Both chief rabbis, Rabbi David Lau and Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef on Tuesday, 13 Shevat 5774 took part in a special Knesset event marking the birthday of the Israeli parliament, which falls on Tu B’Shevat.

Rav Yosef made an appeal to MKs during his address, speaking that Tu B’Shevat is synonymous is the flowering of trees and it is clear to all that the blossoms are a means to an end, the fruit of those trees. The rav added that the blossoms begin to wither in Nissan; the month of Matan Torah for the Torah is the crux of our lives, not the blossoms.

The rav asked MKs to “do your utmost to bring the law closer to Torah. If everything could be in line with the Torah this would be excellent. I am realistic however and I am not Yosef the dreamer but you should do as much as you can in the spirit of Torah, for Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael”.

Rav Lau added “Bnei Yisrael is instructed to conduct itself with derech eretz for they received the Torah and HKBH said without derech eretz why come to Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah. In his house we must remember the concept of derech eretz.” The rav called upon lawmakers to maintain a dialogue with one another and not one against the other, towards legislating good laws.

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(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)