 |
 |
 |
|
|
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (Wikipedia)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By Israel Insider staff March 17, 2008 |
|
| |
 Bookmark to del.icio.us |
| |
A world-renowned Torah sage has issued a legal ruling banning employment of non-Jews by rabbinical seminaries following the Mercaz Harav massacre, reportedly by a Jerusalem Arab who his family claimed worked for the yeshiva.
"According to Jewish law, it is completely forbidden to hire Arabs, especially in yeshivas; there is a concern of endangering lives," Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, considered a leading Torah sage of his generation in the haredi-religious community, said Sunday.
Yom Hadash, a free daily newspaper for the ultra-Orthodox community, reported that several administrators of a yeshiva in Bnei Brak had met the rabbi at his home in that central Israel city and told him of an Arab employee who they said was not suspected of involvement in any terror-related activity. Should he continue working, or should he be fired?
Rabbi Kanievsky responded by issuing a legal decision, binding on orthodox Jews, banning employment of Arab workers by Jews and said "After all, we are at war with them?and are there not Jews that can work and make a living?"
The decision appeared to go well beyond a prohibition on employment at yeshivot, or religious seminaries, and could be interpreted to apply to any type of employment, and not just to Arabs or Muslims.
The rabbi added that Jews should refrain from employing any non-Jews, not just Muslim Arabs, and instead grant livelihood to Jews, "unless there exists a huge disparity between the costs of the labor".
Rabbi Kanievsky is the author of several works of Jewish law, such as Derech Emunoh ("The Path of Faith"), on agricultural laws and Shoneh Halachos (a systematic presentation of the popular work Mishnah Berurah). His Halakhic rulings regarding prayer are recorded in Ishei Yisroel.
He is the son of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky ("the Steipler"), the son-in-law of Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, and nephew of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz (the Chazon Ish), all prominent halakhic authorities of the 20th century.
Rabbi Kanievsky is known to refrain from engaging in politics.
Thousands of people visit the holy rabbi yearly, seeking Torah-oriented advice on various topics.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
