At his weekly shiur delivered Motzoei Shabbos, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav Yitzchak Yosef issued a pointed critique of the current Israeli government’s stance on the military draft of yeshiva students.
Referring to the growing threat of arrest warrants for bnei yeshiva, Rav Yosef lamented the political alliance with the right-wing bloc, questioning the wisdom of continued support for those who now advance policies harmful to the Torah world.
“If we had gone with the left,” he stated, “things would have been much better. But instead we’re going with the right, clinging to the right—I don’t know what they saw in the right.”
The remarks were made during a memorial event marking 55 years since the petirah of Chacham Ezra Attiah zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Porat Yosef. The shiur was delivered at the Yazdim Shul in Yerushalayim and attended by prominent rabbanim, including Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef Rav Moshe Tzadkah.
Speaking about the dire implications of the escalating draft crisis, Rav Yosef urged heartfelt tefillos: “We must pray to Hashem to cancel this decree, so that the bnei yeshiva can learn in peace, without fear.”
He shared a personal encounter from earlier in the week: “On Thursday, they brought me a ben Torah with a draft notice and an arrest warrant—they want to arrest him! I took it and tore it up. What is this? A ben Torah? For 77 years the State existed and no one ever imagined such a thing. Right, right, right? They’re crazy! We need to daven that Hashem brings all of Klal Yisrael back to teshuvah and that they leave the lomdei Torah alone—to learn quietly and securely.”
Before the shiur, Rav Moshe Tzadkah presented a historic letter from Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l and other gedolei hador issued years ago in strong opposition to drafting yeshiva students into the army. The letter warned Torah observant youth, even those not formally enrolled in yeshivos, not to fall into the trap of the draft effort “regardless of background or community.”
“To those who incite,” the letter proclaimed, “remember: one who causes the public to sin is not given the opportunity to repent.”
{Matzav.com Israel}