Two of my favorite rabbis trash Agudath Israel essay

Perhaps it is a sign of the seasonal redemption, because what could be sweeter for The Kvetcher than when the Ethical Monotheist leader, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, tag-teams the American ultra-Orthodox spokesman Rabbi Avi Shafran with no less than Right-wing Modern Orthodoxy’s best, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb?

Ben Harris has the story on the JTA.

Rabbi Shafran wrote a deplorable essay defending Bernie Madoff, of all people.

After all, Madoff apologized.

…what I admire about him has to do with his owning up to his crime.

Think about it. The man knew for years that eventually his scheme would come apart and that prosecution loomed, yet he took no steps to flee, huge bribe in hand, to some country lacking extradition treaties. Idi Amin, we might recall, died of old age in luxury. Madoff’s millions, moreover, easily could have bought him a new face and identity papers; he could have spent his senior years tanned and well fed among the sunbirds of Miami Beach.

Instead, though, Madoff chose to essentially turn himself in and admit guilt. He apologized to his victims, acknowledging that he had “deeply hurt many, many people,” and adding, “I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for what I have done.”

Rabbi Weinreb responded,

Shafran argues that Madoff’s initial intentions were good, but that he became “inextricably trapped” in his own machinations. From the Jewish perspective there is no such thing as “inextricably trapped” — there are always choices — and he had numerous occasions, indeed daily opportunities, to end the scandal and thereby at least mitigate the losses of his victims.

There is another dimension to Madoff’s treachery. As a Jew, and as one who identified himself strongly with Jewish causes, he created a chillul HaShem, a profanation of the name of the Almighty, of historic proportions, reflecting disastrously on the reputation of all Jews, Judaism, and the Jewish God. Shakespeare’s Shylock and Dickens’ Fagin fade as symbols of supposed Jewish avarice and greed in comparison with Madoff and his misdeeds. Furthermore, reaction to his crimes not only sullies the name of Jews the world over, it endangers them everywhere. It provides confirmation for the most venomous anti-Semitic propaganda. For this, forgiveness is impossible.

Even 7FatCow, which usually demonstrates no morals to be outraged and no code to be violated, was horrified.

Failed Messiah (former BTs are usually more inherently moral than former FFB haredim who run out of venerable downtown non-glatt Jewish establishments without first paying their bill and will be arrested the next time they visit the premises, just try me) declared Rabbi Shafran “America’s worst rabbi.”

To be fair, Rabbi Shafran has apologized.

Big Yasher Koach to both Rabbis Weinreb and Yoffie for speaking up.