Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, described as the leader of the Torah world and head of the yeshiva, will leave for the United States on Saturday night for a brief three-day visit. He is due to take part in a series of historic ceremonies concluding the “Keren Olam HaTorah” fundraising drive, which has been underway for two weeks with leading rabbinic figures. He had originally been unable to join because of a family celebration, his granddaughter’s wedding, but after repeated requests from Jewish community leaders in the U.S., he agreed to attend the closing events.
On Friday evening, dozens of heads of kollels from across Israel, representing tens of thousands of married Torah students, gathered at his home for a farewell ceremony. They came specifically to bid him goodbye before his departure and thanked him for his extensive effort in establishing Keren Olam HaTorah, as well as for working with other senior rabbis to resist what they called decrees against the world of Torah and to raise funds around the world to support Torah study in Israel. The rabbis concluded by blessing him with “safe travels” ahead of his trip.
During the gathering, Rabbi Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, head of Ateret Shlomo Yeshiva, spoke about the seriousness of the moment and what he described as persecution of Torah honor within the Jewish home. He said Hirsch’s trip abroad is not only about financial support, but about securing the future of today’s Torah learners, the kollels and yeshiva students, so they can continue studying without burden and allow Torah to be, in his words, “blended into their bodies.”
Sorotzkin also stressed the immense obligation felt by Torah scholars to express gratitude for the unprecedented self-sacrifice of Israel’s senior rabbis, who are traveling at such an advanced age on behalf of the public. He said the public declaration before the world of the honor due to Torah would strengthen all Torah learners.
