We are now up to the final chapter "Ki Defar Hashem Bozoh"
In this chapter, Rabbi Luft presents his solutions to the problem.
He proposes the following (I've added the numbers for identification purposes):
1) "First of all, we are obligated destroy the image of the chareidi pop idols..." He advocates that these singers not be given any respect in public and should not be invited to perform at Simchas Beis Hasoeva, Hachnasas Sefer Torah, Yeshivah camps, etc.In addition to his recommendations, Rabbi Luft also summarizes what is wrong, in his view, with the current state of affairs. This summary is also a useful summary of why his position and activism are such a chillul Hashem. Rather than paraphrase it, I'll simply let Rabbi Luft speak for himself.
2) "It is also the obligation of everybody to protest at weddings and other simchos when the band plays rock music..."
3) "It is of course more of an obligation on the people making the simcha to ensure that the music being played is kosher, and this should be done by hiring a reliable band, and deciding which songs should be played."
4) "Also, it is advisable to make a contract with the band stating that if they do not play as they have been told, they will not be paid."
5) "If you can't protest, leave the hall immediately."
After all the information that has been brought above, there remains no doubt that rock music and all its related styles are not only completely unsuitable to be used as Jewish music, but also it is absolutely forbidden to use the modern forms of music in songs with words from pesukim, berochos, or divrei Torah, since the music is indecent and obscene in nature, and contains many immoral undertones that come from the evil music that originated in the jungles of Africa. Furthermore, the music itself, even without words contains evil influences, and since the majority of the singers, arrangers and musicians in the frum music business do not care at all about the purity of their songs, it is the obligation of all parents and teachers to try their best to ensure that children should not have their minds filled with this indecent music.Speaks for itself, I think.
There is no doubt that if the goyim took those same pesukim to use in their immoral songs, there would be an uproar in the entire chareidi community. If so, why do people remain silent when the dregs of the chareidi community are using holy words for the sole purpose of making money, and degrading them? If some lunatic would throw seforim on the floor or start ripping the pages out of a sefer tehillim, would anybody sit there and allow him to continue to desecrate kisvei hakodesh?
I would be remiss at this point if I didn't also review the back cover, as it contains some relevant items too.
First, it has three quotes from "gedolim" about music. One is totally irrelevant. One is wishy-washy hyperbole that expressly says the speaker "doesn't know", and the third is on topic.
The first irrelevant quote is from The Rebbe of Bobov, Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam HY'D.
Speech is the expression of the mind. Music is the expression of the soul, and by means of this it is possible to determine the level of a person at any time. The prohibitions related to speech apply also to musical expression.This quote provides no evidence that Rabbi Luft's presentation is correct. One could agree with the Bobover Rebbe's characterization, while still disputing all of Rabbi Luft's contentions.
The second quote is from Rav Elazar M.M. Shach, ZT'L.
I have heard that there is something new that they call "Chassidic music". I don't know whether it is kosher or not, but one thing I am quite sure about -- that it has no connection to Chassidus, and I don't know if it is suitable for Yeshiva boys to listen to.Since, in this quote, Rav Shach says he is unsure of whether the music is should be rejected, it seems a stretch for Rabbi Luft to assert unequivocally that it is verboten. As in the opening vignette of the book, it seems that Rabbi Luft has no problem making decisions about things that gedolim, in this case Rav Shach and in the earlier case Rav Boruch Ber, are unwilling or unable to determine.
The third quote is from Rabi Moshe Shmuel Shapira ZT"L.
The non-religious street has managed to infiltrate into chareidi society by means of the modern music.This is the only unambiguous quote on the back cover. Rabbi Luft seems to intend that all the quotes be viewed as support for his book, yet upon closer inspection, two of the three do not support his contentions, and in fact the Rav Shach quote in particular, explicitly rules out the extreme position Rabbi Luft has taken. Incidentally, Rabbi Shapira is also the source for the story of Rav Boruch Ber and Rav Chaim in the opening vignette. Make of that what you will.
I would also note that these quotes are nowhere referenced inside the book, and in fact, the book does not contain many alleged Torah sources in total; by my count, there are approximately ten inside and that count includes multiple quotes by the same source. And, as I've demonstrated, those sources are not as Rabbi Luft portrays them either.
One final point. Where are the haskamos from prominent gedolim for his work? Where are the specific, not generic, endorsements of his positions? If all is as Rabbi Luft represents it, why have the gedolim not made themselves heard with specific concrete guidelines for Jewish music? After all, that's how both the yeshivish derech halimud and the halachik process work. Ideas need to be clearly defined, delineated, and articulated. Yet, thus far, aside from the occasional generic screed/speech against contemporary Jewish music, to my knowledge there has been no godol, or even respected Rav/Rosh Yeshiva who has clearly articulated the parameters for what is and isn't kosher Jewish music. For a book ostensibly representing daas Torah, the fact the the only two endorsers are Rabbis no one has ever heard of, rather than the gedolim on whose shoulders this campaign allegedly rests is bizzare. Like the dog that didn't bark in Conan Doyle's "Hound of the Baskervilles", the silence is revealing.
Next, I will briefly review the assertions in my first post in this series, and show how I have documented them.
Here are my previous posts in this series:
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part I
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part II
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part III"
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part IIIa
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker"; Part IV
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part V
In Review - Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part VI
In Review - R'; Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part VII
UPDATE 2/1/09:
For your convenience, I have updated the posts in this series to include links to all of the posts on this topic.
Here are the links to all of the posts in this series:
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part I
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part II
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part III
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part IIIa
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part IV
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part V
In Review - Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part VI
In Review - R'; Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part VII
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part VIII
In Review - R' Ephraim Luft's "The Torah Is Not Hefker" Part IX
