Meir Baranes Threatens to Murder Rav Ovadia Yosef
Yediot Achronot correspondent Akiva Novik recorded a conversation with Meir Baranes, who was informed the conversation was recorded and consented. He told Novik that in 45 days, on 19 Kislev, the Chag HaGeula for Chabadnikim, he or a messenger of his would murder Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita. Baranes is currently incarcerated in a psychiatric institution pending evaluation.
Kikar Shabbat reports that Novik is “quite concerned” since Baranes appears most serious regarding his threat and he for one does not think his words should be taken lightly or discarded. Novik stresses that he for one does not think authorities should take this threat lightly just because Novik is under lock at key at the moment.
In the late 1990s Baranes attacked Tzfat Chief Rabbi Levy Bistrizky z”l, and then April 2000, he ran the rav over with his car, traveling at high speed. For reasons few understand, he has never been held accountable for his actions because of his diminished mental capacity. In 2005, police launched an investigation against Baranes after he threatened the life of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. It appears that his mental state prevents the system from regarding Baranes as a murderer, and he is now threatening once again. He has been known as a deranged individual for a long time, yet the system does not address him accordingly.
In his conversation with Novik, he points to Parshas Noach, when the dove was released from the ark, stating on 19 Kislev he will release the dove from the “evil Rabbi Yosef” and begin the process of the redemption for Am Yisrael.
Novik:
Please, tell me in plain words for someone like me, a secularist, what you plan to do to Rav Yosef in 45 days.
Baranes:
What do you want to here? Do I plan to murder him, yes, indeed.
Novik:
Why?
Baranes:
First of all, because he has spoken out many times against the Rebbi from Lubavitch on the internet and elsewhere. Therefore, as a talmid of the Rebbe, I am compelled to act towards preserving his honor.
Novik:
How will you do this since you are incarcerated?
Baranes:
Don’t worry, I have many friends from my paratrooper days who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the Rebbe, for his honor, and if I cannot do it personally, someone will – there are many there who would do this, and if not, Hashem has his ways. Not to worry.
NOTE: Rabbanei Chabad Shlita have disassociated themselves with Baranes over a decade ago, proclaiming him to be the deranged individual he appears to be.
Kikar Shabbat reports that aides to Maran Rav Ovadia Shlita are not commenting on the story.
Isn-t his name Reb Meir Balanes? 1st com
What is this article all ’bout?!?!?
mmb
Noch a meshugana
12345678
Not treated like a murder?! He is incarcerated in a mental institution. In Israel there’s no death penalty. He would get maximum life imprisonment. Life imprisonment or in amental institution = Same thing.
Meshichist Hero
Another Meshichist Hero!!!
Milhouse
#3, in a mental hospital, when you “get better” you get out. He got out pretty quickly after he ran his car into R Bistritsky.
BS--D
BS”D
Oy what has happened to the world. First the Baba Elazar, now Rov Yosef Shlita is threatened c”v? I as a proud Lubavitcher and Chossid of the Rebbe believe that HaRav Yosef Shlit’a is a Gadol, Gaon, and Tzaddik in our generation. He has done worlds for Yidden trying to keep Halacha everywhere. He really brought so many to Torah and made so many Nissim. So he said the Rebbe wasn’t Moshiach? Big deal! It’s not kofrus and it may even be true that we can’t establish the Rebbe in such a way. Otherwise he is a Tzaddik and does ritegous things. Hashem should protect him and guard him from all meshuganes. The Aibishter should also send a Refuah Sheleima to Meir Ben Sarah, please heal him!
Milhouse
#6 You are evidently not aware of the long history between Lubavitch and R Yosef. Ask someone who was around in the lameds what Baba Sali said about R Yosef after he opened his mouth against the Rebbe over mivtza NeSheK. And of course he founded and controls Shas, and is responsible for every decision Shas made that caused thousands of Jewish lives to be lost.
None of that, of course, justifies the madman Baranes. The world needs to know that this person has no real connection to Chabad. He’s just a crazy person who woke up one morning and decided to dress and act like a Lubavitcher, just as another one might decide to dress and act like Napoleon. He didn’t learn in Lubavitch, he’s never held any position in any Chabad mosad, and he certainly has no business calling himself “dover Chabad”, let alone “dover hamelech hamashiach”. (I know people who were taken in by the “dover Chabad” tag line he used to use, and thought he really was a spokesman for Chabad, or at least for one faction within Chabad.)
Levi Bukiet
Why of all things do we as “Lubavitchers” have to inflame the world with our “meshugoim” and sick people by publicizing such crazy information on our websites????? Where is the common sense and Kovod Lubavitch???? What every meshiganeh says we have to blow it out to the public????
shbabk
Thanks Millhouse for a short synopsis of Rabbi Y’s “great” accomplishments. Someone once compiled a list of “piskei halacha” that brought tzoros bgashmius and ruchnius to Am Yisroel sisnce his days in the Rabbanut.A must read.
Regarding Barnes, those who know him well are pretty sure that he is being used by someone or some organization to blacken Chabad’s excellent name all over Eretz Yisroel. No one in his right mind would come up with this idiocy, and the fact remains that he spends some time in mental institutions but never jailed. That’s the talk among people in the know.
Food for thought, in Israel anything is possible.
To Levi Bukiet #8
It IS absolutely necessary to publish these stories for all lubavitch to see. This is not just a lone individual acting on his own volition, this is part of a large group of Lubavitchers whom we call “messianics”.
All remaining normal Lubavitchers need to band together and obliterate these messianics once and for all, and restore Kovod to the Rebbe and Chabad.
no one special
#8
Publicity seeking sometimes back-fires.
shlomo
what problem with pulsadenura? if you do to wrong guy it come on you. on sharon it work in half way
oy
this is weird, i just read a introduction letter 2 a sefer promoting the rebbe as moshiach in which rav ovadia yosef wrote himself AGREEING with the book!
Milhouse
#10, Baranes is NOT part of any group of Lubavitchers. I remember one time he showed his face in 770 and it was davka the Tzfati thugs who picked him up and physically ejected him from the place. Even they see him as michutz lamachane. How much more so any normal group.
Milhouse
There is no problem at all with “pulsa denura” because it’s a made-up ritual. It doesn’t exist in any known Jewish source, and first appears among mid-twentieth century kano’im. And of course the secular law should have no problem with it, because they claim not to believe in magic; so why do they arrest people for it? But the truth is that under their sophisticated veneer they are superstitious amhoratzim; because they’re amhoratzim they don’t know that it’s nonsense, and because they’re superstitious they’re afraid of it.
OY VEY
It is one thing to be a psychotic. It is another thing to be Meshichist; but to be a psychotic Meshihist, well that is perhaps the worse combination. Let’s hope the professionals at Kfar Shaul know what they are doing. Best of luck
To #9
Don’t you get it? Baranes is not “in his right mind.”
#6
kol hakavod, you are completely right. Rabbi Yosef is a tremendous tzadik and gadol
shlomo
after killing BABA ELAZAR HY”D it no monopoly to mashihizm in tzfatim , bahur ha ze meshuga also want bring moshiah in such bad way
Sha! Get Back!
Baranes claims to have been in a coma for an extended period of time. If so, he may be left with brain damage that makes him act as he does.
The question is, who sprang him on Chabad in Tzfas? The answer is, those who would benefit from having those who spread Yiddishkeit and Eretz Yisroel HaShlema removed from circulation L”A.
To #6
You should know that this one is the ONLY chief rabbi that the Rebbe REFUSED to see, speak to , or receive in Yechidus. When asked why, the Rebbe said, ‘he only comes to make machlokes’. In every generation you have 2 rashayiim, like dasan and aviram. This one, and the other one who lived in b’nei brak, our 2 in our generation who are complete rashayiim, k’pshuto, mamash.
ovadia yusef said FACTS
Moron Ovad-ya Yusef said http://www.youtube.com/watc…
Quote:
“shach was right to fight the rebbe ,because chabad believe that the rebbe is G-d!….. and the rebbe encouraged and said so himself”
“the rebbe said disgusting things that he (ovad ya) cant repeat”
– Moron Raboy Ovad-Ya Yusef
———-
i grew up in a chabad home, and schools, camp etc.. in a chabad community and i spent 40 years! with chabad chasidim and learning the rebbes torah. and i never ever heard anybody say that they believ the rebbe is G_D !!! chas visholom!!!!
but this old Moron “Talimd chochom” did hear this? and he makes blanket judgement (forget “lashon hara!”) against the tzaddik of our generation?
how exactly did he investigate chabad?
what a nerve! and chutzpah and evil to spread such lies and hate about the rebbe and all of chabad!
Shame on Him!
i wish him no harm Chas visholom
i only wish he would apologize publicly.
———-
Learn this: from the Baal shem tov.:
Keser shem tov chelck Alef #148 look it up http://chabadlibrary.org/bo…
when a great nishama comes down … and will change the world for good… the satan complains.. and a “talmid chacham” from “sheedeen yudain” (with a soul of a jewish daemon) will make fun of the complete tzaddik.. so that jews are rewarded with free choice to choose who they will follow!
-Keser shem tov chelck Alef #148
———-
sadly, Meir Baranes is not the only Moron in israel
– Peretz
Yossi
To Levi Bukiet,
It’s time for us to publicly remove ourselves from the meshugoyim in our midst. The philosophy you have to just ignore people who do things against halachah has only made things worse in our community. Your point is to not hang out our dirty laundry but internally there is no cleansing of the dirt it just stays there and gets worse and worse. Nobody has the guts or cares to say something. With Rav Ovadia Yoseph he is someone who will open his mouth when he sees people doing things that should not be done. He does not stand for ……… A leader like him is what we need. Someone who has the guts to go out there and PUBLICLY say stop it and get out . We need a kick in the back of our kappotas but nobody is man enough to give it.
Chosid_But
Although I am also a chabad chassid and have had ‘moiftim’ from the Rebbe zt“l, I must commend Rav Yosef shlita for saying what he said. Why? Because the actions, words, and prayers of some extremist ‘chassidim’ would suggest that their inner belief borders on what Rav AY said. (You have to be a TRUE chussid to learn zechus on their actions & words, that they also understand that only Hashem ALONE is truly in charge and runs the show.)
You might gasp ”What“? Let me explain. Some [many]people make MONEY their god. Some make their clothing god. Of course they don’t pray and bow to a dollar! But inside [subconsciously] they do!
How careful one must be with dealing with a Rebbe that shook the world! Where nissim were common daily! Whose kedusha keeps on sprouting new avenues of Torah and Yiddishkeit 18 years after his passing! We must not slip a hairbreadth from the fact that he is HELPLESS (yes the Rebbe!) without Hashem’s guidance. Hashem loves him and brtzono grants him tefilos, etcetera.
Anyhow, I might of slipped off topic a bit. I grant Rabbi Ovadya Yosef the benefit of the doubt that his words were to defend against a possible trend that could c”v develop over the years. (Even Yaakov Uveenu was afraid that he shouldn’t become an Avoda Zara. [As well as many tzadikim.])
Having said all this; Today we are be’Sholom with him. Let’s keep it that way.
Chacham Mendy
Why o’ Why,
Do we need to publicize this sort of information. He is deranged and belongs in a ward, but we dont need to stoke the flames of sinah for Chabad-Lubavitch, Inc.
he killed a lubavitch rabbi
He is not a chassid of the Rebbe. He KILLED one of the 10 Shluchei kodesh that the rebbe personally sent to Israel…. This man is a murderer
Milhouse
#23, What do you mean by saying we have to remove ourselves from such meshugo’im? Who exactly has to remove himself from Baranes? He has been unwelcome in ANY group in Lubavitch for many years, since the extent of his insanity became recognised. Levi Bukiet makes a good point saying that we should not be drawing attention to him in the first place, by posting articles about him. There is no dirt to cleanse ourselves from; he is just a crazy person, like some homeless person who screams on the subway.
#24, if you can justify what is on that video, then you are not a chosid and have no right to call yourself one. He directly attacks the Rebbe, not just some stupid chassidim, and that is not acceptable. A chossid treats every word of his Rebbe as perfect and beyond criticism. Besides which, R Yosef has a long history with the Rebbe; find out what Baba Sali said about him in the lameds, and why. And it’s not just Lubavitch; ask the Nissim family and the Eliyahu family about the tzaros he caused them, out of pure jealousy. Did you ever wonder what happened to Moshe Nissim’s political career? If there’s now peace between us that’s all very well, but let’s not pretend that the past doesn’t exist.
None of which, of course, in any way justifies the sort of attack we’re discussing here. Or, for that matter, the constant attacks the secular press makes on him, for teaching Torah as it is, without censoring it for political correctness.
Milhouse
#26, he hasn’t actually killed anyone yet, as far as we know.
Chosid_But
Millhouse:
In order for his point to be heard and make waves, he chose to attack the Rebbe. As we see, he succeeded! This does not constitute any hate of the Rebbe chas veSholom.
The Alter Rebbe was also viciously attacked by Friendly Rebbes, and most people knew not to mix in. Usually (of course not always!) when a Rebbe or godol attacks another Rebbe, it is the policy he is after. Had Rav AY merely given a mussar speech to certain chassidim, it would seem like a lukewarm response to the gravest of charges!
Anyhow, my main point was the present and the future. Some have fallen to a flavor of what Rav AY warned about. We need to make sure and remember that ALL tzadikim are slaves of Hashem. Regardless of Igrot Kodesh Moftim (veChule) which I myself have experienced like out of this world, on the spot, super mofet. At THAT point in time we need to remember Hashem and thank Hashem for creating the Rebbe and I“K for us.
Like the Rebbetzin z”l said to the judge “The Rebbe AND the Seforim belong to the chassidim!”
Milhouse
#29, You keep pretending that the problem starts with that video. The person is a baal machlokes from long long before that. Why don’t you find out before you speak? Yes, he’s a huge talmid chochom. But his history is not that of a person who behaves like one. Besides his MANY attacks on the Rebbe, how many thousands of yidden are dead because of him?
As for what you consider a valid point that he makes, it seems you need to learn how a chossid regards his rebbe. “Man Penei Ho’odon? Do Rashbi!” Rashbi was called “Penei Ho’odon Hashem!” And Yaacov Ovinu was called “Keil”. “Asidin Tzadikim likorei bishmo shel HKBH.” R Levi Yitzchok Bardichever even wrote that it is permitted to bow down to a tzadik just as we do to Hashem on Yom Kippur! Read the sefer Al Hatzadikim and you will see how close we *properly* come to what R Yosef calls kefirah.
Yes, there’s a line that it’s vital not to cross. “Ossur lehispalel achorei rabbo”, because one could be suspected of avodo zoro. And certain things should not be said in public because some people will misunderstand; “chachomim hizoharu bedivreichem”. But R Yosef on the video is not about this subtle difference. He spoke against the Rebbe, and against belief in the Rebbe. He condemned concepts that the Rebbe taught us, and which are therefore kodesh kodoshim. Don’t go papering that over and pretending it’s not there.
To Millhouse.#30
Thanks. Right on. Much blood was spilled by this guy, and I mean the one they call rabbi. Baranes is very sick. This rabbi is very evil.
Chosid_But
Milhouse:
I am not pretending nothing. I couldn’t care less about that. One minute….What? Ok, I am saying that in my comment, MY main focus was to bring out this [aforementioned] point. And for *this* I commend him, the Rabbi AY.
I am not interested in the machloket portion. Got it?
Again I am saying that WE should not behave or say things that justifies the Sephardic Rabbi’s comments.
Unfortunately, Milhouse!! YOU contradict yourself in the same comment #29. To quote you:
“ certain things should not be said in public because some people will misunderstand; ”chachomim hizoharu bedivreichem”.
And in the same comment you write things that do EXACTLY that. Or <gasp> have you fallen to this as well? It is obvious that you missed what Rashi says regarding Yakov Uvinu. It is likewise obvious that you never heard Reb Yoel Kahn explain the Rashbi quote either. Or, did you know that it says that after Moshiach comes, Hashem will call ALL yidden with his holy name, Yud-hei-vav-hei!
Besides, it seems that YOU are misinterpreting these as well and that you have *unwittingly* crossed the line! Before you jump back with a comment, think about that.
Do you want this thread to become a lomdes on chassidus? Fine. But that was not the point nor the focus of my post.
Milhouse dear, between me and you and the lamp post, this problem does exist for real out there (and not subtly like I am accusing you), but I don’t want to get in the details. (There are numerous YouTube videos as proof. -If you haven’t witnessed it live.-) To be honest the Goyim injected this goyish view into chabad’s sheeta, and the chassidim, all chassidim are not guilty. I can’t forget Tamuz 4 (possibly 5) 5754, at my workplace, when a Catholic Shikse co-worker waved a NY Times article in my face and with a vicious grin wanted to know what I said to THAT? The article? A detail of the Rebbes funeral, with interviews, etc. and with their opinion that some at chabad make the Rebbe into the next —– (you know what/who). Yes, the Goyim (thru their goyish eyes) brought us this kleepah, we need to behave in such a manner that leaves no doubt.
Oseh Shalom, hu yaseh Shalom uleinu.
Milhouse
#32, you remind me of the ridiculous lie invented by the Torah Temimah or by his father, that the Tzemach Tzedek acknowledged that the GRA was right to oppose chassidus, and that it’s only thanks to his cherem that the chassidim ended up staying religious. This story makes the exact same claim as you: that the GRA deliberately overreacted in order to stop the disease in time, etc. Of course the story is false and wicked, and only fools believe it. The same is true with your “justification” of R Yosef. His attack is not on those who don’t understand, or who take things too literally, but on the shita itself, and on the Rebbe himself.
We are now talking among ourselves, and we have to face things as they are: there IS a sense in which the Rebbe is like Hashem, just as with Yaacov Avinu and other tzadikim. Of course it’s not kipshuto, and one must be careful not to take it kipshuto, and if we see someone going too far with this idea we must correct them, but the idea itself is Torah, and attacks on it are attacks on Torah and truth.
Chosid_But
Milhouse:
At least you bent a bit…
(Sorry, but can’t restrain from retorting again<sigh>….)
I don’t know about the GRA in those days. But I CAN say that in these times, Lakewood and Mir etc, keep the Chassidim learning Gemora, nigle! And on the flip side, the litvekes are chassidim! The litvish rebbeim study sifrei chassidus, and without open acknowledgement, they teach and behave like chassidim should. I know you can rebut some of this, but I am just making a point.
IT IS HIGH TIME FOR MOSHIACH NOW!
Anyhow, nice talking to you, glad you bent a bit (woops), and hope to see you at a farbrengen someday.
I will let you have the last word on this little conversation.
Milhouse! Take the mike!
Baranes = ShaBaK
In 1990, Rav Ovadia depended on the sonei from Bnei Brak and was manipulated by Deri, the mushchas menuval who was the sonei’s protege and who later ended up in the can.
Today, Rav Ovadia has worked himself free of those influences and no longer cares to speak against Chabad.
He has also repudiated his land-for-peace views.
Leave Rav Ovadia alone.
The issue here is Baranes. So far, the only one whom that dangerous nut has actually harmed was a very outstanding Chossid.
not a meshichist
TO KILL FOR THE SAKE OF OUR REBBE…………….HMMM THIS IS NOT A MESHICHIST!
A MESHICHIST IS SOMEONE WHO LOVES THE REBBE KNOWS HE IS MOSHIACH AND STILL HERE WITH US GUIDING US AND GIVING US STRENGTH. Someone who follows the Rebbes directives to the best of his ability, always growing and doing more.
Do NOT mix urselves up!
Chosid_But
#36:
[Most of] Your statement is true according to *any* chossid. We just learned in Chitas (Tanya Letters 27-28) basically how you describe it regarding love for (and from) the Rebbe, guidance, etc. This is detailed exquisitely by the Alter Rebbe in the aforementioned letters.
Except for the Moshiach bit [unrelated and NOT mutually exclusive], the Alter Rebbe doesn’t take upon himself to discuss such a lofty topic. But the rest of what you said….Right On!
Milhouse
#36, #37, Baranes is not a chossid of any kind. As far as I know he’s never had any real connection with Lubavitch. He just calls himself a Lubavitcher and there are no laws to stop him from doing so.
yosef
Re: what baba sali said about ovadia yosef I saw this : “As a member of the Abuchatzeira family I can tell you that this story is simply not true.
Rav Ovadia Yosef ruled in Yehave Da’at 2:33(which was published in 1947) that girls SHOULD light the age of 3. He repeated this psak in his next work Yabiah Omer(2 OH 16) which was published in 1956. His initial Psak on this issue was given before the Last Lubavitcher Rebbe Z”L was even installed as the Admur of Lubavitch, and both were issued well in advance of the “mitzvah campaign” of the Lubavitcher Admur Z”L.
The problem was that this psak ran against the ruling of the AR”I ZTz”L(Shaar Kavvanot drush Shabbat as well as other places) and thus the way the majority of Sehpardim had ruled, as Sephardi Halacha follows minhag mekubalim. Other tzadikim of note that Rav Ovadiah had ruled against at the time were:
The Ben Ish Hai(sefer Ben Ish Hai parasah Noah)
The Hida (Mihazik Berakha (O.H. 263:4) and Shoel V’Nishal (2, 58))
Avir Yaakov(the grandfather of the Baba Sali) Pituhei Hotam(Parasha
All of these poskim ruled in accordance with AR”I ZTz”L who said that a girl should not be allowed to light in the home of her mother as it impinged upon her Kavod, and for other Kabbalistic reasons.
The issue was that already in the 1940′s Rav Ezra Attia ZTz”L and Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul ZTz”L were saying of Rav Ovadia, “Mi Yosef L’Yosef ein cmo Yosef”. Meaing from Maran Yosef Karo ZTz”L to Rav Ovadiah Yosef Shlita, there was never a Halakhic authority like Rav Ovadiah Yosef, with depth and breadth of Kol Torah Kula.
So sometime after the Baba Sali ZTz”L arrived in Israel(either in late 1950 or early 1951… still before the Menachem Mendel was made admur of Lubavitch) some of the Baba Sali ZTz”L’s followers asked him if they should change their minhag to follow the ruling of Maran Ovadiah Yosef Shlita. The Baba Sali ZTz”L said no, and replied, “A newborn sparrow should not contend with the Eagles that ride the heavens.” Which in itself was a mashal that his grandfather Avir Yaakov ZTz”L would use when comparing a talmid hakham who hadn’t learned the depths of Kabbalah(a sparrow) to one who had(an Eagle).”. Any thoughts?