MINHAG LIBERATION FRONT

Rav Ovadia Yosef (ROY), spiritual head of SHAS, recently said: "women should not listen to the voice of their mothers or grandmothers".

This in the context of when the shabbeslichten-brocha should be said.
He paskens that it should be BEFORE lighting the candles, and states that any opinion otherwise was merely the idea of "a few stupid women. A woman's knowledge is only in sewing --- women should find other jobs and make hamin but not deal with matters of Torah."

[For article, see here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185789791242&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull.
It been discussed at great length on the ursine blog (see here: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/2007/07/rabbi-ovadias-latest-outrage.html) with both the pros and cons debated in detail.
The argument for bentshing before kindling is that with all other broches one says them before the act one is blessing (a blessing performed post-facto being a brocha levatulah, in this case al pi Rambam), the argument for bentshing afterward is that kindling is issur on shabbes, and saying the blessing makes one mekabel shabbes - in addition to it being a custom of long standing that the lighting precedes the brocha. Both the Ben Ish Chai and the ReMA hold the latter view. And it should be noted that lighting the candles must be done before sundown, hence the practice is to anticipate shabbes, just as with havdalah we seek to prolong the sense of sacred time.]



THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!

He's bashing the minhag of pretty much the entire world!

And how typical!
Minhag bashing is something only a Jew could do.


Friends, comrades, chaverim, let us stand up for the rights of oppressed minhagim everywhere - please join the 'Minhag Liberation Front' today. Give me your personal data (in the comments section, helpfully left blank for your benefit), and let me know how much you are pledging to this noble cause (US currency only, please).
On behalf of minhagim everywhere (and, it is hoped, especially in Tahiti and Bora Bora for an extended period of time) I thank you in advance. You are all doing a great thing.