Chief Rabbi: Israel being saved from rockets because of Torah students, not IDF

After criticism for similar comments, rabbi doubles down on controversial statement

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The success of Israel’s defense against rockets and other projectiles is attributed to the prayers of ultra-Orthodox Torah students, rather than the IDF’s air defenses, says Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, one of Israel’s two chief rabbis.

In a class on Saturday night, the Sephardic chief rabbi, well known for his inflammatory statements, discussed the “miracle” of the low casualty rate resulting from rocket attacks over the last several months.

“During the past few months, it was said to me that they shot 13,000 missiles on us from the north and the south. A very large amount. Thousands of missiles were shot at us,” Rabbi Yosef said.

“There should have been, God forbid, hundreds or thousands of casualties, but thank God, while there were a few people injured - every Jewish soul is dear to us - but relative to what could have been, 13,000 missiles were launched at our state, thank God what miracles and wonders were done for us.”

“Gentlemen, to whose merit is this? The IDF chief of staff’s merit? To whose merit? It’s thanks to the yeshiva students, who sit and busy themselves with Torah, in their merit God did miracles and wonders for us,” Yosef added.

The chief rabbi then addressed the reaction he received from the heads of hesder yeshivas, programs combining advanced Talmudic studies with military service, after he made similar comments not long ago.

“When I said this a few weeks ago, there were some heads of hesder yeshivas who attacked us in the media, without shame. They spoke with the secular media. Such chutzpah [insolence]. Some of the hesder yeshiva heads sent me letters, asking me to retract what I said. I told them there's no way I'm going to retract what I said,” Yosef said.

Students of the Torah “protect all the soldiers. They protect the entirety of the people of Israel. It is in their merit. Anyone who doesn’t believe this is a non-believer,” the rabbi added.

His comments came amid an ongoing push for a new IDF draft law that would regulate the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army. The current exemption, passed in June 2023, will expire at the end of March, at which time the government is required to enforce the draft law for the ultra-Orthodox population, as well.

Yosef warned in March that compulsory drafting into the Israeli military would lead to mass emigration of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

“If they force us to join the army, we will all move abroad,” Yosef warned at the time. “We will buy tickets; there is no such thing as forcing us into the army.”

He further argued that the Torah constitutes the foundation of the State of Israel and its military forces.

“All these secular people don’t understand that without kollels and yeshivas, the army would not be successful,” Yosef said. “The soldiers only succeed thanks to those learning Torah.”

Yosef is the son of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who also served as the chief Sephardic rabbi and the spiritual leader of the Shas political party, which has been a key coalition partner for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the years.