While delivering his weekly Motzei Shabbos Shiur, Hagaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef spent a few minutes discussing the Nissim that Klal Yisroel has witnessed the past few months.
Rav Yosef made it clear that these miracles are only due to one thing: Bnei Torah, and Bnei Yeshivos.
“Thirteen thousand rockets have hit our country. There should have been hundreds and thousands of people killed, and Boruch Hashem we have seen incredible miracles. In what Zechus is this? In the Zechus of the IDF Chief of Staff? In whose Zechus? In the Zechus of the Bnei Torah and Bnei Yeshivos, who are sitting and learning Torah! This is the correct Hashkafah.”
“I said this a few weeks ago, and I was attacked in the media by some Hesder Roshei Yeshiva and demanded that I retract what I said. But I said under no circumstances will I back down and retract. I repeat and will say it again, that everything we survived in this war that our enemies rose up against us in the north and the south, all the Hamasnik Arabs and we survived, this is only in the Zechus of the Bnei Yeshivos. They protect all the soldiers and all the people of Israel.”
“Whoever does not believe in this is an Apikores.”
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24 Responses
Perhaps it is in the zechut of those chayalim who died defending the land and people of Israel; those who claim to know definitively why things happen are contradicting a Passuk: Ki lo Machshevosai machshevosaichem…
He’s calling some pretty heavy Rabbanim Apikorsim there. Chachamim, hizaharu b’divreichem, and Deracheha darkei noam are some ma’amarim that the Rishon l’Tzion should think about before he shoots off like this.
an Israeli Yod
We learn from איוב that sin is in the expression not the thought.
Baruch Hashem we were zoche to have such a Rishon Le’Tziyon, who is not afraid to tell it like it is! לא תגורו מפני איש.
Hashem should give him strength until 120!
the fact that one who doubts that the zechus of lomdei hatorah saves klal yisroel is an apikores – is a mefurash gemarra – sanhedrin 99b
The Rabbi is Mara de Assra, he is 100% correct.
Whoever misinterprets his words is because he simply likes to start arguments and that is what brings divisions in Klol Yisroel.
– Nate Maginovski
Limud Torah Sheloh Lishmah and Shelo Al Menas Lekayem is worth ZERO and protects NOONE. Quite the contrary….
Israeli yid.. and so am I
You don’t focus on the contents of his statement rather on who his words target. the content is accurate, and if those supposedly heavy hitters are apikursim so be it.
The Gemara in Megillah says that the protection is in the merit of the oskei Torah, it’s on daf yud. he’s adding if you don’t believe it you are an apikores. which part do you disagree with
Someone who argues and says that the merit of the soldiers is what is protecting Klal Yisroel shows his complete lack of knowledge of true Torah ideas and axioms. These are not matters of debate. This is a basic tenet of Jewish faith.
I find it hard to understand how anyone can argue on him. It is laughable for anyone who is not a giant Talmid Chochom to disagree with him on any topic, let alone something so fundamental as this. Rabbi Yosef is such a massive Gaon in Torah, there are few people alive who know as much Torah as him.
Every child learns in cheder that Torah is “magni u’matzli” – Sotah 21a, Torah is the greatest protection from any harm.
As it says in Makkos 10a, “א”ר יהושע בן לוי, מאי דכתיב: עומדות היו רגלינו בשעריך ירושלם? מי גרם לרגלינו שיעמדו במלחמה? שערי ירושלם שהיו עוסקים בתורה.
Who made our feet stand succesfully in war? The ones who studied Torah by the Sha’arei Yerushalem. https://www.sefaria.org/Makkot.10a.22?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
And we know the whole world was created only for the study Of Torah, as Rashi says in Chumash, B’reishis 1:1 בִּשְׁבִיל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁנִקְרֵאת רֵאשִׁית. https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.1?lang=bi&with=Rashi&lang2=he
Rav Chaim Volozhin (Nefesh Hachaim 4:11) says that the existence of the world depends only on Torah learning. If for one split second there is no Torah being learned, the world would be destroyed.
והאמת בלתי שום ספק כלל. שאם היה העולם כולו מקצה עד קצהו פנוי ח״ו אף רגע אחת ממש מהעסק והתבוננות שלנו בתורה. כרגע היו נחרבים כל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים והיו לאפס ותהו חס ושלום
https://www.sefaria.org/Nefesh_HaChayim%2C_Gate_IV.11.7?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he
Since Torah is the greatest protection for the Yidden, the ones who learn Torah on the highest level are the Bnei Torah and Bnei Yeshiva, who devote their lives to Torah, and sacrifice money and physical comfort for it, They live lives devoid of secular influences, cut off from the harmful influences of the world. There is no greater mitzva or merit in the whole world that even compares to learning Torah, as we say every day in Shacharis, “תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם” (פאה פ”א מ”א)…
100%
Make Torato Umanato (3 sedarim) sheirut l’umi.
Maybe both are needed?
A thought experiment: Israel has no Iron Dome, no Arrow, no help from partners. Sonei Isroel shoot off missiles .. There are no sirens, as nobody is manning the sirenes – everyone is deep in learning Masehes Megila about Yehoshua and his army and malach hamaves hinting that he came because of skipped shiur…
What do you expect at this point – open miracles diverting missiles into Gaza? Unexplained misfires in hundreds? Missiles “randomly” bumping into each other over Suria?
The following fir kashes were considered on Lail Hashemurah in Yeshiva in Beis Chelm:
Q1) Are we allowed to force Hashem to provide such miracles on demand? If not, we obviously need to shoot something towards those missiles. So, the argument is how much hishtadlus is needed.
Q2) Should we simply ask gevirim to pay for North Korean missiles to protect us or should we do an extra step to develop something that actually can protect us b’derech hatevah?
Q3) And if the latter, should we allow non-observant, or even H’V anti-religious Yidden to get zechus or should we send our best bochurim to figure out Hashem’s laws of physics, learn how to make swords from Resh Lakish, and have not just a zechus of limud but also of protecting lives of Yidden in EY?
Q4) And if we did not do the above, should we be doing teshuva?
They found the answer in the same Gemora Megilla: malach hamaves came to Yehoshua to chide him for not learning – when Yehoshua was the head of the army! He did not come when Yehoshua drafted Talmidei Chachamim – only when they skipped their shiur. And with this tirutz, Yeshivas Beis Chelm put down the gemoras and went back to their shooting range.
anIsraeliZionist:
The only thing “heavy ” about those rabbis who disagree is their Zionist idolatry. He stated the simple and indisputable Torah truth. The Brisker Rav said it decades ago, and it is really quite simple; he also noted (published, with numerous rabbinic signatures in addition) that “Religious Zionist” education is a sea of heresy mixed in with a drop of Torah. That would explain their disagreement.
It is a passuk! Hashem agreed that if there would be righteous people among the people of S’dom, in their merit he would save the entire city including the wicked people. Rabbi Yosef is coming to refute the Zionistic apikorsus, that it’s ok to forsake Hashem and that we are fine without him being that we have the IDF. Having an army is of course a necessary Hishtadlus, the Issue is that secular think, that- that is all it takes. Arur hagever asher yivtach baodom UMIN HASHEM YOSUR LIBO!
And you are a NAVEILAH SERUCHA.
CHAZAL tell us “KOL TALMID CHACHAM S’HEAIN BO DAAS, NEVAILAH SERUCHA TOVO MEMENOI. Any talmid chacham who has NO BRAINS, a stinking carcass is better than him
I think it’s best to leave playing G-d up to G-d, after all were there no bnei Torah on 7/10 ?
Is the RL including the NK in his כלל גדול ?
Kol HaKovod to Rav Yosef, Shlita. The Torah Learning is spiritually providing physical protection to the Jews.
The two are NOT mutually exclusive. Both those who learn and those who risk their lives to defend all of the tzibur can take credit for the incredible events of 2 weeks ago. It is those who mindlessly attribute the outcome to just one side are the real apikorsim.
It’s bein hazmanim right now. So who is protecting Israel now?
@lbj – I am not focusing on his words because there is no need to. There were a number of extremely knowledgeable and well-respected Rabbanim who disagreed with his initial comments and disputed them articulately, forcefully – and respectfully. The Rishon l’Tzion has responded by calling those who disagreed with him Apikorsim. I have no need to repeat the statements.of those Rabbanim – their statements speak for themselves better than I could ever speak for them. Pointing out who.is being called an Apikores is all the defense necessary.
an Israeli Yid
IBJ Megillah daf yud?? Could you please provide a quote!
Duvid it ups makos daf yud
As it says in Makkos 10a, “א”ר יהושע בן לוי, מאי דכתיב: עומדות היו רגלינו בשעריך ירושלם? מי גרם לרגלינו שיעמדו במלחמה? שערי ירושלם שהיו עוסקים בתורה.
Who made our feet stand succesfully in war? The ones who studied Torah by the Sha’arei Yerushalem. https://www.sefaria.org/Makkot.10a.22?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Dora:
As usual, you take the anti-Torah side. Let’s make it clearer: if not for the bnei Torah, then no amount of weaponry would help. And if there were only bnei Torah, then no amount of weaponry would be needed.
Rabbi Yosef never said that we don’t need an IDF. The secular Israelis said we don’t need Bnei Torah and that the religious are not contributing to the land’s protection. Rabbi Yosef is showing otherwise. He is pointing out something obvious. We are surrounded and outnumbered by ther Arabs. It is not a natural thing to have so many rockets land and the resulting harm is so minute. Our existence defies all logic. That is not to the credit of the IDF. There is clearly a higher power protecting us. Plain and simple the dedication and constant self sacrifice of the Bnei Torah is a great merit. I appreciate the wartime sacrifice of the soldiers, but why shouldn’t we appreciate the Bnei Torah who have a lifelong sacrifice to accept on themselves the pain of poverty and of material deprivation?