A Message from HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch

HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch (YWN)

I was sent a video this morning of a recent address given in Hebrew by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. A Rosh Yeshiva in Israel who is considered by much of the Charedi world to be one of the two Gedolei HaDor. The video included a rough English (Yinglish?) translation of his remarks, which follows – interspersed in some cases with my translation:

“We Are in the Middle of a War”

The Rosh Yeshiva opened his remarks regarding what he described as the r’difas lomdei Torah (the mortal pursuit of those who study Torah):

“There is a very difficult matzav (situation) today. We are in a war, mamash (actually) a war. This is a very difficult inyan (subject) for the bochurim, and the bochurim have to understand that we are in a war.

In a time of war, sometimes there are things that are difficult, and there has to be mesirus nefesh (self sacfrfice) for the war. It cannot be that everything continues exactly as usual when there is a war.”

“I am not referring to the war with Iran. I am referring to the war between us and those from within who are fighting against us.

This is what we have to be machnis (internalize): There is no other way—only through the Ribbono Shel Olam.

And there is a klal. The Gemara in Shabbos says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu says: ‘If I see that they want Me, then I want them; if they do not want Me, I do not want them.’ Middah k’neged middah” (measure for measure).

In strong words rarely heard from a mainstream rabbinic leader, HaRav Hirsch added:

“It is muttar to be mechaven in ‘V’lamalshinim al tehi tikvah... v’chol haresha k’rega toveid.’ If all of Klal Yisrael would be mechaven in this, HaKadosh Baruch Hu would do what needs to be done.”

The ‘Yinglish’ in this last paragraph can be translated as follows:

It is permissible to concentrate when reciting the words (in Shemoneh Esrei) of “And for informers (slanderers) let there be no hope... “all wickedness should perish in an instant,”. If all of Israel would concentrate on this, God would do what needs to be done.

I have to apologize for my previous mild interpretation of how mainstream Charedi leaders feel about violent opposition to government attempts to draft Charedim. I’m not so sure they are entirely opposed to them.

While Rav Hirsch did not explicitly endorse violence here, he may as well have. 

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