So am I afraid that it will be banned? This is a good question with a complicated answer. I'm going to respond in several posts. One will discuss the reasons why it might be banned, and another will discuss the reasons why it might not banned. In this post, I will explain why, whatever happens, I am not afraid - and how everything is completely different from sixteen years ago.
When three of my books were banned (and you can see all the documentation linked at this page), I was utterly devastated. It was an immensely upsetting time for me (and for my wife and family), and I was desperate to make it go away. I'm going to discuss all the ways in which the notorious cherem of 16 years ago harmed and hurt me, and why that wouldn't happen today.
1. Fear That I've Actually Done Something Wrong
Contrary to many people's image of me as an immensely self-assured, arrogant person, I'm actually constantly hounded by self-doubt. Moreover, whenever I do something wrong, I'm absolutely plagued by guilt. When the original ban happened, I was tormented by the fact that maybe I had indeed published something that was deeply religiously problematic. Every day, I would ask myself, "What if the Gedolim are right?" 16 years on, I am much more confident in the positions that I present. It's like how most of us are perfectly confident in stating definitively that the earth is a sphere, despite the growing numbers of people who claim otherwise.
2. Awe of Great Rabbis
Back then, I really did revere the charedi Gedolim as being both great theologians and rabbinic leaders. It was greatly upsetting to me to see how they condemned me. I was even wondering whether I would just have to defer to their authority. These days, of course, I am fully aware of how they are embedded in an anti-rationalist worldview, with no serious understanding of the rationalist approach and its legitimacy. I'm perfectly happy for them to voice their denial of the rationalist approach; it just further confirms the thesis of my book.
3. Overwhelming Criticism and Attack
It wasn't just the Gedolim's condemnations that were upsetting. There were endless people writing articles and internet posts and comments against me, along with hate mail to my inbox. One or two people even yelled at me in public. Of course, there were even more people writing about me and to me in support (including plenty of rabbonim in the charedi world), but that didn't cancel out the criticisms and condemnations. Yet that experience itself toughened me, and sixteen years later it just wouldn't bother me anywhere near as much, if at all.
4. Slander
One of the most sharply painful aspects of the original controversy was the personal slander that was issued against me; specifically, Rabbi Moshe Meiselman claiming that I had been thrown out of yeshiva in England for bad behavior, as well as falsifying the contents of my books. At the time, I wanted to simply sue him for libel. But, in a rare piece of bad guidance that I was given by my rabbinic mentors, I was urged not to, due to it looking bad that I would be going to secular courts. Nowadays, I would have no such concerns about taking legal action against slander - because even in the charedi world, when people want to right a wrong that can't be solved by Beis Din, they go to court.
5. Social Ostracization
While the Rav of my shul at the time, Rav Chaim Malinowitz ztz"l, was a tremendous fortress of strength and support for me, the same was not true of everyone in my wider community. One shteeble at which I davenned during the week threw me out, later allowed me back, but after my father's passing would not let me be shaliach tzibbur (the person responsible recently apologized). Nowadays, I need fear no such repercussions from the shuls and communities and people with which I mix.
6. Loss of Income
One of the practical ramifications of the initial controversy was a certain loss of income. A seminary that I was teaching at was forced by Rav Moshe Shapiro to fire me. My books were selling better than ever (there's no such thing as bad publicity), but Feldheim was forced to stop distributing them (for which they deserve no blame at all). Today, I'm not worried about being fired from the Biblical Museum of Natural History, because I run the place! And my book distribution is independently controlled. As for harm to the museum - back when I was running the museum in its original location in Beit Shemesh, we were working closely with a very charedi person on the city council, a devoted follower of the Gedolim and fierce opponent of those who challenge their authority. Somebody went and told him all about what a rasha I am. Nothing happened; he continued working with us. We've had tens of thousands of charedi visitors, and they've all seen for themselves that there is nothing remotely problematic with the museum. I'm not even involved with giving tours for such groups, and we take pains to stay away from any controversial topics. Everyone can see what a tremendous asset the museum is for the charedi community, and anyone trying to harm that due to my non-museum work would face ridicule and opposition.
7. Anxiety at Being the Center of a Public Scandal
As a 29-year-old with little self-confidence, it was simply overwhelming to be at the center of such a controversy. There were endless editorials and articles being printed against me in the charedi press, and public letters being issued. It reached all the newspapers, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. It took over every aspect of my life for a year and a half. Sixteen years later, I've better learned how to handle being a public figure.8. Betrayal by Friends
Probably the most upsetting aspect of the controversy, for both me and my wife, was how certain friends turned on me and publicly condemned me. These were friends who were older than me, with established careers in chinnuch, and who felt that they had to demonstrate their allegiance to the Daas Torah in general and Rav Moshe Shapiro in particular. (Only one of them was honest and brave enough to later publicly issue a sincere apology.) Sixteen years later, my friends are people of much greater integrity, Torah knowledge, and self-confidence, and I know that they would never act in such a way.
So, those are the reasons why although the events of sixteen years ago were immensely painful, I'm not afraid of such a thing happening again. But will it happen again? The arguments for and against such an eventuality will be the subject of future posts.
That was a rough time. I am glad you got over it. It is better for all of us. I look forward to reading the book, banned or not.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and great book!
ReplyDeleteI just was curious why there are numerous references to AJ Herschel and his works, who can hardly be considered Orthodox,when your primary audience is frum, if not chareidi, Jews. I have to admit it threw me off a bit.
It won't be banned for a very simple reason; you're no longer part of their world. The are plenty of works by modox/DL authors that don't raise an eyebrow even if they are actually heretical.
ReplyDeletewhen people are afraid that others might think something is kosher or correct then people ban it but when things or people are beyond the pale (in their opinion) they don’t bother banning and if anything they specifically don’t ban since it brings attention to it.
ReplyDeleteYour book will not be banned because people in the chareidi world could not care less about what those outside of it do. There are sefarim published every week by members of the DL community that are far more "offensive" than anything you write, and no one says a peep about them in the chareidi world.
ReplyDeleteThere was man fascinated by mysticism,
ReplyDeleteAnd its confrontation by rationalism,
He found it shed light,
On much of Yiddishkeit,
And the schism of these "ism"s became his prism.
And who is this person you rhyme of?
DeleteCan it be about the person writing above?
Surely not, since he is more fascinated with the rational,
Then its confrontation with the mystical,
But perhaps you are true,
I'll leave this to you:
One cannot understand anything in actuality,
Without considering its polarity.
Stay powerfully proud, esteemed author,
For you provide a shining inspiration,
for us to use in our own personal contestation.
If you want, for a couple of thousand dollars I can arrange a ban for you.
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple options, starting with a simple street sign, signs in newspapers, all the way up to a mass demonstration. Just name your price, and we will arrange it for you.
I would like to buy your book in England. How can I do that please?
ReplyDeleteOrder on the museum website, we will mail it to England.
DeleteCan anyone name a single book that has been banned since the "Slifkin" affair?
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about a ban whose course already ran.
ReplyDeleteNo one will bother to rail at an author beyond the Pale.
I highly doubt Gedolei Yisrael such Rav Hershel Schachter, Rav Mordechai Willig, Rav Asher Weiss, Rav Yosef Rimon, Rav Lau, etc will ban your book or put you in cherem.
ReplyDeleteNothing to worry about.
While these are wonderful leaders who are not the kind of people that issue bans, I'm pretty sure that all of these fine Talmudists would object to parts of my book. None of them are scholars of Maimonidean philosophy or rationalists.
DeleteEven R' Hershel Schachter? My impression was he isn't the type to disregard a major derech of the Rishonim.
DeleteInteresting. I thought he studied philosophy too. Oh well.
No, I don't think that Rav Shechter would disregard a major derech of the Rishonim. I just don't think that he would be comfortable with all its ramifications.
DeleteDoes the book have any new points or is it a more organized compilation of the different things you’ve written on this blog over the years
ReplyDeleteIt's a compilation but there's also a lot of new material.
DeleteThank you for responding. For some reason i usually don’t receive responses to my questions.
DeleteI intend to purchase the book; whose haskamot, if any, were given to the sefer?
ReplyDeleteIf you're serious about haskamot, then this book is not for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with those above who say it won't be banned. One, as stated above, you're not in their community anymore. Two, the ban made them look petty and it just served to increase your sales.
Three, it revealed the painful truth that we Jews today don't have a judicial procedure in bes din for claims of heresy. Instead, charedi rabbis deal in pashkevils, public slander, lashon hara, rechilus, Motzi shem ra and public humiliation. When you consider the talk they talk all day, then observe the walk they walk, the dissonance is just stupefying. And that's why I left that camp and found a lifelong home in Modern Orthodoxy, with no plans on ever returning.
Why do you assume that only rabbis that have banned R. Slifkin's sefarim are those that write haskamot? What about the above list of Gedolei Yisrael such Rav Hershel Schachter, Rav Mordechai Willig, Rav Asher Weiss, Rav Yosef Rimon, Rav Lau, etc.?
DeleteZfriend, what's your context? What were your familial and social associations at the time that allowed you to switch camps?
DeleteZfriend didn't answer. I'll guess that he wasn't too deeply embedded into the charedi camp if he could "switch".
Delete