During a lesson that Rabbi Sternbuch gave this (Wednesday) afternoon at his residence in Abrahi, including 'Responses and Practices,' he voiced particularly strong words of protest about the story that occurred in Ramat Beit Shemesh D, when the synagogue's attendants honored a woman with a 'Torah scroll' inside the synagogue hall - a precedent-setting step that was unprecedented in the ultra-Orthodox world.
In addition, he wrote a rare handwritten letter of protest about the scandal that is stirring up the Jewish street and the world of halachic law, in which he called on the public: "Our brothers, the House of Israel, will separate themselves from them and it will be better for us and our children.".
The story took place this week inside the synagogue hall in Ramat Beit Shemesh D, where a "Simchat Knesset Sefer Torah" event was being held. The dubious "honor" quickly became known around the world, as footage shows synagogue ushers honoring a woman by rolling a Torah scroll inside the synagogue hall - while the synagogue was full of men, so the men stood around the woman who was standing in the center of the synagogue and rolling the Torah scroll.
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The bizarre move sparked a wave of condemnation and bewilderment from members of the public who wondered how an "ultra-Orthodox" synagogue could introduce strange reforms that seemed to have been derived from the Reform world in the Diaspora.
Following the wave of condemnations among the city's residents, the synagogue's tax collectors issued a statement saying they had received permission from one of the city's rabbis to do so. However, that rabbi's home issued a vigorous denial that the allegations were completely false and baseless, and instead the rabbi rebuked the tax collectors for the bizarre move.
Following the storm, a delegation of rabbis and religious leaders went to Rabbi Sternbuch, presented the shocking incident to him - and asked to hear his Torah opinion.
The Grand Master replied that a major protest should be made, and in response, he actually took a pen out of his pocket and wrote a preliminary letter of protest in his own handwriting.
An interesting anecdote: It can be noted in his letter that he calls the modern community in the city "a community with Haredi roots," with the message being clear - that a community that takes on the Reform act and honors a woman by rolling a Torah scroll cannot be called an "Urdu community," but rather a community whose roots were Haredi.
In his letter, the Grand Master writes: "Every heart here was horrified when we heard about a community with ultra-Orthodox roots who went down from one place to another, and honored a woman with a scroll, and announced that in this they had raised the honor of the Torah and the honor of the ultra-Orthodox woman.".
The judge of the generation continues with a concise and brief protest that contains a great deal of meaning: "Our brothers, the House of Israel, will separate from them and it will be good for us and our children. Moshe Sternbuch.".
In addition, in his lesson to Abrahi, including 'Responses and Practices,' he added harsh words of protest and said: "A disgrace that was committed in Israel. And we see this as a fulfillment of the words of Chazal, 'When they descend, they descend to the very bottom,' and the descent is gradual until we have reached this situation. And unfortunately, no voice of protest has yet been raised, even though to this day there has been none in Israel among Haredi Jews, and we must raise a voice of protest against the violation of the honor and sanctity of the Torah.".
