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Let's read between the lines of the latest Spinka tzedakah campaign. From what I hear, people are getting these in their mail, too.

For many years, Rabbi Weisz, shlita, carried the burden of the Yeshivos on his own. However, during the last two years, the Rebbe was restricted from managing the daily issues of the Yeshiva. Because he is in prison. For ten years worth of tax fraud and money laundering charges that he pled guilty to. They don't let you manage your scams from prison, from what I hear. Consequently, the Spinka Yeshivos have encountered a major financial crisis, which may force them to close their doors forever! Oh, no! Not that!

And what is to happen with the multitudes of children who counted on Spinka to be the path of Life they would travel upon, ultimately leading them to Success? Maybe they can finally learn some morality for a change. Lemme see... can you find "Thou Shalt Not Steal" in your chumash, kinderlach? Oh, is that page missing? Can we bear witness to children being wrenched from the place they call, "Home," and scattered abroad, afloat without anchor? ...To shatter the dream of our beloved leader, Rabbi Naftoli Zvi Weisz, shlita, would be a grave sin. Unlike tax fraud and money-laundering, I guess. To witness the grief as Rabbi Weisz, shlita, observes the locks on Spinka's doors and hears the silence of its once-bustling halls echoing Torah chants would fracture even the iciest heart. To read the distressed thoughts of Rabbi Weisz, shlita, as he ponders the fruits of his labor demolished would crush the soul of any human. Can any person stand idly by and not be moved by this dreadful scenario?! Yep. I'm pretty much not moved by this. See, I recently heard that Shaindy.com is no longer functioning and those swinging frummie creeps don't have a way to get laid Saturday night. So I used up all my tears crying for them and I just don't have any more tears for Rabbi Weisz and his yeshiva. Sad but true. I guess my heart is just too icy.
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Seriously, people. Do you see how many gedolim signed on to this? They are the head honcho gedolim and they talk about the glory of the Spinka kollel which spreads the light of Torah, blah, blah, blah.

What if Rabbi Weisz had just come out of the closet as a gay man? Would these gedolim still be crying for his yeshiva? I think not.

Why is wide-scale fraud somehow more noble than any other issur in the Torah?

The prohibition of mesirah is well known among religious Jews. The severity of this issur becomes ever so clear when we read in Shulchan Aruch that a mosser is dino ke’akum with respect to writing a sefer Torah (Yoreh Deah 281:3) and with respect to shechitah ( Remah ibid 2:9). Even if the mosser is otherwise an observant individual, and is meticulous in fulfilling his religious duties, because he demonstrates his rejection of the unity of all of Klal Yisroel (by his act of mesirah), he is treated as an akum (see Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva 3:11 and Nefesh Horav pg. 235).

If, however, one is guilty of a crime, and according to the law of the land deserves a prison sentence, or will be put to death, even though according to Jewish law his punishment would not be as severe, this is not mesirah (see Ritva to Bava Metsia 83b; Dvar Avraham vol. I pg. 8). One would still not be allowed to hand this individual over to the civil authorities because this is the equivalent of returning aveidas akum, which is usually not allowed. In an instance of avoiding a chilul Hashem, just like we would be obligated to return the aveidas akum, so too we would be obligated to hand over this individual (see Rama, Choshen Mishpat 388:12).

From here. 

The Hebrew word is mesira, which means basically you are not allowed to be an informant," said Rabbi Shea Hecht, a well-known figure in Crown Heights.
"In essence, I am not allowed to snitch, period."  From here.


As society changes, halacha has also evolved. Many rules designed for a different era are essentially defunct, through loopholes or the like. For example, it used to be forbidden to drink wine with a gentile or to break bread with him. Now it's basically fine, as long as you drink mevushal wine and eat in a kosher establishment. It used to be forbidden to drink milk supervised by a gentile because we were afraid that milk from treife animals may be added in.  Now, in many countries, there are laws in place to prevent dairy manufacturers from adding anything extra into the product and cholov yisroel is a chumra.

The halacha of mesira also needs to be retired, in the same way as the rules mentioned above.
 
The laws of mesira were designed to prevent tyrannical and anti-semitic governments from harming innocent Jews.They were not designed to allow Jewish criminals to avoid punishment. Regardless of whether chillul hashem is involved or not, Jewish criminals only harm our communities and should be subjected to the justice system, just like anyone else.

Think about it. Do you really think that God wants Jews to be able to get away with crimes that everyone else would receive prison sentences for? Do you really think God expects botei dinim all over the world to handle the appropriate consequences for criminal activities in the frum world? Do you think cherem (excommunication) for a money launderer or a child molestor or a wife beater is enough?

I read these questions on imamother a lot. This and this happened to my child and I don't know what to do. The answer is always to call your local orthodox rabbi before speaking to secular authorities.

In most places, Jews do not live in countries with anti-semitic and tyrannical leadership. Jews have no less of a chance at a fair shake in the justice system than anybody else and there's really NO REASON TO CALL YOUR RAV when faced with a crime possibly committed by a frum person.

Just call the cops.

Mesirah is outdated and harms our community more than it benefits us.