JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a sad letter written before he took his own life, Chaim Walder continues to insist that he is innocent.
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NOTE FROM RABBI YAIR HOFFMAN: IT IS THIS AUTHOR’S VIEW THAT TAKING ONE’S OWN LIFE CHALILAH IS NEVER THE ANSWER AND THAT ANYONE WHO HAS SUCH IDEATION, SHOULD IMMEDIATELY REACH OUT TO HATZALLAH (718) 230-1000 OR AMUDIM (718) 972-3000 OR THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE 800 273-8255 OR SOME OTHER EMERGENCY CONTACT. THIS NOTE IS PROBLEMATIC IN SEVERAL AREAS: THE TORAH FORBIDS SUICIDE AND THE IDEA OF TAKING ONE’S LIFE TO TAKE OTHERS TO A DIN TORAH IN HEAVEN IS VERY DISTURBING. WE SHOULD HAVE MR. WALDER’S FAMILY IN OUR TEFILLOS, AS WELL AS ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM THE PREDATORY BEHAVIORS OF OTHERS. ALL OF THEM ARE COMPLETELY INNOCENT. ALSO, ALTHOUGH RABBI SHMUEL ELIYAHU DOES NOT FULLY SHARE THE IDEOLOGY OF THE CHAREIDI YESHIVA COMMUNITY, HE IS A TRUE TALMID CHOCHOM AND TZADDIK. HIS EFFORTS TO PROTECT KLAL YISROEL IN LIGHT OF THE RECORDINGS AND NUMEROUS TESTIMONIES ARE EXEMPLARY, AND FOLLOW THE RULINGS OF RAV ELYASHIV ZT”L AS WELL AS YLC”A RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY SHLITA. MAY WE SEE YESHUOS AND NECHAMOS BEKAROV.
Walder wrote that “I have gone to summon Yehuda Silman and Shmuel Eliyahu to a Din Torah in heaven. I have come to the conclusion that in the world of lies I have no chance of proving my innocence. I am dealing with horrific lies covered in anonymity, without any possibility of proving that they have no factual basis.
“I have reached the extreme limit of human suffering which is possible. They insulted me about the things which I was best at and which I dedicated my life to- supporting and protecting children.
“I am grateful to all those who believed in me: May you be blessed! To all those who didn’t I say that even if you have given up on me, do not give up on my books. Every line, word and letter of them was written from a genuine desire to do good, to be helpful, to improve, to strengthen, to help, to contribute, to build and to repair the world! I never wrote without first having a desire to bring good to the world and its inhabitants.
“I am thankful to the Creator of the World for my loving and supportive family who are my entire world, and for the mission which was placed in my hands – talent, inspiration and the ability to contribute to the world. Hashem gave and Hashem took away, may Hashem’s name be blessed.”
Chaim Walder
Please show some constraint and DO NOT COMMENT on this post. Let your refraining bring merit to Klal Yisroel during these turbulent times. We need Zchusim. Al Tadin Es Chaveircha Ad SheTagia Limkomo (G-d Forbid)!
Of course he had an opportunity to refute these lies. Go to the din Torah. He refused. How sick to continue his grotesque manipulation via his suicide note, a very very sick man.
3 things:
1. He summons the rabbis to beis din shel maalah, but not the women who accused him. That seems like he knows they’re telling the truth about what he did but is upset at how the verdict came out when he feels that it should have been different.
2. He urges people not to give up on his books, but his books are now haunted by a suicide. The “You can get through anything life throws at you” message is now lost.
3. There is no daas Torah that can say anything in either direction that absolutely everyone will buy. So every commenter saying, “I want to hear daas Torah’s comment,” will, if daas Torah does comment but says something they don’t like, say, “Yeah, but I don’t hold of that gadol. I meant REAL daas Torah.”
he never actually says he was innocent.
I think he truly believes that his books were written to improve the world, which they don’t.
Innocent people don’t kill themselves, especially not frum people.
He was a truly sick man who was suffering no doubt.
What we can take away from this story is don’t trust anyone, your DR., your therapist,
and never let your kids be alone with anyone.
There’s no such thing as a din torah in heaven. look at bava metzia 59a-b
If what you mean by, “moving,” is a feeling of shaking rage on a cellular level, then absolutely. This is a narcissistic taunt, one last selfish manipulation, from a monster pretending to be a man.
This is so incredibly sad!
All of VIN commentators really dont know the truth. So just watch what you say. Now let his neshuma have an aliya. Its beyond our comprehension what goes on above
Rabbi Hoffman your words show true chochma. Thank you for putting this in context. Yasher Koach
Disgraceful. He does not say one word about what he is doing to his own wife and children in leaving them – instead praising himself for having talent. Truly disturbed.
Why is this being published?! Even if he is correct, he took the wrong course of action. Hopefully noone will learn from his mistake(s).
The prisons are full of people who claim they are innocent
I really hope he was guilty. If he was, he’s a coward and the lowest level of monster who took the easy way out and will probably have a much harsher sentence in there be is fine shel maala.
If he is not, than this is a terrible story and very sad. I tend to think an innocent person would not have commit suicide but would rather have spent all his efforts fighting the allegations for the rest of his life if need be.
What if it is proven that he is innocent? The first sentence is scary….. Maybe …
How deranged do you have to be to insist on innocence . He probably felt he was doing these girls a service , many molesters have articulated that thought. In his twisted mind he was innocent.
Rabbi Hoffman,
Can you please elaborate what you meant: “FOLLOW THE RULINGS OF RAV ELYASHIV ZT”L AS WELL AS YLC”A RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY SHLITA.”
I’m not particularly learned, but what I received from Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg ZT”L is that the bes din would be obligated to warn the accused to stop the alleged behavior, and if the accused continues, then to report the accusations to the police. Did Rav Elyashiv ZT”L ever rule on an obligation of bes din to publicize accusations, and if so, under what circumstances.
Who cross questioned the accusers ?
Buh bye.
Summoning people to a din Torah in heaven is one of the most absurd things I ever heard
Sad…that he didn’t do it sooner. A lot of suffering of his victims could have been avoided.
Rav Shalom Kaminetsky wrote this email to a therapist at Nefesh:
“It is heart-wrenching to see the רשע both during his life and even more
afterwards. I read the suicide note. Unapologetic and unremorseful. It
seems that the ב”ד had enough evidence to be able to affirm the
allegations. True, as long as there was no גמר דין there is the דין לדון
לכף זכות, but it is important for all to know, that in this case, we have
the right for presumption of guilt. I have a מהלך as to how to
distinguish between this case and all others, but i need to develop it
further and solidify my thoughts. There is clearly a need to address this
unmitigated חורבן.
I would urge anyone preparing to respond to this article to consider the very real possibility that a victim of Chaim Walder, and certainly other victims of abuse in our community, are reading *this* article and *your comments*.
And if they are, they are feeling especially upset after this article.
Please be careful and considerate.
none of all of you here were molested by him youre not a judge or bes din
sure not to decide dinei nefushos dont forget he has a entire family
even if its tru why does his entire family desrve this do one of you want this chulilah on youre father the only thing we can do is cry and cry
I think out of respect for the Nifter a”H and his family left behind its only appropriate to keep to סיג לחכמה שתיקה ….
Not any ones comments here will make a difference to this tragic case so lets just have respect and again סיג לחכמה שתיקה
Can everyone stop their drivel? The arrogance that people have to comment on these matters is appalling. How come we didn’t hear the opinion on any true Daas torah on this?
no matter the issue, what always comes out is sinas chinam and pirud between yidden.
whether it was the measles vaccine, the covid vaccine, this abuser, that abuser, it always leads to machlokes. This is something that is behind the scenes, and people do not realize.
This is why we are still in galus. Not because someone refuses a vaccine are we in galus. Not because someone molests someone, as horrible as it is, are we still in galus.
we are still in galus due to the sinas chinam that comes about from every news article that is published.
Being summoned to Beis din shel mallaoh can only mean one thing.
You can only hope that those who thought they knew what they were talking about was indeed true.
Truly Boruch Dayan He emes!
well good luck
Can everyone stop their drivel? The arrogance that people have to comment on these matters is appalling. How come we didn’t hear the opinion on any true Daas torah on this?
I wonder about the summons to the beis din that already found him guilty…..
Who wrote it?
Maybe it wasn’t him?
Maybe someone made it look like he killed himself and really he was murdered?
Why did you publish this? His words don’t deserve publication, and this will only hurt his victims.
There is only one important detail in this whole note: he writes “even if you have given up on me, do not give up on my books.” If knowing that his books continue to be read would have given him sippuk, then we should all do the OPPOSITE.
Would the moshiach have come and established his rule, and would a sanhedrin have been established, and twenty accusers would have approached the sandhedrin, what would the sanhedrin have done?
And even would he have admitted to the accusatory claims, what punishment or penalty would he be liable for?
According to the torah he would be obligated to marry the girls he seduced, or pay a fine to the father.
The penalty of relations with a nida is kores – not meted out by bes din. Would the aishes ish claim be proven, the guilty would be liable to death.
The bottom line is we all have an evil inclination, and our job is to overcome it… not judge how others failed to overcome their challenges. So let’s just focus on bettering ourselves.
So, does this heavenly summons mean that if nothing bad soon happens to these two Rabbis, there is nod from above that Walder was guilty as charged.
“ALSO, ALTHOUGH RABBI SHMUEL ELIYAHU DOES NOT FULLY SHARE THE IDEOLOGY OF THE CHAREIDI YESHIVA COMMUNITY”
As usual, Rabbi Hoffman obfuscates the idolatry of “Religious Zionism”. This is not a mere “fully share the ideology…”
Christians and Muslims also don’t “fully share the ideology…”
In this case, the obfuscation is much worse. It’s not “just” an academic matter. This “Religious Zionist” Rabbi seems to have caused the death of a man, against whom no B”D has ruled about these allegations.
Maybe Rabbi Hoffman could, instead, do an “halachic analysis” on how dayanim cannot meet one side before meeting the other side and that they need to hear both sides at the same time rather than meeting only one side and then spreading allegations against the other side?
Don’t mix in Rav Ovadia Yosef ztl. He hated the tziyonim. He knew of their pork eating,chillul shabbos etc. This matter with Walder could of been settled quietly behind the scenes. But it wasn’t handled right. Had I been in Israel I could of guided walner away from suicide. If he was worried about his income I would get him a front man with a pen name and let him write his books and no one would know nothing even Eichlers book store in Boro park. He should of been going to a heimisha rebbe for advice and not let wild Bais dins cook up a fury.
Why would you print the last words of this animal. They should hang his rotting corpse from the highest tree.
Wow
I’m sure these two rabbis are not going to sleep well. They may be called up to Heaven for the pain they caused his family.