Rabbi Moshe Tzadka Denounces Military Draft at Lev Eliyahu Yeshiva Siyum

On the 11-month anniversary of Rabbi Yosef Zecharia's passing, the Lev Eliyahu Yeshiva in Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood held a moving siyum (completion) of the Talmud, completed by student Moshe Amar Halevi in memory of the late rosh yeshiva. The event drew prominent rabbis including Rabbi Moshe Tzadka, head of Porat Yosef Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzchak Chaim Sofer, Rabbi Mattityahu Deitsch, Rabbi Ovadia Hazan, and others.

Rabbi Moshe Tzadka delivered a fiery speech condemning the Israeli government's military draft policies targeting yeshiva students. He argued that instead of imprisoning Torah learners, the law should mandate everyone to study Torah, emphasizing that Torah study is the sole salvation in these messianic times. He stated, "The fools say those in yeshiva should go to jail? On the contrary, they should have legislated that everyone must go to yeshivas."

Addressing soldiers on the front lines, Rabbi Tzadka said if they truly understood the protective power of Torah, they would beg yeshiva students not to stop learning even during wartime. The event concluded with remarks from Rabbi Ovadia Hazan, who praised the dedication of his late father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Zecharia, to Torah education and student development.

The siyum took place at the start of the month of Elul, following the "bein hazmanim" break, underscoring the community's commitment to Torah study amid political and social challenges surrounding the draft of yeshiva students.