Humor me please.
In Judaism, one of the major duties we're charged with is "Tikkun Olam," the commitment to compassion for others, in repairing the world. Actually, Tikkun Olam is a commandment - a mitzvah. Building on that, it's required that we conduct ourselves in a "holy" manner, i.e., observe Torah, observe a diet that is respectful toward animals (kashrus), observe the Sabbath, work toward certain obligations, etc. That way, we're more capable of understanding what it really requires to repair said world. So, perhaps it is reasonable to assume that as Jews, Tikkun Olam is ever-present in our consciousness.
For people like me, (I am a non-religious Jew), a pared down, more modern version of Tikkun Olam means living a mindful, compassionate life:
-thinking about the world sociologically and trying to repair it,
-living peacefully
-living ethically.
People who know me well know that I make an earnest attempt to live this way on a daily basis.
Call me crazy, but if I'm committed, then shouldn't a Rabbi be about ten times more committed? Rabbis are supposed to be our ethical counselors, and they're supposed to be bound by venerable principles, among them confidentiality. How else are we to trust them, otherwise? Michael Jackson and others who came to Boteach (at the very least) must have assumed their deep, dark secrets were safe. Oops.
Said Shmuley last June:
"I am a Rabbi who believes in G-d. Hence, I stay away from the celebrity culture which makes men and women – celebrities – into gods, and that is misguided and unacceptable.
Hence, I never really comment about Michael (Jackson) at all because my involvement with him was not about him as a celebrity, but about the work we did together to help kids. When that ended, our relationship essentially did as well. I have no interest in having superstar friends. My interest is pleasing G-d, working to help people, being a decent husband, and raising my seven children."
Really? So in the name of "pleasing God" and Tikkun Olam, what is Boteach doing? He's first in line to publish a very private book about MJ ("In the Soul of Michael Jackson") under the guise of helping people. He's betraying a dead guy, gossiping about him, and profiting from it in the name of kindness and compassion. A Rabbi. To me, this is totally unacceptable. What a hypocrite.
There's a special name for this ultimate no-no in Judaism, and it's called "Lashon Ha-ra," which literally means "evil speech."
Rabbi Michael P. Sternfield of Chicago Sinai Congregation said in the HuffPost recently,
"When Rabbi Boteach spoke publicly about his experiences with Michael Jackson, he did serious harm to all rabbis and other clergy as well. No doubt Boteach felt he was advancing his own career and public profile as the "rabbi to the stars." But he should have given more thought to the serious damage he was doing. As he must know, he also violated several of the sacred principles of our Jewish religion which specifically prohibit tale-bearing (even when the tales may be true), gossip, and "lashon ha-ra" (meaning evil speech.)"
Note to Rabbi Shmuley: You've overdosed on your own Kool Aid. Please take a look within yourself, identify your own desire to expand your pockets through lectures, book sales, appearances on "Dateline" and the ultimate betrayal of a human being (for profit) and then give me a call. You'd better start packing on some mitzvot, my friend. Or at least start practicing what you preach.
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