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Chacham Ovadia Tells PM During Shiva: Drafting Of Yeshiva Bochrim Worse Than Losing My Son


bioMaran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita spoke with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, 6 Iyar 5773 while the latter was making a shiva visit. The Gadol Hador is sitting shiva for his son HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Yosef ZT”L.

Rav Ovadia explained to the prime minister that the pain he endures over the planned induction of bnei yeshivos into the military is greater than the loss of his son.

“While I am in aveilus at present, being a father who buried his son” the rav is quoted as saying, “but my great sorrow stems from the induction of bnei yeshivos, more than the pain of the aveilus.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)



11 Responses

  1. Waiting for the critics to explain why the Gadol Hador don’t know of the big mitzva of induction of bnei yeshivos into the military.

  2. And he is a moderate — he is a retired civil servant, and has been heavily involved in zionist politics, supervising a party in which Bnei Torah are only a small part of the party’s constituency. If he is the opposition, you can assume that the “fanatics” (such as Satmar, and most of the Litvish yeshivas and the Hasidim) will oppose conscription.

    Because of their own bigotry, the hiloni zionists have alienated someone who had been a major support of the medinah.

  3. Akuperma-

    You are incredibly out of touch with mainstream Israeli society if you think Chacham Ovadja is a “moderate.”

    Shas may have many sefaradic voters that aren’t bnei Torah, but rav Yosef’s positions are definitely controversial- just listen to any of his motzai Shabbos drashos.

    Calling zionists bigots is a joke. Chareidim are the ones who refuse to associate with them, mock them, ignore their laws, and call them goyim.

  4. #2 said “How could Netanyahu take such a statement seriously?”

    Very easily. Perhaps as a threat. Indeed, his lack of enthusiasm for the Lapid/Bennett plan shows he see the flaw in it. If someone who encourages service in the army by those other than yeshiva students is going to oppose conscription of yeshiva students, it means there will be very broad based opposition to conscription, and those who are conscripted, including many would don’t avoid service, may be inclined to mutiny (remember, the conscription creates a “Shaas ha-Shmad” situation in which it is a mitzvah to be super-strict on everything).

    With Shas’s opposition, that means that the once reliable LIkud-allies (with almost 20 seats) are now hostile. They could ally with the left (socialists and Arab parties) to try to end conscription. It could seriously destabilize the military. It risks a situation in which a considerable number of hareidim may leave the pro-zionists hareidim parties that do sit in parliament, and start supporting the anti-zionists who will enegage in activities that could seriously harm the zionist enterprise (e.g. filing human rights complaints, allying with the Muslims, etc.).

    Netanyahu is a good enough politicans to see the threat. He has been around, and knows when he is getting painted into a corner.

  5. Bunk doesn’t need shas or their support. The ‘share the burden’ issue is too important, and has gained widespread popularity. Bibi wouldn’t give that up

  6. When is everybody going to realize that never in Jewish history did everybody sit a learn and not fulfill their basic obligation to provide for their family.do I have to rip out the part of the gemarah that says one is obligated to tech his son a trade?

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