Welcome to the new feature on Life in Israel - Facebook Status of the Day (fsotd). I don't know how frequently I will do this, but let's see how it develops.
Today's winner of fsotd is a status update written by MK Moshe Feiglin. Translation after the screen shot.
Feiglin writes:
The response I just sent to a questioner who was very bothered by the fact that I shake women's hands, I find appropriate to publicize here.
Dear...
In the past I did not shake hands of women, until it became clear to me that there is no prohibition in this - meaning, touching out of courtesy is different than touching out of affection.
I feel the walls that have come up between parts of the nation, the inability to listen and connect around the unifying, threatens us more than the waiving of a chumra.
I consulted with my rabbi, and I am acting in accordance with his psak.
Thank you for your important question.
I wonder if this change will drive away some of his haredi supporters. Or maybe even others.
General supporters might have a problem: Maybe people will see this as immediately after getting into the Knesset he is already compromising on his ideals. While true this might be considered a minor issue, if he can't stand strong and keep his ideals on even such minor things, who says the Knesset won't change him on bigger things when he will be under even more pressure.
Haredi supporters might have a problem: they supported him as somebody faithful to ideals and to the Torah. Suddenly he is abandoning that and perhaps he will abandon other Torah-based ideals as well. What makes him any better than other politicians now...
