[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: The following is Rabbi Ari Shvat's response to
the article distributed by the Iranian FARS news agency (article follows the
response). It is circulated with Rabbi Shvat's permission.]

Shalom Rav,

I don’t know who that Iranian rabbi is, but his script and style is clearly
written by Moslem radicals. Labeling other rabbis “donkeys”, and calling for
their “stoning” is not found in 3,000 years of rabbinic literature and
debate, and speaks for itself.

If his regime would allow him access to Judaic books, and/or internet, he
would see clearly that my article in Tchumin, explicitly forbids (!) almost
all cases of forbidden sexual relations unless it is a rare case of dire
national security, and can’t be achieved any other way. It is common
knowledge that forbidden relations is one of the three cardinal sins which
one must even prefer death rather than transgress, nevertheless, national
security of the Nation of Israel is at the very top of the halachic pyramid,
and supersedes all other factors. The eternal role of the Chosen People,
whose responsibility is to consistently raise the morality of mankind, from
Abraham and Sinai until the present day, is that important.

The article is not at all controversial, and any learned person would
immediately and autonomously cite the precedents of Esther and Yael, based
on the Talmudic explanations of those
respective incidents, and the famous halachic responsa of the Noda B’Yehuda
and Maharik on the topic. The fact that Yediot Achronot and other “yellow”
journalists, both Jewish and gentile, unfortunately turned that serious
internal rabbinic publication into a sensationalist front page article, and
changed the stress of the article to attract cheap attention, is to be
expected from the “scoop-hungry” media.

I give more credit to rabbis, who would take the time to open the article,
learn the issue, and only afterwards express their opinion (I have yet to
hear even one (!) rabbi who disagrees
with the article’s outcome). I can just feel sorry for that rabbi (if he
really exists), who lives in a regime who so limits religious and
intellectual freedom, and pray that he and all Jews may come home to Israel
and enjoy those spiritual pleasures, in the Torah center of the world,
rather than live among those enemies who unfortunately threaten the
well-being of not only Jews, but the entire free world.

Rabbi Ari Shvat (see below the link to the original article which speaks for
itself)

http://www.rambish.org.il/journals/t/tehumin/vol30/thmn03080.doc

============================

Senior Iranian Rabbi Asks for Stoning Israeli Rabbi Ari Shvat to Death
News number: 9107117852 16:05 | 2012-11-08
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9107117852

TEHRAN (FNA)- After former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni disclosed
personal details of her former career in Mossad, Rabbi Ari Shvat, one of the
most famous rabbis of Israel, allowed Israeli women to have sex with the
enemy in exchange for information, but Iran's Grand Rabbi Mashallah
Golestaninejad described adultery as forbidden in Judaism, and stressed that
Shvat should be stoned to death.

In an interview given 14 years ago but published in full for the first time
last Friday in a pro-Livni newspaper and then cited by the British Sunday
Times weekly, she described working undercover for Bayonet, Mossad's elite
hit squad, where she answered the question if she had ever had sex to get
information.

"If I'd been asked to do it, I don't know what I'd have said. In the office
(Mossad's term for itself) there is a job tailored for everyone."

After the release of Livni's remarks, Rabbi Ari Shvat, one of the most
famous rabbis of Israel, allowed Israeli women to have sex with the enemy in
exchange for important information, claiming that Jewish law permits this
type of action.

His remarks created chaos in the Jewish world and the Rabbis from different
parts of the world reacted to Shvat's comments.

"The sources of Judaism have not allowed such a deed at all and it
(adultery) is forbidden in our religion and based on the explicit
instruction of the Ten Commandments, no one can embark on adultery at all,"
Iranian Grand Rabbi Mashallah Golestaninejad said.

In an interview with the Persian Daily, Javan, Rabbi Golestaninejad
condemned Rabbi Shvat for his remarks, and said, "He is nothing more than a
donkey and doesn't understand as much as a donkey… . Such a person with such
comments is a renegade, belligerent and a corruptor on earth and based on
the Torah instructions he should be stoned to death."

He further referred to Livni and said, "Ms. Livni is not a follower of any
faith at all. The thoughts and goals of Zionism run counter to the faith of
Judaism, and Zionists do not attach the least importance to the instructions
of the Torah. Hence, it would be normal for them to embark on prostitution
to attain their goals and objectives."

Noting that the Zionists using their own special Rabbis have created a fake
regime for themselves, he said that they commit their crimes and wrong deeds
under the name of Judaism but "they are the enemies of religion".

"A rabbi never approves of adultery and calls prostitution as a banned
activity; therefore, anyone doing or saying anything to the opposite is an
enemy of religion because a friend of religion is the one who considers God
and not material interests whenever he wants to do something," Rabbi
Golestaninejad reiterated.