The Grand Perfidy

Marvin was a trusted servant to the Grand Rabbi. He served as the manager of the Grand Rabbi’s house and as the de facto mayor of the town that was established by the Grand Rabbi. No one other than the Rabbi’s followers were permitted to live in his municipality. Marvin managed hundreds of servants, employees, and volunteers – all who served the Grand Rabbi. The Grand Rabbi even had his own housing department and security force which were under Marvin’s control.

On Passover, Marvin supervised the koshering (ritual cleansing) of the Grand Rabbi’s immense kitchen which serves thousands of guests every year from all over the world. The changing over of the kitchen to meet the requirements of the Passover holiday was done in accordance with the strictest interpretation of Jewish Law. On the holiday of Succot, Marvin supervised the building of the immense sukkah (tent) in which the Grand Rabbi observed the holiday and entertained his guests. On Shavuot, Marvin beautified the immense synagogue with plants and flowers in honor of the Jews having received the Torah on Mount Sinai.

After 25 years of service, Marvin had become a rather iconic figure in the community. On all public occasions throughout the year Marvin could be seen by the Grand Rabbi’s side or riding nearby in his own official vehicle. Marvin loved the limelight and being close to the Grand Rabbi who became like a father to him. Marvin practically glittered whenever he was publicly together with the Grand Rabbi.

Alas, all that glitters is not gold.

There was shadowy tormented side to Marvin’s personality that began to emerge. At times he would act with great kindness and generosity to others and at other times he acted with heartless cruelty and violence –  he began to prey on innocent  teenage boys whose parents trusted Marvin and sent their boys to help Marvin with his work. Marvin would trick them and bribe them and sadistically threaten and spank them in order to force them into committing the most horrendous and degrading acts just to satisfy his physical lusts. Marvin’s sickness became an all-consuming fire that literally destroyed hundreds of children’s lives as it swept across that little town.

Marvin’s position in town provided him with access to a continuous “work force” of many young men as well as the keys to plenty of trailers and office buildings where he trapped and killed the souls of his prey. It was in one particular trailer that Marvin methodically murdered the souls of countless teenage boys. These were boys who were raised in great holiness and purity – boys who implicitly trusted Marvin and viewed him as a Rabbi himself! Parents and teachers watched as boys who had been filled with a passion for living and learning Torah were turned into walking corpses before their very eyes.

At first, the Grand Rabbi seemed to be in denial. Why was Marvin permitted to continue in his post? Why had no action been taken to stop him? What was the Grand Rabbi thinking about his “trusted” servant now? Marvin was like a son to the Grand Rabbi. When he found out what Marvin had done he yelled at him and ordered him to attend an additional Torah lecture every week. When he saw that these measures did nothing to stop Marvin, he ordered that Marvin receive counseling. When he saw that counseling did nothing to stop Marvin, he sent Marvin to a doctor who put him on medicine. The medicine (a form of chemical castration) did stop Marvin – but only as long as he took it.

After stopping the medication, the servant of the Grand Rabbi was allowed to renew his trail of destruction. He was not reported to the authorities. He was not remanded to a secure residential treatment center for sexual offenders. As long as he had access to his victims he just kept going.

Eventually the Grand Rabbi had no choice but to tell Marvin to step down from his post and to move out of town. So Marvin just moved to another large community that also had thousands of unsuspecting children and parents. Beware. This story is not over. Marvin is still at large and so is the Grand Rabbi!

This story is not simply a depiction of weak and indecisive leadership. The Grand Rabbi’s cold neglect of his own flock as well as his disregard for the horror that will certainly be repeated where ever Marvin re-locates indicates a much deeper insidious problem. There are, according to Rabbi Nachman of Breslev evil spirits called shaddim that inhabit the bodies of certain “holy” Rabbi’s who may even come from an illustrious ancestry. These “Rabbis” who are often very charismatic and learned are nevertheless spiritual ghosts who come to turn people away from the true and righteous Rabbis of every generation.

A “Rabbi” who knowingly allows even one life to be spiritually destroyed is guilty of having destroyed the entire world. He must be removed from his position and be permanently excommunicated. Many of Marvin’s victims are unable to marry, work, learn Torah or experience any pleasure from their “lives.” Some of Marvin’s victims are repeating the crimes that were perpetrated against them with others. Some victims have turned to alcohol and drugs to escape their pain and some have even taken their lives.

May G-d protect us from ignorance and empower us with the courage to question anything that doesn’t seem right and to never hesitate, for even one second, to take massive action to protect our children.