<html><head><title>[Aspaqlaria] Letter to RCA Membership - Glatt Yosher</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="http://www.aishdas.org/asp/wp-content/themes/mandigo-14/style.css" type="text/css" media="screen" /></head><body>Aspaqlaria has posted a new item, '<a href="http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2009/10/letter-to-rca-membership-glatt-yosher.shtml">Letter to RCA Membership - Glatt Yosher</a>'<br />
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<p>The following letter was sent to RCA member rabbis:</p>
<blockquote>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Dear Rabbonim Chashuvim,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.75pt 0in 16.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">We know that, like us, you were sickened and embarrassed by the recent scenes of religious Jews being led off in handcuffs, charged with corruption, money laundering, and even organ trafficking. What makes things worse is that this is only the latest of innumerable such scandals involving illegal and <span id="lw_1254264259_0">unethical behavior</span> in our community. The words of hatarat nedarim ring depressingly true: <em>iy efshar l’fortam ki rabim hem</em>.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0.75pt 0in 16.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The distortion of Jewish values, the reinforcement of negative Jewish stereotypes, and the massive hilul Hashem call for equally massive efforts at <em>Kiddush Hashem</em>. No doubt each of us has been addressing this issue in his own way among his own kehillah… We must all affirm that:</span></p>
<ul>
<li> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Stealing, whether from Jew or Non-Jew, individual or corporation or government, is a <span id="lw_1254264259_5">Torah</span> prohibition. Stealing includes not charging or paying taxes that one is legally obligated to charge or pay.</span></li>
<li>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Dina d’malkhuta dina-the secular law of the land is binding on the Jew.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">We gratefully acknowledge the beneficence and justice of American courts and laws which allow our community to prosper here both materially and spiritually.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Jews must sacrifice financially rather than enter situations that have the potential to result in hilul Hashem.</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Jews must lead in efforts to promote and honest and law-abiding society; that is the true ethic of the Torah as well as the Prophetic charge of being an “ohr la-goyim.”</span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">To use the phrase coined by <span id="lw_1254264259_6">Rabbi Joseph Breuer</span>, zt’l: A Jew must not only be Glatt Kosher – He must be Glatt Yoshor.<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">… This is not a time for splitting hairs over possible dissenting views in poskim on this or that point. It is an <em>et la’asot la-Shem</em>, when we must make the ethical demands of the Torah and the day clear in the most public of ways. We strongly urge you to join with us and loudly declare, to our own communities and to the world, that we, representing Torah, will not tolerate any but the highest standards of ethics.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">We do not mean to imply that this problem is new, or even necessarily suddenly more prevalent in our communities.<span> </span>It has always been there, more than we cared to admit, testimony to the frailty of human nature.<span> </span>This most recent public manifestation, however, gives us an opportunity to make a real <em>tikkun</em> in an important area, and is the sort of opportunity we look for during the Yamim Noraim season…</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">May our efforts be blessed from above by Hashem, and may they restore some fraction of the luster of the Shekhina <span> </span>so tarnished by recent events.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Wishing you a ketiva va-hatima tova,</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbi Moshe Kletenik</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">President</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbinical Council of America</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><br />
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbi Basil Herring</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Executive Vice President</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbinical Council of America</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Richard M. Joel</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">President, <span id="lw_1254264259_10">Yeshiva University</span> and RIETS</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbi Kenneth Brander</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The David Mitzner Dean</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="lw_1254264259_11" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;">Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future</span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;"><br />
</span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbi Steven Weil</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Executive Vice President</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="lw_1254264259_12" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;">Orthodox Union</span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="small; font-family: Times New Roman;">Executive Vice President Emeritus</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Orthodox Union</span></p>
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</blockquote>
<p>See here for R’ Breuer’s short essay on “<a title="Aspaqlaria: Glatt Kosher - Glatt Yosher" href="http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2006/03/rav-breuer-glatt-kosher-glatt-yoshor_21.shtml">Glatt Kosher – Glatt Yosher</a>” as mentioned in the letter.</p>
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You may view the latest post at<br />
<a href="http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2009/10/letter-to-rca-membership-glatt-yosher.shtml">http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2009/10/letter-to-rca-membership-glatt-yosher.shtml</a><br />
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Best regards,<br />
micha<br />
micha@aishdas.org</body></html>