On Thursday night, the expanded and newly renovated main Dushinsky Beis Medrash was filled to capacity and beyond, as thousands of bnei torah gathered under the leadership of Admorim, Rabbanim, and members of the Badatz of the Eidah HaChareidis to hear the Shabbos Shuvah drasha from Harav Moshe Shternbuch shlit”a.

The annual drasha has long been a source of hadracha and chizuk to the masses of Yerushalayim. This year, despite the Beis Medrash doubling in size through extensive renovations, the venue was still unable to contain the immense crowd that streamed in from all over the city.

For nearly an hour, Rav Shternbuch spoke divrei halacha and aggadah before the overflowing crowd. At the front sat the members of the Badatz, the Admor of Dushinsky seated with his characteristic simplicity among the mispalelim, and numerous Rabbanim and dayanim representing kehillos across the Eidah HaChareidis.

Opening his words, the Gaavad spoke with heartfelt emotion about the plight of the bochurim who have been imprisoned in recent months due to the gezeiras hagiyus. “Many bochurim are sitting now in detention, for the sole reason that they gave their lives not to go into their army. We must strengthen them—ashreichem that you were caught for the sake of Torah. Stand strong with mesirus nefesh against them.”

From there, he turned to the government, decrying its actions in extraordinarily sharp terms. He compared today’s decrees to the darkest periods in Jewish history. “The heads of the government act worse than the nations, like the Inquisition in its time, which persecuted Jews only because they kept Torah and mitzvos. And woe to us that this is what has befallen us in our days, when they seek to disturb our avodas Hashem. The entire world must be shaken over this.”

The entire Beis Medrash was visibly moved when the Gaavad suddenly burst into bitter weeping. In a voice choked with tears, he exclaimed: “These days we say Avinu Malkeinu, kallei dever v’cherev v’shmad mei’al bnei brisecha. We must have kavana in these tefillos that Hashem should annul this gezeiras shmad! Their entire goal with drafting bnei Torah is to uproot shmiras haTorah, chas v’shalom.”

Concluding his drasha, Harav Shternbuch issued a clear psak regarding yeshiva bochurim and the draft. “I have said many times, and I repeat: according to halacha it is absolutely forbidden to go into their army. This is not a chumra or a middas chassidus, but pure halacha. Bochurim who receive draft notices must discard them immediately. Do not argue with them, simply say clearly: we are following our Rabbanim, who have forbidden joining the army.”

As the drasha ended, the throngs of participants accompanied the posek hador out of the Beis Medrash and onto Rechov Shmuel Hanavi, singing a thunderous rendition of “Ki Orech Yamim” that echoed through the night.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)