband. I was taught that as Torah-observant Jews, we must do what the great Torah scholars teach us.
Especially in days like these when the world of Torah is still in danger, none of us should think about ourselves, our dignity, and our "self-realization." We should all rally behind one goal – increasing Haredi representation in the Knesset.
Part of the column is based on the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe | The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer, and radio broadcaster. | For comments: [email protected]
