Rubashkin's Sentence Commuted!

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:34 am

simba wrote:

By Rabbi Mendel Kaplan

To the sadly misguided fellow Jew who just PM’d [private messaged] me to share his “profound disgust” at my sharing Facebook posts expressing “delight” in Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin’s wondrous release in the final (and most powerful) miraculous moments of Chanukah:

I am choosing to post a response publicly in the event that there are others thinking and feeling like you at this moment:

Nobody I know believes that “bank fraud is a Mitzvah,” and frankly your making blanket statements about “Hareidi Jews commonly justifying white collar crime by cloaking it in a Talit of frum-piety” is anti-Semitic (yes, a Jew who passes judgement on a wide swath of other Jews who might act or dress differently then them is also guilty of the same abhorrent form of racism).

To be sure, Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin is not a saint and has definitely made some serious mistakes along the way. He is not alone. We have all made mistakes in life. And yes, it’s also true that some people’s mistakes might be bigger than others.

Yet your gleeful willingness to brand him a nefarious convict, stands in sharp and shameful contrast to your self-identifying as “accepting and non-judgemental.”

To be so harshly critical of his errors, yet so accepting of others’ behaviour smacks of incredible (and may I add egregious) hypocrisy.

I wholeheartedly agree that none should be “above the law.” Defrauding financial institutions, cheating on income tax or illegally obtaining government funding is a crime. It is fair to say that those who break the law, deserve to be dealt with accordingly.

HOWEVER, a 27 year sentence for bank fraud cannot be justified. That was nothing less than a Dryfuseque display of horribly outrageous anti-Semitism in 21st century America.

The Frum community did not “broadcast tacit approval of criminality” it expressed a beautiful wave of solidarity with a Yid who was unjustly and harshly mistreated for the simple reason that he was (visibly) Jewish.

Quite frankly, to me it was painful (and in fact shocking) that the rest of Am Yisrael didn’t care and instead chose to conveniently look away for the past 8 long years…

The tsunami of joy that you are now seeing flood the web and social media is a remarkable outpouring of Torah-true solidarity and the sincere brotherhood and kinship that should always be felt amongst ALL Yidden.

You are presently witnessing the truest meaning of Ahavat Yisrael, as thousands delight and rejoice in the redemption of a fellow Yid who was unfairly treated just because he was Jewish.

Be inspired by it. Or at least wish you could feel it.

I am not ashamed to admit that I cried upon hearing the news. Not because Shalom Mordechai is my friend. I don’t really know him personally. But because, along with tens-of-thousands of others, I am privileged to feel a familial bond with a fellow Yid.

All I can say is that I wish you could feel it too…

If he was your terrestrial brother, you’d innately overlook his shortcomings and be happy for him tonight… that is the essential meaning of the Mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael. Self-love blinds us to our own faults, love of our fellow should blind us to their faults as well!!

I pray that Hashem opens your heart and fills it with love… and may the beautiful Achdut Yisrael now sweeping the globe serve as the final catalyst for the arrival of our long awaited redemption through the righteous Moshiach, speedily and in our days, amen!

But Simba, he is actually a tzadik. He is very very generous and has helped many yidden. The reason so many yidden were on board with this was because of all of the tzedukah he gave and the amount that he cared so much for every Jew from every walk of life. He helped loads of people by giving them jobs, opening a yeshiva, and creating an entire community. He reached out to others even during his darkest moments and yes, today, I taught the students that I substituted for that a big tzadik was released from prison and so today we have a special celebration.

↑ Jewishfoodie

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:36 am

Ever heard the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" ?
Klal Yisrael is shown miracles every day. But rarely do we notice them, being too busy with life and whatnot. We needed a reason to rejoice publicly and remember how loved we are by our Father. This was a public miracle, and not a moment too soon. I don't know about your circle of friends but all of mine cried. True emotions and true Shevach to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. In my book, that can't happen often enough.

↑ simba ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:38 am

southernbubby wrote:

It was a copy paste from FB. He is definitely a special yid. That does not mean he didn't get caught up in a legal mess and did some things that were questionable according to the law.

↑ spelt ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:40 am

I resent your implying that my heart is not filled with love for my fellow Jew. I am very happy for him and for his entire family - I can only imagine the joy they must be feeling. I am simply questioning the hero's welcome he is receiving. to say there is more joy than on Simchas Torah sounds insane to me. What if he were convicted for manslaughter and got an overly harsh sentence? should he be treated like a hero on his release?

ally ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:49 am

southernbubby wrote:

A tzadik must go above and beyond and be yashar in all aspects.
I believe the commutation of the sentence was just and correct - and a miracle. But I am also uncomfortable with the public celebration and idolization.

↑ spelt ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:54 am

the biggest kiddush Hashem for me would be that his release should be very tzanua and low key and then, if he were to speak in public, he would talk about making mistakes and the process of teshuva. he would address children especially and emphasize the importance of being honest in business and of not succumbing to temptation.

↑ crust ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:56 am

nechama14 wrote:

He had no control over the tznuas of his release.
He is not out long enough to assume he won't give speeches about the importance of being honest in business.

↑ spelt ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 10:59 am

what do you mean? why is he going to dance at 770? why not just go home and celebrate with family?

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:06 am

ally wrote:

While in general the true definition of a tzadik is one who never makes any type of mistake involving yashrus, an ordinary yid was was released early from prison would never have had this type of attention. He had gone above and beyond that in his accomplishments and in the tzedukah that he gave.

Even while he was in prison, he didn't focus on himself.

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:08 am

nechama14 wrote:

what do you mean? why is he going to dance at 770? why not just go home and celebrate with family?

He was an important figure to many people and he didn't want to disappoint any of the many people who davened daily for his release and for those who worked hard to make that release happen by repeatedly contacting their local representatives. 770 also meant a lot to him personally as a chossid of the Rebbe.

↑ ally

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:11 am

crust wrote:

He had no control over the tznuas of his release.
He is not out long enough to assume he won't give speeches about the importance of being honest in business.

He hasn’t until now

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:11 am

crust wrote:

He had no control over the tznuas of his release.
He is not out long enough to assume he won't give speeches about the importance of being honest in business.

Truthfully, I am eagerly awaiting the decision of what type of life he will lead. He never wanted to be in business and his father pushed him into it. He was a fifth grade rebbe prior to that. He was a Chabad shaliach in South Dakota for a short period while awaiting trial and was named that by Chabad in the hopes that Hashem would intervene on that merit.

He will probably return to a life of klei kodesh rather than business but that awaits to be seen.

↑ spelt ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:12 am

so then you say " I so much appreciate all the work that people have done on my behalf. but I am no hero and don't want it to be misconstrued that way. therefore, as much as I would love to celebrate with all of you, I feel it would be more appropriate to go home and celebrate in private with my family."

↑ mommy3b2c ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:14 am

nechama14 wrote:

No he shouldn’t. But he didn’t get convicted for manslaughter. He got convicted for fudging his businesses income on some papers. And then they threw him in prison for ALMOST 30 years!!!!
Had he been imprisoned for 1 year or 5 years, nobody would ever have heard his name. What was done to him was a gross injustice (which hundreds of non Jews agree on) and his release is a miracle. If you can’t see that, then you are blind.

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:14 am

ally wrote:

He hasn’t until now

If you watch the YWN films, you see where he was told my a prison guard to "get out." He was not put in charge of any of the plans regarding his release except where he told the celebrants who were waiting outside the prison to meet him at the gas station rather than make a spectacle outside the jail.

People came from all over when they heard of the miracle so I imagine that after the hoopla dies down, he will figure out what to do with his life now.

↑ Iymnok

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:18 am

southernbubby wrote:

Yes,
He didn't know until the last minute. His wife didn't know until he was out.
People have been davening for him since the investigation began, investing lots of emotional energy. This display is just a portion of those who were davening for him.
I'm sure that he is still in shock.

↑ southernbubby ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:18 am

nechama14 wrote:

His family also wanted to celebrate with all of the yidden who were involved. Did you ever see that beautiful unity video that was made by all of the frum recording artists after he was sentenced? You could cry from watching it.

Personally I don't want to find fault with anything that he did last night because when he woke up yesterday, he probably didn't know for sure that he would be spending the night dancing in 770 with all of the Chassidim and other yidden who davened for this moment.

Try not to pass judgment. We need unity and we need heroes and we need something to get excited and happy about and we need happy things that bring klal Yisroel together.

↑ spelt ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:23 am

mommy3b2c wrote:

you are completely missing my point. you make it sound like he cheated on a school test. you don't get convicted on 84 counts if you did something so simple. I AGREE that the sentence was harsh. but this idolization seems absolutely insane

↑ mommy3b2c ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:24 am

nechama14 wrote:

is there something I'm not getting? I understand that the sentence was overly harsh, but why is this man being treated like a hero? he still was found guilty on multiple charges. if I were him I would be embarrassed and want to be a low-key as possible. what kind of example is this for young children? this whole thing rubs me the wrong way. what am I missing?

What you’re missing is a warm Jewish heart.

↑ mommy3b2c ↓

Thu, Dec 21 2017, 11:28 am

southernbubby wrote:

I disagree with you. And I’m sad that you think we wouldn’t have celebrated the same way for any yid. The reason people are celebrating the way they are is because he was given a practical life sentence for no reason, and now we are celebrating his miraculous release. We would do the same for any Jew.