Prominent Rabbi Challenges Norms on Army Service, Temple Mount, and Legal Cases

The President of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu, president of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu, shared his views on several contentious issues in a Channel 7 podcast interview. He asserted that defending the state is a fundamental human obligation, not solely a religious commandment, and rejected the notion that Torah study can substitute for military service. The President of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu stated that all Jews have a duty to defend themselves and the people of Israel, while also emphasizing the need for the IDF to accommodate religious soldiers.

Reflecting on his own life, the rabbi expressed regret for not serving in the IDF due to health reasons, noting he dedicated his youth to educational outreach in France and encouraging aliyah. He also criticized the reliance on confessions obtained through harsh interrogation methods in the case of Amiram Ben-Uliel, who was convicted of the Duma family murders, calling for a review of the case and potential clemency.

The President of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu also addressed the issue of ascending the Temple Mount, stating he permits and even considers it a mitzvah to visit permissible areas, while respecting differing rabbinic opinions. He reiterated his proposal to transfer the remains of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov from Uman to Israel, believing it would be more fitting for followers to visit his grave in the Holy Land.

During the interview, the rabbi discussed his wartime halachic rulings, offering leniencies in family purity laws for couples separated by reserve duty and permitting elevator use during air raid sirens for the elderly. He also clarified his stance on Shabbat electricity usage, distinguishing between forbidden acts of creation and permissible use in certain circumstances, particularly for medical needs, aligning with the views of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

Furthermore, the President of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu advocated for a more lenient approach to conversions, citing his yeshiva's experience with numerous successful conversions through the Chief Rabbinate. He criticized obstacles faced by converts seeking to immigrate to Israel and expressed dismay over a case where a convert who served in the IDF had to undergo a second conversion for marriage.

He shared the history of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu, founded by his grandfather in Switzerland and moved to Israel by his father, explaining the decision to pass leadership to his son, Rabbi Yechezkel the President of Yeshivat Heichal Eliyahu, due to his strong connection with the younger generation. The rabbi continues to teach and write, aiming to make Torah and halacha accessible and to find moral and ethical meaning in Jewish texts. He cited Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Yosef Messas as significant influences on his halachic approach.