Hechsher Tzedek III: A Diss From The OC August 14, 2008
Just had to share this snippet from the Jerusalem Post.
Agriprocessors has apparently been vindicated, and has been shown to be a “state-of-the-art” facility — and not the site of all the horrible labor and immigration violations we had been hearing about as of late — and one rabbi wanted that it should be known who had been making the ruckus, and precisely what the conditions were inside the plant:
NONE OF the press reports have been by reporters who have been inside the plant. One JTA reporter who did visit the plant a few days before us filed a report that reaffirmed what we said. Almost all have based their stories on reports from outside sources - the church and the union which is trying to take over the plant and is being sued by Smith Food for racketeering. In Arizona, a grocery chain that has resisted the union is in court accusing it of defamation, extortion and trespass.
Some leftist Jewish organizations interested in immigration issues have joined the bandwagon. A group of non-Orthodox rabbis wants to create a new rabbinical kashrut certification, based on liberal social values instead of Halacha. Claiming to be motivated by ethics, its approach to the issue has been far from ethical - smear campaigns and demonstrations instead of the Jewish way of exploring the issues objectively and seeking solutions. It has created a battle of Jew vs. Jew, creating a show the media relishes.
First of all, it incenses me to no end when things like paying workers on time — things which are mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch! — become “liberal social values” when the hechsher tzedek comes into play.
I think the burden of proof would be on anyone who would say that the Torah doesn’t want workers to be paid on time in a safe environment — when verses and codified laws say the opposite.
Yitz - I think the issue here is of the messenger, not the message. If R’ Shach had come out and pushed for a “hechsher tzedek” the issue would have been “How Machmir can we be?” Instead it is laughed at… mostly because the people who keep pushing it are not recognized Rabbi’s, and they violate the halacha of “lifnei eiver” and deny the Mesorah.
If the Conservative movement really wanted to push “hechsher tzedek”, they would keep quiet about it from their pulpits, come up with a new terminology for it, and quietly convince YU to push it for them under the radar. Once YU pushes it, the Modern Orthodox will accept it, and then the Modern Orthodox can shame the Charedi community into accepting it, on the grounds that the Charedi should be even more Machmir.
But they have taken to the streets and tried to push through their ideas with intimidation, slander and not at all according to halachah. If they had gone to a legitimate Beis Din this all could have been avoided…. Instead they try to play the game democratically, according the rules of their organization, not realizing halachah does not care what the people say, it is what G-d says and the mesorah.
What bothers me about about this is that it is reactionary. I am all for a hechsher tzedek, but I think it should come as an independent initiative, not as a reaction to the perceived lack of authority to another hechsher. Reactions like Abe’s are similarly reactionary, and entirely uncalled for. In our pluralistic society, there is plenty of room for people to choose their own priorities. For many people, social justice is more important than archaic dietary laws.
Pseudonym -
I was not taking a side in the issue of a “hechsher tzedek”. However, if someone wants to try and shame and push a group into accepting an idea (Orthodox Jews), they would be better off playing the game of the people they are targeting.
If you want to convince Orthodox Jews to accept the “Hechsher Tzedek”, you have to play by Orthodox rules. If you don’t, they will never accept your basic premise.
This is very similar to the neo-evangelical trend to promote social justice over religious laws. Calling them archaic and out-dated doesn’t change the minds of those who believe.
One of the people pushing the “Hechsher Tzedek” has said his goal is to make it universal, as much a part of religious dietary law as any other of the religious laws…. Which he himself does not follow! So why should the Orthodox listen to anything he has to say?
Are you sure the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t just refer to Jewish workers? You know, like how “love you fellow as yourself” only refers to your fellow Jews and not your fellow Bnei Adam.