In a powerful Shabbos HaGadol drasha to hundreds of his followers in Elad, the noted Chassidishe rov, Rav Naftali Glanz, turned his focus to a growing and deeply troubling phenomenon within the Torah world: what he calls counterfeit kannaus, or zealotry. Rav Glanz, known for his work in shalom bayis and guiding families with children who have strayed from the derech, did not mince words as he decried the violent actions and misguided fervor displayed by some members of the community.
“I don’t enjoy playing the role of a public rebuker,” Rav Glanz began, “but there are times when silence is no longer an option. An alarming extremism has taken hold among us, led by immature young men, completely lacking any sense of responsibility. They storm the streets in unbridled rage, behaving with a brutality that stands in stark contrast to the refined, dignified conduct expected of bnei Torah and yeshivah students dedicated to the path of Torah and ethics.”
The rov described a recent incident in Bnei Brak, saying: “This week, a group of young men confronted a few IDF soldiers who entered the city. They drove them out with loud insults and hateful slogans. This disgraceful display is one of countless similar instances where youths — lacking any spiritual guidance — cloak themselves in ‘kannaus’ and take the law into their own hands. The holy Divrei Yatziv once told his talmidim: If you suddenly hear the sound of the shofar heralding Moshiach or see all the shevatim of Klal Yisroel gathering to greet him — do not leave your Gemara. Chazal teach that even then, we don’t close our sefarim to greet Moshiach.”
He continued, “The halacha is clear: We do not interrupt children’s Torah learning even to build the Beis HaMikdash. This principle is undisputed. And yet, we witness these 13- and 14-year-olds — who should be immersed in learning — parading through the streets, clashing with police, hurling foul language, and acting with appalling violence. In the name of a false kannaus, zealotry, they are losing all sense of truth and direction.”
Rav Glanz connected this breakdown to troubling patterns he sees in his daily work. “In my role, I am frequently involved in restoring peace between husbands and wives. I hear young yungeleit speak to their wives in ways that are horrifying — their language, their tone, it leaves me stunned. Parents are left wondering how things deteriorated to this point. But they fail to see the connection: these attitudes are born in the streets, among those very displays of so-called ‘kannus.’ When vulgarity and aggression are normalized in protests against innocent people — like those who merely ask them to stop blocking traffic — it should surprise no one when that same rage is turned inward, into their homes.”
He warned that once a person adopts such a toxic mode of speech, they no longer differentiate between a stranger and their own spouse or parent. “We invest so much in mussar and spiritual guidance. We drill in shemiras einayim, in kedushah. And in one thoughtless moment, it’s all thrown away — as young men, supposedly pure of sin, find themselves being dragged away by female officers in humiliating and spiritually dangerous situations.”
The rov shared a story: “This week in Yerushalayim, we lost a simple, beautiful Jew named Reb Yitzchok Eizik Weisel z”l. He was beloved for his endless acts of chesed, always offering rides to strangers, somehow always heading exactly where they needed to go — even if it was another city. But what amazed me most: throughout his life, he never once handed something directly to a woman. On one occasion, seeing a blind woman struggling to cross the street, he wanted to help but wouldn’t take her hand. So, he removed his tallis katan, asked her to hold one end, and he held the other, guiding her across.”
“This,” the rov explained, “is how a simple Jew lives with holiness. Not a rosh yeshiva, not a maggid shiur. Yet he upheld boundaries with dignity and integrity. And then we see these supposed guardians of our faith — storming the streets, dragging young men who haven’t even finished Shas into chaos, exposing them to scenes and behaviors that will haunt their futures, and corrode their marriages and their middos. They cannot foresee the long-term destruction they are sowing.”
Citing a Gemara from Sanhedrin, Rav Glanz taught: “When Pinchas acted zealously, he didn’t rush in with his spear. He first approached Moshe Rabbeinu and confirmed the halacha. Only once Moshe agreed that ‘kana’im pog’im bo‘ applies did Pinchas act. That’s true zealotry — not impulse, but clarity, driven by halacha and yiras Shamayim.
He continued: “Why was Yaakov Avinu angry with Shimon and Levi after they killed Shechem? After all, they were defending their sister’s honor! But Yaakov was upset because they didn’t first seek his counsel. They acted rashly. That’s not the Torah way.
“A true kannai,” the rov explained, “acts only after halachic consultation, never from emotion or fury. And certainly, someone who violates the Torah in their so-called ‘fight against evil’ cannot be considered a kannai. The Chofetz Chaim testified that his rebbi, Rav Leib Stavasher zt”l — the leading kannai of his time — would cry bitterly before waging any battle for Torah, begging Hashem not to let him sin in the process. That is what true zealotry looks like.
“Eliyahu Hanovi,” Rav Glanz added, “was a kannai. He said, ‘Kano kineisi laHashem.’ But what did Hashem answer? ‘Mah lecha po, Eliyahu?’ Chazal say that Hashem wanted to guide him from harshness to mercy. Hashem showed him that ‘not in the wind, not in the noise, not in the fire’ does His presence reside. Only in the still, soft voice — the kol demamah dakah — is the glory of Hashem found. Zealotry born from rage is not divine.”
He went on: “And as we stand on the threshold of Pesach, a time centered around the Leil HaSeder, when every father is commanded to teach his children about Yetzias Mitzrayim, we sadly see this ‘kannus’ rear its head in tragic ways. Some parents, consumed by harsh judgment, turn their children away from the table because they didn’t meet expectations. Instead of drawing them close with warmth and love, they send them into exile on the night meant for belonging.
“I personally,” Rav Glanz shared, “received a request from a young man who asked to join my Seder. I told him that my door is open all year round, but on this night, it is his father’s mitzvah to tell him the story of our geulah. I encouraged him to reconnect with his father. Baruch Hashem, it worked out. But the very fact that such pleas are made breaks the heart. We cannot judge — as Chazal say, ‘Do not judge your fellow until you’ve been in his place’ — but we must talk about how far this path is from the healthy middle road.”
He also spoke of the responsibility of mechanchim. “Teachers and melamdim have a sacred task. And it is all too easy to rashly expel a student for not appearing sincere. But who can predict the outcome? The Tiferes Yisrael writes that someone who is angry and impatient is unfit to teach. How can a student absorb anything from someone they fear? Torah must be taught with gentleness — divrei chachamim b’nachas nishma’im.”
He concluded: “Chazal say to be ‘firm’ with students — but that applies when they’re lazy, not when they’re lost. And even then, the rebuke must come from a place of love, not rage. A rebbi must carry his struggling students with empathy, guiding them under the wings of the Shechinah, so they feel his love is sincere and his direction is only for their good.”
Wrapping up his message, Rav Glanz emphasized, “We are commanded to walk in Hashem’s ways. Even in the Torah’s response to the wicked son at the seder, Hashem left room for connection. As the posuk in Shmuel states: ‘He devises ways so that no one is cast away.’ That is our mission.”
{Matzav.com Israel}