Sephardi Chief Rabbi, HaRav Dovid Yosef, reiterated his criticism of the Supreme Court ruling—issued on Shabbos—allowing up to 600 people to gather at anti-war protests at HaBima Square in Tel Aviv, saying that tefillos at the Kosel will be held in accordance with Home Front Command instructions and will not be dictated by the lawless Supreme Court.

Speaking at the gathering of 50 people for Birchas Kohanim at the Kosel on Sunday morning, HaRav Yosef emphasized that the public refrained from coming to the ceremony in accordance with security guidelines, without needing clarification from the Supreme Court.

“My friend, the Rav of the Kosel, the esteemed Rav Rabinowitz, appealed to the Home Front Command to ask whether it is possible to allow more mispallelim. Take note that he appealed to the Home Front Command because they understand matters of security, not to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court understands only lawlessness and freedom of protest—which they call ‘pikuach nefesh.’ We turn to professionals who understand pikuch nefesh.”

“The Supreme Court does not understand pikuach nefesh of life; the Home Front Command does,” he emphasized. “We hereby announce, the Rav of the Kosel and the Chief Rabbanim, that we will do whatever the Home Front Command instructs, because we understand the significance of pikuach nefesh of every Jew.”

During his weekly shiur on Motzei Shabbos, HaRav Yosef slammed the Supreme Court ruling, saying: “This is an unlawful act in a Jewish state. These judges sit on Shabbos and trample the law, and force the state to respond on the holy day in contradiction to the law.”

“There is not one religious Jew today who trusts this brazen group at the Supreme Court, who have become the enemies of Judaism.  We’ll fight with all our might for the Jewish identity of the state, and ultimately, Judaism will win.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)