Something happened in Israel, but WhatsApp groups did not report it, news sites did not cover it extensively, and Facebook pages did not go into a frenzy.
This happened yesterday: Rabbi Yoni Rosenzweig, Rosh Yeshiva in Efrat, announced that the "Shevut Yisrael" Hesder yeshiva he heads, in its current format, will be closed.
Many, many, felt no sorrow at all, for them there are too many yeshivahs. Others may have thought that 'Shevut Yisrael' is not according to their view anyway and therefore, there is nothing wrong with closing it. But the reaction of most of the public was complete indifference. For me, the closure of a yeshivah, any yeshivah, is sad news, very sad. I did not study at Shevut Yisrael, there are differences of path and approach between the 'Torah Be Zion' yeshivah that I head, and 'Shevut Yisrael'. I know and respect Rabbi Yoni, even though we have differences of opinion - I am definitely more conservative than him - but we are all one big family of religious zeal and in the past we were even very happy to help the brothers of 'Shevut Yisrael' through the "One to One" foundation.
To explain my great pain, I would ask all my brothers and sisters to ask themselves what their reaction would have been if the headline had been different. Imagine if the headline had been, "A settlement in the Land of Israel is falling apart due to a lack of settlers." I am sure that no one would dare to discuss ideology. Within 24 hours, reinforcement groups would be established. Young people would travel to the place to strengthen and stabilize it again. Politicians and council leaders would gather to prevent the abandonment. Some of us would be deeply shocked, hurt. It is impossible, we would say, that a settlement that has existed for almost forty years should be abandoned by its inhabitants, simply because of a lack of dedication. It is unthinkable.
Unfortunately, the reality in the religious Zionist Torah world is extremely difficult. As far as I understand, the "Shevut Yisrael" yeshiva was not closed due to financial problems. It was closed due to the lack of students. The trouble is that this problem is not limited to the Shevut Yisrael yeshiva. There are yeshiva that have already been closed. There are several other old yeshiva that suffer from the lack of students, and if we don't wake up soon, more yeshiva may be closed. Furthermore: I personally know of three high-quality cities that are seeking to establish yeshiva in their area on the purity of the Torah of the Land of Israel and the Torah of redemption, but there are not enough soldiers for the task.
My brothers and friends, do not panic! Various theories that are true for the world of commerce and economics, such as the "free market" and the "invisible hand," are not true for the building of the Holy Land in the people of Israel. Youth who are entirely focused on conquering the media and scientific excellence, the senior ranks in the army and the prosecutor's office, are not available to wear the yeshiva benches. I call on all of us to come to an accounting! We must ask ourselves how dedicated we are to the Torah and its building in the Land of Israel.
At the beginning of the journey, Rabbi Zvi Kaplan, z"l, recited the "Song of the Yeshiva" for us and suggested that every student at Bnei Akiva go to study at least a year in the yeshiva. This call built the yeshiva in the Nea. Rabbi Chaim Shefler, z"l, former rabbi of Kfar Haro'a, sang "Let us spread the great light, the light of the Torah.... We will establish yeshiva everywhere, in the city and in the village." It was clear that this was the path to walk: the sacred building as our spiritual backbone.
What happened to us along the way? Did we get confused? Or perhaps the enthusiasm of youth was replaced by an aging bourgeoisie? In my humble opinion, the answer is no. We have not grown tired, our communities are flourishing, there is great dedication to building the country and the army, the ideological fervor exists, but forgetting the place of Torah is the heart of the problem.
My word is that thousands of 12th grade graduates in the Hamad do not even consider studying Torah for even one year. They have dedicated themselves to one thing, to fulfill their military service obligations in a complete and excellent manner and even to excel. But the Torah is still placed in a corner. This is not a time to whisper. It is time to act. We are in a time of emergency and it is imperative to renew the call to every student in the Hamad. Come to the Ark! Go study in a yeshiva for at least one year of study.
And to my young friends, 12th grade students across our country, it is true that the Sages have determined for us that no one studies Torah except where their heart desires. The desire of the heart is a huge key to acquiring Torah. No one is a recipe and cannot force a place of study on you. But my dears, you run and strive to volunteer to make the sick happy and help the needy.
We have enormous spiritual challenges in society, quite a few of us are sick and spiritually weak, our society urgently needs an infusion of young blood. We have yeshivas that need the strength of the soul, the essence of your youthful blood and they have so much to give you. There are so many shades of the dome and we need talmidei tohamach in yeshivas of all shades, each of you can find what your heart desires.
Dear Seminists, no matter where you are, you have become accustomed to being courted. In some yeshivots, there is a GMACH that directs Seminists to come and hear the rabbi on duty, but when there is a public soul-searching, ask yourself what your motivations are for choosing a yeshiva? How committed are you to the sacred building? What are you doing today to establish future generations?
Two reasons may lead to the closure of a yeshiva: a funding problem or a lack of 'registration'. With the first, Israel has been struggling for years. Students of religious high schools and yeshiva high schools: The key to the future of the religious Zionist Torah world is found in only one place, in your hearts!
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