HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch delivered a fiery speech at the Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos gathering in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, addressing the war being waged against the Torah in Eretz Yisrael.

In his speech, Maran referred explicitly to all those who persecute Torah (a reference to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and other judicial authorities and the members of the High Court), calling upon Klal Yisrael to have kavanah when they recite the words of the tefillah: וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה, וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶגַע תֹּאבֵד, וְכָל אוֹיְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכַּרֵתוּ, וְהַזֵּדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ in Shemonah Esrei.

The Rosh Yeshivah added: “If all of Klal Yisrael will have proper kavanah during these words, then Hakadosh Baruch will do what needs to be done.”

HaRav Hirsch began his speech by saying, “There’s a very difficult situation today. We are in a war—an actual war. This is a very difficult matter for the bochurim, and they must understand that we’re at war. In a time of war, sometimes things are hard, and one must sacrifice. Circumstances won’t be exactly as usual during a war. I don’t mean the war with Iran; I mean the war between us and those among us who are fighting a battle against us.

“The only way to win this war is through HaKadosh Baruch Hu. There’s no other way — only through Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And there’s a klal: the Gemara in Shabbos says that Hashem says, ‘If I see that they want Me, then I want them. If they don’t want Me, I don’t want them.’ This is ‘mida kneged mida’, as the Gemara says.

“What we need now is that Hakadosh Baruch Hu should desire us. We have no way out of this situation we’re in right now unless we merit special Siyata Dishmaya from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And in order to merit special Siyata Dishmaya, Hashem must see a special desire in us, that we want to be close to Him. If He recognizes that we want to be close to Him, then He’ll draw close to us. And if He draws close to us, then He’ll do what needs to be done.”

“Without Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we have no eitzah, and only if He draws close to us. And this is through each and every individual. The bochurim must understand that this is not like every other time when one can be lenient. Today, tefillah must be tefillah — tefillah with all one’s koach. I saw in HaRav Wolbe’s sefer, in the name of the Kuzari, that every tefillah brings you close to Hashem, you connect to Him. And this connection must remain with the person until the next tefillah. Tefillah is closeness to Hashem, a bond with Hashem — and it must remain until the next tefillah.

“Bochurim should try to make a change in their tefillos, to daven with kavanh. And then it’s permitted  to have kavanah in the words: ‘’וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה, וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶגַע תֹּאבֵד, וְכָל אוֹיְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכַּרֵתוּ, וְהַזֵּדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ’. If one has kavanah on these words — if all of Klal Yisrael has kavanah — then Hashem will do what needs to be done.”

“The bochurim must understand that we’re not in simple times. It is a different time. One cannot think and behave as usual. We are amid a war against us.”

“What did they think they were doing? That there would be no Limmud Torah? Why did they refuse to pass the law. The law demands that 50% of the Chareidi public will go to the army. It wouldn’t have happened, but according to the law, it would have. What did they want? They wanted 100% in the army. Why? It’s not for the army’s needs. It is explicit — explicit — explicit: they want to destroy the Olam HaTorah. Explicitly — to destroy the Olam Torah.

“And when one thinks about this — that there are people in Eretz Yisrael who want to destroy the Olam HaTorah — it brings one to tears. It’s a terrible thing. And we must fight. And the way to fight — there is a physical way — but we have our way, the way of the mouth: to speak to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, to be mechazeik in Limmud Torah, to be mechazeik in mitzvos, to be mechazeik not to speak lashon hara, to be mechazeik in tefillah — tefillah to the fullest — and be mechazeik b’chol devar, doing what HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants.

“To fulfill ‘In all your ways know Him, and He will straighten your paths.’ In all your ways know Him — in everything we do, to think: Does Hashem want me to do this or not? To live like that. To live with Hashem. And through this, Hashem will be close to us. And if Hashem is close to us — that is the solution. Through this, Hakadosh Baruch will bestow Siyata Dishmaya on us, and we will win this entire war.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)