Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef Says Torah Students Are ‘Persecuted for Studying Torah’ at Yeshiva Ceremony

At a moving celebration at the Hazon Ovadia Yeshiva on Monday night, students marked the completion of tractate Sukkah and the publication of a booklet of essays and Torah insights written by the yeshiva’s students and rabbis. The event was attended by the yeshiva’s president and founder, former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, along with Yeshiva Head Rabbi Rahamim Yosef and rabbis Natan Damgian, Aryeh Nagar, and Yosef Chaim Suissa, who supports the institution.

Yosef delivered the main address and used it to attack efforts to draft yeshiva students. He said, “Bnei hayeshivot are being persecuted for studying Torah,” and argued that Torah learners must be valued, especially now. He said action is needed to regulate their status and stressed that “Torah study is the foundation of the Jewish people.”

He also recalled the yeshiva’s founding, saying his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, used to come every week to teach there, personally supported it each month from his own pocket, and that his mother, Marat Margalit Yosef, gave all her savings to help establish the yeshiva. Yosef added that his father taught that “Torah is above everything” and that Torah students are the most important people.

The evening ended with Psalms recited for the salvation of the people of Israel and for the protection of Torah learners from those pursuing them. Students left uplifted after completing the tractate and hearing words of encouragement that emphasized the importance of Torah and its scholars.