Šlomo Aviner

Z Judaismus

Rabbi Shlomo Chaim haKohen Aviner is the rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem and the rabbi of Bet El.<ref>Odot (Hebrew)</ref> He is considered one of the spiritual leaders of the Religious Zionist movement.

Background

Rabbi Aviner was born in 1943 in Lyon, France, and was involved in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, rising to the position of National Director. Rabbi Aviner is a qualified electrical engineer and holds an MA in mathematics.

When he immigrated to Israel in 1966, he settled on Sde Eliyahu, a kibbutz in the northern Jordan valley near Bet She'an. He subsequently went to learn in the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem, under Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. Later, he became the rabbi of kibbutz Lavi and later the rabbi of moshav Keshet in the Golan Heights. Since 1981 he has been the rabbi of Bet El. He served in the IDF and is a lieutenant in the reserves.

Controversy

Rabbi Aviner is one of the leading rabbis of the religious national movement. He is frequently called on to speak in public forums. He has published dozens of books: commentaries on Tanakh books (Ruth, Ecclesiastes), Haggadah of Pesach, the works of Abraham Isaac Kook and Zvi Yehuda Kook and books about Orthodox Jewish morality and modesty.

In the past few years his outspoken views have attracted controversy. In 2005, prior to the forced mass eviction of Jews from Gush Katif as part of Israel unilateral disengagement plan, Aviner took a rabbinical stance that soldiers should not refuse orders to participate with the plan, explaining that the religious issue was the state's responsibility, not the individual's. He continued to publicly oppose the resistance to the eviction plans and in one case took physical action.<ref>Šablona:Cite video</ref>

As a result his opponents have also republished accusations of sexual abuse. These accusations were published originally in Maariv. As a result of the uproar following the publication the newspaper appointed an independent investigator who came to the conclusion that Rabbi Aviner was innocent, though maybe guilty of practicing therapy without the backing of a professional. The expert also said that the Rabbi's intentions were honorable.Šablona:Citation needed After that Maariv published a retraction.Šablona:Citation needed

Another publicized accusation is that Rabbi Aviner made erroneous rulings with regards to questions of niddah-family purity. The matter was brought before a rabbinic committee made up of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, and 2 other rabbis. The committee concluded that Rabbi Aviner should not be allowed to rule on these matters.Šablona:Citation needed Rabbi Aviner refused to listen to the committee's decision.Šablona:Citation needed Rabbi Aviner agreed to respect a decision made by the only body entitled to restrict his rabbinical work: the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.Šablona:Citation needed

In a 2000 visit by Pope John Paul II ,it was announced in Bethlehem that the Vatican had always recognized “Palestinian national rights to a homeland.” Rabbi Aviner said at the time that the Pope's goal was simply to obtain a foothold in Jerusalem for the Church. <ref>Arutz Sheva article</ref>

In 2007, in an article about Baruch Marzel's threats over the settler movement, Aviner stated that he felt that the IDF was sincerely evacuating the renewed Homesh settlers and other demonstrators at the site of the abandoned village to protect from future terrorist attacks.<ref name = Homesh>Šablona:Cite news</ref> Aviner further distinguished between the IDF's responsibility to protect settlements versus its responsibility for protecting demonstrators, saying that the IDF should do whatever is necessary to protect a settlement to keep it intact, including armed forces, but demonstrators may be evacuated if thought necessary where there is a danger to their lives.<ref name = Homesh/>

In 2009, a booklet drawing on Rabbi Aviner's teachings entitled, Go Fight My Fight: A Daily Study Table for the Soldier and Commander in a Time of War was published especially for Operation Cast Lead. Its existence was revealed by Breaking the Silence a group of Israeli ex-soldiers who accused the Rabbi of encouraging Israeli soldiers to disregard the international laws of war aimed at protecting civilians. Some have interpreted the booklet to advise soldiers that cruelty is sometimes a "good attribute"<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/army-rabbi-gave-out-hate-leaflet-to-troops-1516805.html</ref>.

External links

• Sheilot Shlomo - Rav Aviner's official website
• Ateret Cohanim's biography of Shlomo Aviner
• Video lesson of Rabbi Aviner from Zehut