Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Rejects Wartime Pessimism, Urges Israelis to Ignore the Media

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu spoke out Thursday against what he described as a media-driven campaign of pessimism around the war, saying it is wrong to make the public feel defeated or hopeless. He urged listeners to “turn off the radio” and disconnect from the background noise, arguing that the barrage of news and social media is trying to convince Israelis that they are weak, losing, and that “everything is lost.”

In his weekly lesson, Eliyahu said such efforts contradict Jewish law. “There is an explicit Torah prohibition against breaking the spirit of the people of Israel,” he said, adding that what is happening on the ground tells a very different story from the one being presented in headlines. He said the bravery of the soldiers and the strength of the nation show that “the people of Israel are not weak, they are numerous and mighty.”

Eliyahu tied his message to the weekly Torah portion, Balak, in which Balaam tried to curse Israel but ended up blessing it. “Balaam came to curse Israel and ended up blessing,” he said, warning people not to let media screens confuse them. He called on the public to “lift your head with pride.”

He ended by citing the verse from the portion, “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel,” as a reminder to focus on the nation’s values and its enduring spirit.