Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi Calls Controversial Remarks Against IDF Chief a Slip of the Tongue

Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi sparked controversy on Monday evening during a conference in Bnei Brak when he harshly criticized the IDF Chief of Staff, saying, "Cursed, may his name and memory be erased." The following morning, in an interview with Kikar HaShabbat, Rabbi Yazdi described his statement as a "slip of the tongue." He also responded to condemnations from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Shas party, asserting that "they have done nothing for the Torah scholars." Meanwhile, one of Rabbi Yazdi's students explained that the rabbi did not intend to offend; rather, he was expressing pain over the arrests of Torah students, young men, and scholars. The student emphasized that the remarks were made out of distress and were not meant to attack or demean the IDF Chief of Staff.