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Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has ordered the enforcement of a new law barring solicitation of worshippers at the Western Wall.The controversial new rule went into effect last Thursday, with mixed reactions from Jews who regularly visit the holy site.Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch appeared to be relieved, although unhappy that the issue had reached such a drastic resolution. The rabbi said he had received thousands of complaints from visitors who said the tzedaka (charity) collectors were aggressive in their efforts to convince worshippers to give."Some really went overboard and became brutal," said Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, "but it pains me that we have come to this," he added.The rabbi added in an interview with Israel National News that although the law was actually passed a year and a half ago, the police did not begin its crackdown until last week. "We tried every other means to get the collectors to change their behavior," said Rabbi Rabinovitch. "First we simply asked nicely. Then we asked a little more forcefully." Finally, he said he felt there was no choice and turned to the police."The mitzvah of tzedaka is a very important one, but it has to be carried out in the right way. Not by intruding on people while they are praying. Some of the beggars were shoving people, demanding money the second someone arrived at the entrance to the Wall plaza, threatening or cursing them when they did not give or did not give as much as they asked for. It just became too much," he added.Kotel worshippers interviewed by Israel National News responded angrily that most beggars are not overly aggressive, and that the new law is cruel and against the basic Jewish tenet of love for a fellow Jew."I cannot believe the yeshivot and rabbis would allow this," said a tourist who asked not to be identified. "Outside every hall, before or after every celebration, be it a circumcision ceremony or bar mitzvah or wedding, it is customary to give tzedaka to those who collect – here, in Brooklyn, in Monsey – everywhere in the world. It is a disgrace that in Jerusalem, of all places, they ban people from enabling a person to fulfill the commandment of giving charity."The tourist's host, who lives in one of the hareidi religious neighborhoods in the capital, was equally angry, saying the government's "out of sight, out of mind" approach would not change the dismal economic situation of the beggars. "Does the government think it can hide the country's poverty this way?"The Hebrew word tzedaka is loosely translated as "charity" but actually comes from the word "tzedek" which means "justice." Jewish law mandates that a person give a certain percentage of his income to others, although it does not specify how, or to whom. It is taught that sharing one's income with those who are in need is not charity, but rather, only just, in order to ensure that no one go without.by Hana Levi Julian
As in the days of Noah....
