The “Srugim” dati leumi website headline reads “Lacking Emunah, the chareidi yeshivos run for the south” as rockets continue to pound cities within a 40km (24 miles) range of the Gaza border.
The report quotes a Kikar Shabbos articles citing that litvish yeshivos are closing shop as well as yeshivos affiliated with Gur and Belzer Chassidim, all ordered to pack and evacuate until the rocket fire halts.
The article adds that hesder yeshivot in southern areas are not evacuating, but opting to continue their limud Torah as usual with the exception of talmidim who left beis medrash to assist communities under fire. When a siren sounds, the talmidim simply run to shelters as residents in the same areas do.
Rosh Yeshivat Sderot Rabbi Dovid Fendel is quoted saying “Davka during a time of war it is prohibited for talmidei chacham to leave the city”. The rosh yeshiva fears if residents see talmidim running while they remain it leaves them with an extremely bad feeling and it does not strengthen their resolve during a difficult time.
Since the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva has endured years of countless rocket attacks, due to the rosh yeshiva’s efforts and his mesirus nefesh, most of the campus is fortified against rockets, permitting the continuation of limud Torah under fire. However he and his talmidim also remained under fire during the difficult years prior to having the fortified beis medrash.
For those familiar with the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi Fendel and his talmidim have over the difficult years of enduring rocket attacks served as a bastion of chizuk for the local residents, remaining with them under the harshest of conditions and rocket fire.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
Chareidim care about pekuach nefesh and saving lives unlike serugim who prefer to die for land.
Horav Shtaiman said they should relocate. End of story. Now use your disdain against the Arabs, not your brothers who follow Halacha.
They are not lacking emunah, they know that their torah will not help those who spit at it.
Please, everyone, be very careful with any comments. Remember we are taught that a deed – good or bad – can have ramifications on the other side of the world. Now at this critical time in Eretz Yisrael, we must remember that lashon hara kills three people – those who say it, those who hear it, and those who it is spoken about.
The Netziv (I am 99% sure it was the Netziv) writes that in a time of war, those learning should be at the front lines to show that Torah protects.
In addition, ujm, all we hear from the Charedim is how Torah protects and that’s why they don’t need to be in the army, so, nu?
Yeshiva World reported earlier today that Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita said not to leave the South.
In addition, look what happened to Elimelech and his two sons when they left Israel when times were tough.
Pkuach nefesh.
When Lapid and his friends started trying to turn Israel to a total secular state, the Gedoilim warned us this could happen. Now that we see it happening, maybe it is time for the people of EY to speak up and throw out the apikursim from the government and strengthen Yiddishkeit through out the land. For more you can look up Divorim 32 Possik 21 and the commentaries on that Possik. This has been foretold in the Torah, Talmud, and Zohar as to the events of the end of days.
Klal Yisroel is in tzar, but it’s politics as usual from the commenters.
Please, people, can we give it a rest, and focus on our tefillos?
But where are they going? Yerushalayim? Rockets there. Bnei Brak? Rockets there. Beit Shemesh? Rockets there too.
To #10 “but it’s politics as usual from the commenters”
It’s politics as usual from the “srugim”, the achdus the charedim sidplayed the past few weeks was just too much for them.
#1 I thought that Charedi Torah protects Israel?? Kol Hakavod to Hezder guys.
divine onion said what i was going to say
yet additionally i dont think its a time to start comparing
they have been exposed and the little not so secret that they really do not believe torah protects.
and why could they not stay behind to help like
” with the exception of talmidim who left beis medrash to assist communities under fire.”
not even that shame on them
No one is allowed to judge any side until you have lived in the south and witness what’s it like to hear sirens, booms, explosions….that pit in your stomach that doesn’t leave no matter what level of emuna you have…no one has the right to talk unless they’ve been through that themselves. Having said that, we all react to these situation differently. We are not perfect, no matter how much Torah we study, how much emuna we think we have…it’s all in theory until that siren sounds and your emuna is put to the test; your emuna and Torah study is put to practice. If leaving the south makes these talmidim see the hand of Hashem better then so be it. Because in the end it’s not where you serve Hashem but how. No one is allowed to judge, on both sides.
I ALMOST PUNCHED MY COMPUTER UPON SEEING THIS I WAS SO MAD!!WE WERE DOING SO GOOD!!!! ALBEIT A SAD SITUATION, THE ACHDUS WAS AT LEVEL NOT SEEN IN R”L A WHILE!!! AND THEN THIS????!!!!!!
I doubt very much Rav Shteinmen would tell his talmidim to run away like cowards because a few missiles are fired into the South since this would be a real chilul hashem while other frum Israelis are being mobilized for a possible action against Hamas in Gaza. Kol hakovod to Rav Kanievsky for telling his talmidim to stay put and not create panic among other residents. This is a time for achdus and not for a bunch of black hats to be running away while the majority of the klal comes together to protect EY.
TO THE EDITORS
Please let your readers know which Yehivas DID NOT run away and are sitting and learning to protect our Jewish people. Let us know how we in Chutz LaAretz can help these Yeshivot, help us help them because they deserve it
KotonHador rav chaim kanievsky does not need your haskamah!
As stated in chazal lo me’uvtzeich vi’lo mei’duvsheich
מִי-הָאִישׁ הַיָּרֵא וְרַךְ הַלֵּבָב, יֵלֵךְ וְיָשֹׁב לְבֵיתוֹ; וְלֹא יִמַּס אֶת-לְבַב אֶחָיו, כִּלְבָבוֹ really seems to apply here. Note, though, that this question is only asked prior to the beginning of battle; once the battle has begun, there is no excuse to leave – as these individuals are doing. If their Torah protects the Tzibur as much as – or more than – the actions of the Israeli army, they are going AWOL.
This is a true Chilul Hashem. And to those who will chastise me with the lack of Kavod being shown to those Rabbanim who are pulling their students out – “Bemakom Chilul Hashem, Ein Cholkim Kavod l’Rav”.
an Israeli Yid (whose children slept in the Mamad last night, and whose sons went to learn locally this morning).