Wednesday's conviction of Rabbi Motti Elon is upsetting and difficult for his family, for his thousands of students, for religious Zionists and for Israel as a whole. That such a revered man, gifted speaker and charismatic spokesman for modern Orthodoxy could fall so far is very bleak.
For years I followed Rabbi Elon's riveting lectures. Like many others I delighted in his creative interpretation of texts, his fascinating and original insights and his ability to speak to any audience at their level without sacrificing depth. I will admit I didn't care for the way he surrounded himself with devotees like some Hasidic master. But as often happens in the Hasidic world, rabbis sometimes fall captive to the expectations of their followers. Rabbi Elon was the first "Hasidic master" to emerge from religious Zionism, a group that is usually too opinionated to accept unquestioned rabbinic authority.
Rabbi Elon's students and followers must accept the verdict with humility. The supremacy of Jewish governance is a premise of Rabbi Elon's world view. Were it not for fear of the government, people would eat each other alive, the Talmud says. There is no reason, halachic or otherwise, to question the court's decision. My acquaintance with the judge who handed down the verdict strengthens my conviction that she agonized over it and was motivated by the sincere pursuit of justice. Years ago I interned with a judge who heard criminal cases and witnessed the agonizing deliberations that preceded every verdict.
Similarly, I greatly doubt whether a case such as this, where most of the verdict is based on the credibility of the witnesses and defendant, can dramatically change upon appeal. The appropriate Jewish response for Elon's students is to recite chapters of Psalms so that the sentence is not too harsh and to fully repent so that the image of religious Jews does not deteriorate further.
The verdict also casts a shadow on the activity of the Takana forum. Israel is governed by the rule of law. When citizens discover suspected criminal activity, it is their duty to report it to police. It doesn't matter how important they are. It is not their job to conduct their own investigations, extract confessions, or mete out punishments, including banishing someone, whether directly or indirectly. With all due respect to the important rabbis on the Takana forum, they have no experience questioning witnesses, especially on sexual matters.
During the 1950's, kibbutzim used to keep all dirty laundry inside the kibbutz, but that was a long time ago. Today even some haredim have realized that cover-ups, repression and concealment for the sake of keeping up group or tribal appearances does not solve problems but only makes things worse. Even haredim go to the police.
The Takana forum, when it receives a complaint, must act exactly like organizations that help victims of sexual harassment. It must encourage the victims to go to the police. It can help and comfort them throughout the legal and rehabilitative process, but it must not meddle in enforcement or punitive measures. What strikes me as most absurd is that the only issue to unite all the subgroups and streams of religious Zionism is sexual harassment.
The verdict against Rabbi Elon is a heavy blow to religious Zionism. He was one of the movement's most articulate spokesmen.
My suggestion to religious Zionists is not to take responsibility for acts you didn't commit. Religious Zionism at present is undergoing a serious internal shake up. We can no longer speak of a single body of "religious Zionists." There is a broad spectrum -- from Orthodox "lite" to haredi nationalists and everyone in between. The unifying thread among religious Zionists is fraying. At such moments of crisis, the national-religious must raise the banner of tikun, or change. We must realize that the battle over the state of Israel's character is not over. The vigor of religious Zionism is needed to preserve the wholeness of the land and the Jewish essence in a Jewish and democratic state. Let us hope that from the distress of this verdict we emerge with the strength to continue to bear the torch of the revival of Israel in our land.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו