Failed Messiah has a story about Rabbi Gottlieb, one of the main organizers of the Asifa, being involved in child abuse at a yeshiva he used to work for in Lakewood. While the charges are alleged, I’m sure someone with a sick mind like the guy behind Failed Messiah will blow it out of proportion and bring down the entire Gottlieb family tree if it can get one more hit to his blog. Who cares? What does beating children, who ought to be beaten sometimes, in a yeshiva setting have to do with the dangers of the internet.
When Mr. Lampert posted this piece on my facebook wall I retorted with “nowhere in the Torah does it say not to beat children, it’s a lot better than watching youporn” and I stand by that remark. Unfortunately, too many people like to lay blame without seeing the bigger picture. While Rabbi Gottlieb may or may not be guilty of beating his yeshiva students, not only is this not halachically wrong – it doesn’t negate the fact that this Rabbi is responsible for one of the most important frum gatherings since the Lipa concert ban.
Regardless of what I have said in jest about the Internet Asifa, I think it’s a very important event for everyone in Klal Yisroel (non-chabad, black hat wearing males)to attend. Hashem Yirachem that I cannot be there, but I have already told many of my chassidim that I may refrain frum bittul internet that day, God willing we will have a live blogger there to record the amazing chizuk we are likely to receive from all of the gedolim who will be there.
So while sickos like Shmarya Rosenberg and his off the derech goons will use alleged stories that have nothing to do with the internet to take this Asifa down, I think it’s wrong to compare two different things that have nothing to do with each other. It reminds me of the times when people tried to tell us that such and such a person is evil and cannot do good. Just because someone is evil, in this case a child abuser, doesn’t mean they don’t have it in their hearts to do incredible acts of chesed like we have seen from Rabbi Gottlieb.