Top Rabbi Warns of Existential Threat to Torah Study Ahead of Elections
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel of Mir Yeshiva warned students of an existential threat to Torah study, urging them to influence the public ahead of the 26th Knesset elections. He described the current era as "a time of destruction" and criticized parties not guided by Torah scholars. The rabbi emphasized individual responsibility to act for the sanctification of God's name and the preservation of Torah.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel warned of "a time of destruction" for Torah study ahead of the 26th Knesset elections.
- He urged thousands of Mir Yeshiva students to actively influence the public and support Torah-aligned parties.
- The rabbi stated that Torah scrolls are burning and scholars are "trampled underfoot" by government decrees.
- He strongly cautioned against supporting parties not guided by the wisdom of Torah sages.
- Rabbi Finkel emphasized individual responsibility to act for the sanctification of God's name and Torah's existence.
Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, the Rosh Yeshiva (head of yeshiva) of the prominent Mir Yeshiva, has issued a stark warning to thousands of his students, urging them to bolster the influence of "Torah Judaism" ahead of the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. A statement posted at the yeshiva in Jerusalem, summarizing his address, called for active engagement and influence on the public, while strongly cautioning against supporting parties that do not adhere to the guidance of Torah scholars.
Rabbi Finkel described the current period as "a time of destruction," where "Torah scrolls are burning" and "Torah scholars, the pride of humanity, are groaning under siege and distress, trampled underfoot." He asserted that the government in Israel is inflicting deep wounds through its decrees and, particularly, its "cunning temptations." The honor of Torah and its students, he stated, has been "lowered to the lowest depths, as never before," with the very existence of Torah study and the respect for its leaders hanging in the balance. He emphasized that when the life of Torah is endangered, the entire nation of Israel and the world are at risk.
He stressed that the responsibility to act falls on every individual, calling it a "duty for everyone to act with all their might for the sanctification of God's name, to raise the banner of Torah, and to influence those near and far." He urged them to "go out to the fields to influence and draw them closer with pleasant ways, and to save the existence of Torah."
Rabbi Finkel sharply criticized support for parties not operating under the direction of Torah sages, calling them "emissaries of Satan and uprooters of Torah's existence," and placing those who aid them among "those who cause the masses to sin."
Concluding his remarks, the Rosh Yeshiva reiterated the importance of personal accountability during these "fateful days before the end of the right," urging each person to consider what they have done for the sake of Heaven and the honor and preservation of Torah. He blessed those who sanctify God's name, promising them all the blessings mentioned in the verse, "Blessed is he who performs the words of this Torah."
