Navonim - The Ramblings of Garnel Ironheart

Navonim - The Ramblings of Garnel Ironheart
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Thursday 10 September 2009

Guest Post - Authentic Idiocy

I put up a post a couple of days ago about this Rabbi Bearmant which quickly received a bunch of negative comments (so I'm told) and was then taken down. Izgad has since put up a post expressing views very similar to mine.

It is possible, as some commenters have claimed, that Rabbi Bearmant isn't real but is a spoof. The question to me is how many of Rabbi Bearmant's ideas are countenanced in the haredi world and indeed are not considered socially unacceptable. Are there rabbanim in yeshivas that have rabbis who accept or promulgate these ideas? Are these ideas considered off-color in said world? That's the question to me.

Baruch

14 comments:

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

Something else to consider: is this the only honest guy out there?

Come on, how many of us have had mushulachim in our homes who, in the hopes of a bigger cheque, have told us how wonderful, important, pious and well-learned we are? All the while they're thinking "Stupid non-religious SOB, how come God gave him the money and not my mesivta?"

Is Bearmant simply saying what they're thinking aloud? And if so, why are we criticizing his honesty?

David said...

At first I was having a bit of trouble deciding whether or not the dude was for real. He sounds a bit like Rabbi Mordechai Friedman, whose wildly entertaining videos are available on-line for your viewing pleasure.

The problem is that the dude more or less has a solid Torah basis for all of his views... so, who is to say he's not "authentic?" Granted, he's despicable, bigoted, closed-minded, overbearing, ignorant, and maybe even a bit crazy. Even so, does that make him wrong from a Torah perspective?

Garnel Ironheart said...

There's an easy answer to that. In halachah there is a concept of "naval b'rshus haTorah". A person can strictly keep every Torah rule and still be a total jerk.
But it clear from Chazal that this is NOT the ideal form of Judaism. In fact, the gemara in Yoma tells us that one of the reasons Yerushalayim was destroyed was because people there insisted on going by strict law instead of "lifnim mishuras hadin".
A mature, intelligent Jew knows how to temper strictness with kindness. While this joker has plenty of the former, he quite clearly lacks any of the latter.

Baruch said...

FTR, the title of this post is Garnel's.

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

Actually, he's been unmasked by this guy:

http://innate-differences.blogspot.com/2009/09/inauthenticity.html:

The "Rabbi" has since been exposed as a teenage spoofer. Still he is a talented one and the ideology he letzonusdikly espouses still mistaken for my own by some and as such worthy of this post and edits by way of response"

OTD said...

He is not a teenager and it is not a spoof. BOF is clueless.

(Oh wait, Jewish Philosopher must be a spoof too? Heh, it won't be long before they're calling Garnel a spoof, too. Whatever it takes to save frum ass.)

David said...

OTD--

Did you used to be in some kind of romantic relationship with Garnel? It's hard to explain the intensity of the bitterness.

OTD said...

>Did you used to be in some kind of romantic relationship with Garnel?

No. But you are.

OTD said...

As I have to tell Holy Hyrax all too often: mind your own fucking business.

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

If you're really annoyed by me, why do you keep following me around like a love-sick puppy?

OTD said...

I never said I was annoyed by you.

Nice post title, btw

David said...

"No. But you are." Damn. You really got me in that exchange! I'm suprised you didn't go with "nanny, nanny, boo-boo" just to finish it off.

Oh, well; I know when I'm beat. Guess I'll just go back home, slip into something more comfortable, and wait for ol' Garnel to stop by and give me some of his Patented Hardcore Hebrew Lovin'.

Garnel Ironheart said...

All together:

EEeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

OTD said...

>Patented Hardcore Hebrew Lovin'.

Ahhh. Hebrew National.