Our Sheltered Bnei Torah
A new year has dawned. The year 5786 follows a painful year, when the people of Eretz Yisroel were hounded by the rest of the world and the community of bnei Torah in Eretz Yisroel was hounded relentlessly by the country’s media and judicial system. Of course, one cannot help but notice the parallels between the treatment of bnei Torah at the hands of Israeli society and the isolation and condemnation that Israel is increasingly facing on the international stage. But my point is different: It is deeply tragic that bnei Torah, young men who spend their days in the bais medrash, are being persecuted in Eretz Yisroel.
Conversely, there is no better time of year than Sukkos to silence the enemies of our religion. In every city in Eretz Yisroel, one can find hundreds or even thousands of sukkos lining the streets. The left-wing media may want to paint a picture of Israeli society in its own image, but the truth emerges when this holiday arrives. The sukkahs throughout the country stand as silent testaments to the Jewish hearts that beat within the chests of so many of our brethren—and to their embrace of the very religion spurned by the radical left.
The chareidi community has been accused in the media of being disconnected from the rest of society. In truth, most bnei Torah are indeed disconnected, albeit in the most positive sense. They do not know what is occurring outside the confines of their botei medrash, and they do not want to know, but that is for the best possible reason. The bochurim and yungeleit who spend their days learning Torah are concerned about the hostages, and they daven every day for their safe return. Yeshiva bochurim are largely disconnected, but that means that they are immersed in Torah learning to the exclusion of all else. And it does not mean that they are apathetic to the plight of their brethren.
Don’t Believe the Media!
While the media accuses the chareidim of detachment from the wounded society around them, perhaps it would be best for that same media to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Their agenda is clear: This is a blatant effort to make bnei Torah despised by their fellow Israelis.
The media’s constant efforts to tarnish the good name of the chareidi community remind me of an old story: Reuven approached Shimon and asked to borrow his donkey. Shimon replied sadly, “Unfortunately, my donkey died yesterday. I am sorry that I can no longer lend it to you to do your work.” No sooner had he spoken than the loud sound of a donkey braying erupted from the barn nearby.
Reuven glared at Shimon. “Really?” he said in an icy tone. “Your donkey is clearly alive! How do you have the audacity to lie to me so brazenly?”
Shimon put on an air of umbrage. “What?” he responded indignantly. “How dare you accuse me of lying? Do you really believe the donkey over me?”
Like the fictitious owner of the donkey, the Israeli media stubbornly clings to its narrative even in the face of mounting evidence that it is false. They have long maintained that most of the public has rejected Netanyahu, a claim that was debunked in the voting booths during the last election. And this phenomenon isn’t limited to Israel. The American media likewise insisted that Trump was running a losing campaign and reported that Kamala Harris was outperforming him in the polls; nevertheless, Trump won both the popular vote and the electoral vote in November 2024, again exposing the falsehood of the media’s narrative.
But we don’t have to examine the media’s election predictions to recognize their disconnection from reality. This phenomenon begins much closer to home. The Israeli media has long been striving to convince us that most of the public is progressive and liberal, while the chareidi and traditional communities are in the minority. The truth, however, is that while progressivism has taken hold in the media and in the judiciary, and especially among the judges of the Israeli Supreme Court, they are actually a small, fading minority. The contrast is even starker in the school system, where a handful of teachers and principals who oppose the wearing of tefillin find themselves facing off against hundreds of young men who are eager to put on tefillin every day. Similarly, while a handful of people in Tel Aviv wage a battle against the segregation of men and women during davening, the vast majority of the city has been voting with its feet and streaming to the shuls, notwithstanding the mechitzos that divide the genders there. Who, then, is the true majority in Israel? The answer should be obvious; these phenomena speak for themselves.
Incidentally, I have a friendly suggestion for the eirev rav among us: Let them come out to the streets with me next week, and we will count the sukkahs on the porches and in the courtyards all around us. Let them also take a look at the makeshift sukkahs that have sprouted on street corners everywhere, where righteous Jews seek to give strangers the privilege of holding the arba minim during the course of the holiday. And let them see how many people eagerly avail themselves of the opportunity to recite the brocha and perform the mitzvah. The religious community, which they deride as “old-fashioned” and “primitive,” is not fading away as they believe; on the contrary, it is they, the so-called progressives, who are a dying breed. May we all be illuminated by the spiritual radiance of this Yom Tov and the connection to our holy forebears.
Speaking of tefillin in schools, I recently came across the following item in a newspaper: “Following the incident in which a principal did not allow students to pray on school grounds, and other incidents in which students were punished for praying, the president announced that he has directed the top education official in the government to protect the students’ right to hold prayer services on school premises anywhere in the country.” Before you get too excited, let me clarify. The “president” in this article isn’t Yitzchok Herzog, the president of Israel, who might be willing to issue such a directive but lacks the power to do so. And the “top education official” isn’t Yoav Kisch, who holds the education portfolio in Israel and might actually have the power to issue that directive but isn’t exactly interested in doing so. This news item actually referred to events in the United States, where President Donald Trump ordered the Secretary of Education to protect students’ right to prayer.
Media Ignores Slichos at Kosel
The media’s detachment from Jewish awareness often leads them, unfortunately, to fail to report on the most basic and significant religious events. Even if we put aside the tens of thousands of religious Jews who traveled to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, and who are simply nonexistent as far as the secular media is concerned, there are newsworthy events taking place right here in the heart of Israel, in the holy city of Yerushalayim. The Slichos services held at the Kosel were events of major significance, the equivalent of the festivities of Lag Ba’omer in Meron packed into a single square plaza. Hundreds of thousands of people have converged on the Old City of Yerushalayim during these days; some estimates put the average number of visitors to the Kosel at 50,000 every night, a number that should be multiplied by more than 30 nights between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Yom Kippur. The most elementary and obvious reaction on the part of the media would be to report on these massive events, possibly with live broadcasts but at least with a few pages of pictures and blurbs appearing in the print media. Instead, the media has completely ignored these events. Anyone who did not know better would easily have thought that nothing out of the ordinary was happening during these days. It is as if two different nations are living in this country, each with an entirely different frame of reference than the other. Yet the media accuses the chareidim of being detached from society!
To be fair, the Slichos services received one mention in a single Israeli newspaper, where I found the following short news item written by the religious affairs correspondent: “Tens of thousands of worshippers participated in a mass Slichos service tonight [motzoei Shabbos] at the Kosel Hamaaravi. The Slichos service was attended by survivors of captivity, along with family members of hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. In shuls throughout the country as well, Slichos services are taking place at midnight or in the early morning hours. During the course of the prayer service, the rov of the Kosel Hamaaravi and holy sites, Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, led prayers for the hostages’ rapid return to their families, the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for Jewish burial, and for the well-being of IDF soldiers and security personnel fighting on the various fronts, as well as for the recovery of the wounded and for peace and security in Israel. The nighttime event was also attended by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar; Yitzchok Wasserlauf, Minister of the Negev, Galil, and National Resilience; Knesset member Ohad Tal; and cabinet secretary Tzachi Braverman, who is slated to serve as Israel’s ambassador to Great Britain. The next major event for Slichos and the annulment of vows at the Kosel Hamaaravi will take place tonight [Sunday night] at midnight, with the participation of the Rishon Letzion Rav Dovid Yosef and the chief rabbi of Israel, Rav Kalman Ber, as well as the rov of the Kosel Hamaaravi, Mayor Moshe Lion of Yerushalayim, other public figures, and tens of thousands of worshippers.” This was the only news item that appeared in any newspaper on the subject! It was well-written, if a bit short, but the absence of any mention of these events in other newspapers is particularly glaring. As the article mentioned, the Western Wall Heritage Fund has adopted the hostages’ families and their battle as a cause of its own. One of the Slichos events was attended by Eli Stivi, father of Idan Stivi, whose body was returned to Israel about two months ago. It was a deeply moving event.
Appreciating the Rov of the Kosel
Speaking of the Slichos at the Kosel, let me add another thought. Rav Natan Cheifetz, who is a regular presence at the Kosel and has attended the minyan for Slichos in the Kosel tunnels every night, related, “One night, there were so many people that the foot traffic came to a halt at Shaar Yafo and the Arab market. It wasn’t that anyone prevented the people from heading to the Kosel; the crowd simply grew so dense that it was impossible for anyone to keep moving.” Since many people had come from all over the country to participate in the Slichos, large screens and loudspeakers were set up to enable them to experience the event even if they were unable to make it to the plaza. The Western Wall Heritage Fund advertised the specific nights when Slichos events would take place, public transportation was extended until 2:30 a.m., and additional buses were added on every route. The original plan was for major Slichos events to be held every other night, but Rabbi Yosef Bloch, a senior aide to the rov of the Kosel, informed me that the plans had changed and the decision was made to hold the events every night instead. “The number of participants wasn’t consistent from one night to the next,” he said, “but we adjusted the volume on the loudspeakers and screens throughout the Old City based on the number of people arriving.” This meant that the situation was being monitored in real time, with adjustments made as necessary. “On Friday night and motzoei Shabbos, the volume of visitors was massive,” he added.
All of this took place, of course, under the watchful eye of Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel. Rav Rabinowitz manages the Kosel with expertise and calm, without noise or fanfare, throughout the year. We have all grown so accustomed to his presence that we barely notice his work, but it is amazing to think about the things that could go wrong at a mass Slichos event and to marvel at the fact that these events proceed without a hitch. And that is a pattern that continues throughout the year, as events at the Kosel continue operating smoothly during all the Yomim Tovim, on Tisha b’Av, and under any circumstances. Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz certainly deserves to be lauded for his years of quiet yet highly successful activity, and of kiddush Hashem at a place that is steeped in kedushah.
In some quarters, it is customary to choose a “man of the year” at the conclusion of a year. That is not our custom, but if I had to make such a decision, I have a couple of candidates in mind. Perhaps that honor should go to Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, due to the shiurim he delivers every day, his ongoing connections and consultations with the leading poskim of our generation (especially Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, rov of the Old City of Yerushalayim), his chessed apparatus, his seforim (including the recently published Avnei Derech L’Chagei Yisroel), and his many other accomplishments. Take this, for instance: I recently participated in a fundraising event for a new mikveh to be constructed at the gravesite of the Pele Yoetz in Europe. Reb Chaim Yaakov Halperin and Reb Chaim Raavad, who have been managing the initiative, voiced their profound appreciation to Rav Rabinowitz for his prodigious work behind the scenes. It was evident that the public is not aware of the extent of his prolific accomplishments and the gratitude that he is owed—and Rav Rabinowitz seems perfectly content to keep it that way.
So there you have it: If I had to nominate a candidate for the title of “man of the year,” it would be Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, who holds an extremely sensitive position and carries out his responsibilities with enormous success.
The Spy Who Double-Crossed Israel
Two interesting articles were published in Israel recently, each of which generated a minor tempest.
The first was an article by Ronen Bergman about the spy Ashraf Marwan. The second was produced by the IDF’s intelligence division and shed light on the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah exactly one year ago.
Ronen Bergman is considered a reliable journalist with access to highly accurate information particularly in the area of intelligence. He has been a staff writer for the New York Times for the past seven years, serving as a Middle East correspondent for the paper, and writes in the New York Times Magazine. Personally, I suspect that whenever Bergman is barred from publishing information in Israel by the Israeli censor, he releases it in the New York Times instead. In any event, Bergman wrote a fascinating article shattering the myth of Ashraf Marwan (the son-in-law of the Egyptian president at the time), who is still hailed as the best spy ever employed by Israeli intelligence and who reportedly warned Israel in advance of the Arab attack that began the Yom Kippur War. Many still insist today that if the Israeli government had heeded his warnings, they would have been prepared for the surprise attack on Yom Kippur. Bergman’s article, which is based on thousands of classified documents and exclusive interviews with people involved in the operation, claims that Marwan actually spearheaded an Egyptian deception plan that succeeded even beyond the Egyptians’ expectations. Instead of being a successful Israeli spy, Bergman claims, Marwan was actually one of the deadliest double agents to act against Israel, who succeeded in his plans due to a series of blunders on the part of his Israeli handlers, coupled with the hubris of the intelligence community. According to Bergman, Marwan gave Israel accurate information but deliberately misled them about the timing of the planned Arab offensive, a key detail that left Israel unprepared for the attack. This would certainly explain the grand state funeral that Marwan received in Egypt after his death. In any event, if Marwan was indeed a double agent, it would make this a major news story and would justify the furor surrounding the revelation.
The second article dealt with a much more recent event: the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, notorious leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Nasrallah’s death took place at a critical point in the struggle against Iran and appears to have changed the face of the Middle East. It has now been revealed that the preparations for his elimination were made under fire and that the Mossad operatives risked their lives to lay the groundwork for his death. This took place last September, during the Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut. At that time, several Israeli operatives furtively entered the Shiite quarter of Beirut, carrying carefully disguised devices that would enable Israel to accurately target Nasrallah. They knew very well that if they were captured by Hezbollah, they would be sentenced to death, and if the devices in their hands were seized, the damage to Israel’s security would be enormous. They cautiously made their way along the narrow alleyways, pressing themselves against the walls and hoping that the Mossad operative who had dispatched them on their mission had coordinated with the IDF so that the air force wouldn’t bomb the route they were taking. Their destination was the high-rise building where Hezbollah’s leaders had gathered in an underground bunker. According to intelligence received by Unit 8200 and the Military Intelligence Directorate at the time, Hassan Nasrallah, the infamous leader of the Hezbollah terror organization and of the entire Shiite axis, had scheduled a meeting in the bunker with the commander of the Iranian Quds Force in Lebanon, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, and with Ali Karaki, the Hezbollah commander of the southern front, who was considered a possible successor to Nasrallah. The sophisticated Israeli equipment was planted in the room where the meeting took place, making it possible for the Israeli planes to direct their air strikes with the maximum accuracy. According to the report, one device was planted in the control panel for the air conditioning system in the room. These advanced sensors were developed by several entities.
Israeli Sensors in Nasrallah’s Bunker
This may sound like the plot of a suspense novel, but it is nothing short of the truth. The IDF revealed that Nasrallah and the two officials were scheduled to meet in the bunker, whose existence was known only to a handful of security guards and top Hezbollah confidants. The Israeli operatives who entered the building above the secret bunker were assigned to plant their devices in predetermined locations. They estimated that they had only a fifty-percent chance of returning from their mission alive; even if they were not captured by the Hezbollah operatives swarming in the area, there was also a good chance that they would be struck by shrapnel during Israeli air strikes.
A few hours before the courageous operatives set out on their mission, they had a difficult conversation with their superior. They informed him that they were prepared to carry out the perilous yet critical mission that had been assigned to them, but they insisted that the air force halt its intensive bombings during that time. The officer convinced them that it was better for their own security for the air force to continue bombing the area and even to intensify its strikes during their operation. That way, he said, the Hezbollah security guards would be forced to take shelter and would not prevent them from approaching the bunker, which was heavily guarded and difficult to reach under ordinary circumstances. The Mossad operatives accepted his argument and agreed to take on the mission, from which they emerged unscathed.
The equipment planted by the Israeli operatives makes for an interesting story in its own right, one that seems to have emerged from the world of science fiction. The development of the devices was completed in 2022. The Mossad understood that they would need advanced equipment that would make it possible to launch precise air strikes on targets at varying depths; the need was created not only because of Lebanon, but even more so because the Mossad was working to destroy the Iranian nuclear threat. The precision of the strikes in Dahiya was crucial; since the terrain was solid rock, even a one-ton bomb would miss its target if it failed to strike the tunnel with the utmost precision. In that case, the occupants of the bunker would have been wounded at most; the elimination would fail. It was therefore important for the equipment and armaments to be developed so that the air strikes would hit their targets with impeccable accuracy. In light of the precision of the instruments, the air force initially planned to use only half the number of bombs that were ultimately deployed; however, the minister of defense at the time, Yoav Gallant, insisted on doubling the number of munitions so that Nasrallah would definitely not escape the bombing alive. Along with Nasrallah, the IDF air strikes killed Ali Karaki, the Iranian general, and about 300 others, most of them Hezbollah operatives who were in the area. This bombing and Nasrallah’s elimination effectively brought about Hezbollah’s defeat.
The State of Israel Has Not Ended Anti-Semitism
But let’s turn our attention to more recent events, such as Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations, his meeting with President Trump, and the new plan which seems poised to lead to the release of all the hostages but will force Israel to pay a heavy price. I hope that the plan will not lead to the dissolution of the Israeli government. After all, we are still holding on to the hope that a reasonable draft law will be passed after Sukkos, but the government must survive in order for that to happen.
When Netanyahu took the podium at the UN General Assembly, most of the representatives marched out of the room, driving home the fact that Israel has become a pariah state. As the posuk states, we are a nation that dwells alone. Europe has turned against us, and anti-Semitism is on the rise there; the National Security Council recently released risk assessments for Israeli travelers and has advised Israelis in the Diaspora to hide any identifying signs of Jewishness.
Rav Yeruchom Levovitz repeated a parable that he heard from Rav Aharon Baksht, the rov of Shavel, Lithuania. (Rav Baksht, incidentally, was an ancestor of Rebbetzin Romm, a regular reader of this column who often enlightens me with her comments and feedback.) Rav Baksht told a story about a Jewish man who was concerned for the future of his children, who had befriended unsavory children in their town. The concerned father warned his children to avoid associating with unsavory characters, and when his warnings fell on deaf ears, he switched to a different tactic: He “informed” the neighbors that his children had been infected with a contagious skin condition, and the children were immediately ostracized. The message of this parable is clear: When Hashem sees that His children are in danger of being contaminated by the depravity of the nations, He fills the hearts of the nations of the world with hatred for His people.
It is astounding to contemplate this phenomenon: After the horrors of the Holocaust, the Zionist movement ardently insisted on establishing a state in Israel, claiming that it would put an end to the persecution of the Jewish people. But any honest assessment will lead to the conclusion that the opposite is true: The establishment of the State of Israel has only increased global anti-Semitism and the persecution of Jews throughout the world, and even in Israel itself. Israel has never been as despised by the world as it is at the beginning of the year 5786. The Arab world has united against us, the Europeans are filled with antipathy toward us, and, we all saw the mass walkout in the United Nations. The maskilim and Zionists dreamed of establishing a state that would wipe out hatred for the Jews; sadly, the passage of years has only proven that they were mistaken.
The Judiciary Continues to Persecute Torah Learners
Another topic that deserves extensive coverage is the appointment of David Zini as director of the Shin Bet. At the moment Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that Zini would be the next Shin Bet director, a major campaign of opposition was unleashed. Zini’s opponents claimed that the new director, who wears a yarmulke, would make unprofessional decisions because of his religious beliefs; they condemned him as a “messianic” figure and even attacked his father for his right-wing views. This week, the Grunis Commission decided that there is no reason to disqualify Zini (and that he is not at fault for his family members’ views), and on the very next day, a police officer arrived at his father’s home and ordered him to report for questioning on the suspicion of making threats. And who complained against the senior Zini? MK Ahmed Tibi, a former advisor to Yasser Arafat.
In short, the country is still firmly in the grip of the left and its insanity.
I could also write at length about the ongoing machinations of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who is constantly creating new problems and stirring turmoil. She recently took her battle against Minister Ben-Gvir to the next level, attempting to have him ousted from his position as the minister responsible for the police force. And her battle against bnei Torah has also intensified, as she decided to fight the police force for taking the position that arresting draft dodgers is not their responsibility.
Another important news story, which I would ordinarily cover at greater length, is the spread of measles in Eretz Yisroel. This week marked the fifth death of a child from this disease; all five fatalities were unvaccinated and were members of the chareidi community. I could also write about the hardships experienced by thousands of travelers returning from Uman, and how Jews throughout the world came to the aid of their brethren who were stranded in Moldova, Hungary, and elsewhere. The Tikva community, headed by Rav Bakst and Rav Kruskal, earned special praise for providing food to the thousands of Jews stranded in Romania.
Lies Are Exposed but Incitement Continues
Despite the release in advance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur of bnei Torah jailed for avoiding the draft, dozens of yeshiva bochurim, or at least observant young men, will be spending Sukkos behind bars, either before or after their trials, on the charge of failing to report for army service. This situation is sad and outrageous. And what is equally infuriating is the fact that the chareidi politicians are being blamed for the situation. Most of the imprisoned bochurim were arrested at the airport, and they have no one to blame but themselves. One can presume that they knew long ago that they were officially deemed draft dodgers; why did they risk arrest by attempting to leave the country? I believe that most of these young men simply neglected to secure draft deferments months ago, at the time when it was still possible to do so and the rabbonim required all bnei Torah to receive official deferments. It is highly unlikely that they are among the bnei yeshivos who received draft orders in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling, since arrest warrants haven’t yet been issued to those draft evaders. It is obviously unacceptable to ignore the guidelines of the rabbonim and the Vaad HaYeshivos and then to blame the community’s political representatives. (And I am not trying to deflect responsibility from the politicians; keep in mind that the writer of these lines was once nearly sentenced to prison for assisting yeshiva bochurim who bucked the draft, but that is a long story for a different time.) Make no mistake about it: The campaign against bnei Torah for avoiding the draft is pure harassment fueled by anti-Semitism, bigotry, and hatred for the Torah, although it is cloaked in legal language and self-righteous arguments.
At the end of Elul, I read the following lines in a widely circulated Israeli newspaper: “While the entire state is in an uproar over the efforts to prevent the draft of talmidei yeshivos, new figures received by the Freedom of Information Movement [which were released by the IDF only after the movement appealed to the court] indicate an uptick in requests for exemptions for psychological reasons. In 2024, almost 16,000 youths were released from service for this reason.” The article goes on to relate, “In chareidi cities, the rate of psychiatric exemptions is very low.” Indeed, the list isn’t led by Bnei Brak or Modiin Illit; on the contrary, the highest rates of draft exemptions for psychological reasons are in the distinctly non-chareidi cities of Bat Yam, Cholon, and Ohr Yehuda. But despite these undeniable facts, the incitement and anti-religious propaganda are continuing unabated.
Here is another interesting article that appeared in the Israeli media several months ago, tucked into an obscure corner of a newspaper: “The general who opened the chareidi battalion admits: ‘We didn’t keep our promises to them.’” Even more unbelievable is the identity of this general: incoming Shin Bet director Dovid Zini. The article continues, “General Dovid Zini, who spearheaded the founding of the Chashmonaim Battalion for chareidi soldiers, admitted that the army hasn’t yet made all the accommodations appropriate for bnei yeshivos but asserted that the IDF intends to improve the situation.” Zini continued fearlessly, “In every track that I examined—and I don’t want to say that I examined them all, but it was certainly the majority—the army failed to fully live up to its commitments. Educators or leaders in the chareidi community will say, ‘You made all kinds of promises, but you aren’t living up to them,’ and it is true.” He added that the army should not draft bnei yeshivos by force, that many officers in the IDF do not understand the world of chareidim, and that “the question is whether we will know not to stand on principle.” To make a long story short, the state, the army, and the law enforcement apparatus have been making every possible mistake, including trying to force the draft on yeshiva bochurim and resorting to deception, and then they have the audacity to vilify the chareidim for this situation.
The Thirst for Yiddishkeit
But I would like to end this column on a positive note by focusing on the immense spiritual awakening that has swept through Israel since the tragedy of Simchas Torah 5784, nearly two years ago. The events of that day made for a calamity of unfathomable proportions: There were 1200 Jews murdered, about 2000 wounded, and about 250 abducted to Gaza. The terrorists displayed unspeakable barbarity. Much has happened since that time, as the entire country was gripped by worry over the plight of the hostages languishing in Hamas’s dungeons, and spiritual awakening and thirst for Yiddishkeit spread throughout the country. Many survivors from the Nova music festival became part of this wave of teshuvah, as many of them were spurred to become frum and continue to share their stories today. The returning hostages have likewise related that the only thing that kept them going in captivity was their emunah.
Yechezkel Shabu, the director of the office of Rav Shlomo Amar, shared Rav Amar’s travel itinerary for the month of Elul and the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah with me. The rov’s office received requests for him to appear at nonreligious sites including kibbutzim, army bases, and colleges. Over the past month, his car has covered many miles as he has traveled around the country; last week, he visited a series of prisons to give chizuk to hundreds of inmates. Every visit evoked a surge of excitement mixed with tears, perhaps most notably in the Ofek prison, which is a detention facility for juveniles. The rov has also visited many schools throughout the country. On his day in the north, he addressed thousands of youths at nine secular high schools, reaching the souls of young people who are being robbed by the state of access to the Torah, the basis of Jewish survival and the source of all Jewish joy. Both in the prisons and in the schools, the rov recited Krias Shema with his listeners and led them in kabbolos ol malchus shomayim. And his actions were mirrored by many other rabbonim, including Rav Yitzchok Yosef, Rav Dovid Yosef (the current Sephardic chief rabbi), and Rav Zamir Cohen. Every one of these rabbonim can attest to the fact that there is widespread thirst for Yiddishkeit, but we must also remember that if the general public is demonstrating this interest in spirituality, then it obligates every one of us to learn from their inspiration.
At a Lev L’Achim gathering in Flatbush, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, Rav Yosef Chaliva, shared a fascinating passage in the Yerushalmi with his distinguished visitor from Yerushalayim—Rav Avrohom Zaivald, the organization’s director. The Yerushalmi states, “A person who has learned and reviewed and taught others and fulfilled the Torah, and who has the ability to encourage those who engage in Torah learning and mitzvos and does not do so, is subject to the posuk, ‘Cursed is he who does not uphold the words of this Torah to perform them.’” This week, Rav Yochanan Reches, a noted talmid chochom in Yerushalayim and rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Noda B’Yehuda, commented to me that the Yerushalmi states the reverse as well: Even if a person does not learn Torah but encourages others to learn, he will be blessed. Presumably, an even greater brocha is earned by a person who influences others to learn Torah and perform the mitzvos.
May we all earn these blessings, and may Hashem grant us the privilege of sitting in the sukkah fashioned from the hide of the Livyasan very soon. Gut moed!
