Avraham Steinberg, who should no longer be thought of as a rabbi or a doctor, is joining forces with the Vatican to force more deadly injections on people. Considering his previous wild statements this is no surprise. Still, when did collaborating with the Vatican become acceptable? Can you imagine Rav Moshe Feinstein or Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach doing this?
(Of course, no word about Steinberg's Vatican gig on Arutz Sheva. As Arutz Sheva's management emphasized in my response to Steinberg – an astounding open admission of bias from a media outlet that was clearly rattled – "Arutz Sheva expresses full support for the vaccination campaign and calls on the public to obey the instructions of the Ministry of Health and the professionals". We know who's pulling THEIR strings.)
At some point we are allowed to stop respecting people just because they are "rabbis" and have prestigious positions. At some point we must. We've reached that point.
Real rabbis don't work for a godless government. They certainly don't twist the Torah to rationalize and push a godless government's agenda.
A prestigious position – especially one that is funded and otherwise controlled by godless people – does not grant their words greater authority. On the contrary, this only calls their words into greater question. A real rabbi, who has no interest in pleasing godless people, would never be appointed to such a position, nor would one who defies his godless patrons retain it. One way or another, they would quickly do away with him and appoint someone more compliant.
The government-owned, Torah-twisting false prophets are demanding that Jews trample on the Torah and each other in the name of Torah. They are demanding that Jews needlessly endanger their lives in the name of protecting lives. Their pronouncements are increasingly vitriolic and unhinged. There is no halachic basis or precedent in our history for what they demand of the Jewish people.
These people are not rabbis; they are perverts in rabbinic garb, government operatives, and stooges for pharmaceutical companies. They are used car salesmen demanding you buy the car they choose for you, and insisting it's a mitzva. Not only is there no mitzva to respect them, it is forbidden to respect them. They are enemies of the Torah and enemies of the Jewish people.
“Da'as Torah” is an oft-cited term, but it is not a Torah concept. There is a mitzva to follow some rabbis under some circumstances, but it is nothing like this. “Follow the rabbis” is a Judaized version of “just following orders”.
Jews do not just follow orders. We follow Hashem. We engage in critical thinking. We put every instruction by every person under serious scrutiny, and if something is off we do not obey. We are expected to know if something is off – especially when they make it so easy for us by trampling all over the Torah and tradition.
A Jew will never get closer to Hashem by blindly following someone without engaging in critical thinking. At the very best he will be unwittingly doing the right thing like a monkey. Not only does this path impede a connection with Hashem, it will inevitably lead him away from a true connection with Hashem, which must always be personal.
A rabbi is a guide to aid one in his personal journey to connect with Hashem, not the actual destination, nor a substitute for taking the personal journey. A rabbi who demands that you blindly follow him or anyone else is demanding you disconnect from Hashem and your personal journey.
A true rabbi never demands a Jew disconnect from Hashem or follow godless people. A true rabbi represents God, not the government, or a drug company, or an institution. A true rabbi educates people, informs people, and lifts them up. He does not demand people stop thinking, follow orders, inject themselves and their children with dangerous crap, and treat their fellow Jews like vermin.
Do not be afraid of these false prophets. Confront them, boot them out of your community, ostracize them. Send them scurrying away to the godless people they belong with. Do not fear them. They are nothing.
May God rid us of them soon.