By committing suicide at his son's grave last week, ultra-Orthodox author Chaim Walder achieved the exact opposite of what he wanted. The very little that remained of his good name went down into the grave with him. But more importantly, the suicide will likely give a push to break the code of silence within the ultra-Orthodox sector.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Why? Walder was well-known for his books, with almost every religious and Haredi family in Israel having a copy. Nevertheless, ever since the Haaretz expose, the crimes attributed to him did not make headlines in the mainstream or Haredi media.
The news of his death, on the other hand, they could not push aside anymore. Even in the Haredi community, educators and parents had to address the matter and provide answers to the questions that arose.
As such, Walder's reputation has been tarnished forever. And although some continue to attempt to silence, every ultra-Orthodox sex offender now knows that the sector's "defense" is shaky and no longer keeps knowledge of such sins inside. If Walder fell, no one can be secure.
All the above mentioned is just a side note, for the truly profound questions that arise from this affair are existential, and certainly human and faith-based – for people of faith.
Walder, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, Eliezer Berland, Ezra Sheinberg, and other less well-known ultra-Orthodox rabbis, psychologists, and doctors – or Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (as some claim) – were all people who dedicated their lives to helping others. Good people. Worthy of emulation.
They were the first to declare to the public how terrible, unacceptable, forbidden, horrible, cruel, and despicable it was to commit the transgressions they themselves committed. Their urges pushed them to risk the good reputation they had built in the world.
How could these individuals, who gave so much of themselves, who understood deeply the pain and distress of others, who kept lending a helping hand for decades, hurt those turning to them for help? How could they build and destroy at the same time? How could they be angels and monsters and righteous and criminal at the same time?
This is an existential question about the human psyche and one that every Jew who keeps the commandments has to ask himself.
Certainly, the fact that Walder's crimes were revealed does not mean the entire system has to be written off. Compared to other ways of living, including the secular one, one cannot argue that the religious formula has failed.
At the same time, it also does not guarantee success, as the ultra-Orthodox public sometimes chooses to think. The increase in the number of prominent religious figures – who specialize in the human psyche – committing such terrible transgressions points to a fault in the system. It requires each one us to do some soul-searching.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
