אבישי בן חיים בכאב: "למה אתה עושה את זה?"

Orthodox affairs commentator Avishai Ben-Chaim addressed the question of whether Orthodox parties would abandon their right-wing bloc and join the left. He expressed pain over the perception that these parties might be abandoning the "covenant of believers" with the right to "save themselves," questioning if they care about the Jewish people.

Ben-Chaim explained his attempt to defend the Orthodox community by referencing his book "Ish HaHashkafa" about Rabbi Shach, published over 20 years ago. He highlighted "survival" as a core value in Orthodox thought, positing that the survival of the Orthodox public is seen as ensuring the survival of the Jewish people. This perspective, he argued, views the fight against modernity and secularism as a critical mission, almost a security task, to preserve Judaism.

He quoted Rabbi Shach, who described the Orthodox community's central mission as survival, like an organism in nature, and that "the preservation of the whole" was incumbent upon them. Ben-Chaim noted that this was an excerpt from his column in Makor Rishon.

In response to Orthodox journalist Shlomo Kok, who questioned why it's permissible for Netanyahu to seek talks with the left but forbidden for the Orthodox parties, Ben-Chaim pleaded with Kok, asking why he was trying to create conflict when Ben-Chaim was working to foster love for Torah scholars among the public. He emphasized their shared responsibility.