The Knesset plenum on Wednesday approved the Basic Law: Limmud Torah, in a preliminary reading, with 56 lawmakers voting in favor and 42 opposed.

The legislation formally recognizes Limmud Torah as a fundamental value of the State of Israel.

Under the proposal, Limmud Torah would be enshrined as a foundational national value, and Lomdei Torah would be recognized as making a significant contribution to the state, including with respect to the benefits and rights they receive.

Because the measure is a Basic Law, it will require the support of 61 MKs in its second and third readings.

UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler said, “The Basic Law: Limmud Torah that passed in the Knesset aroused violent opposition from the antisemites, enemies of the Torah and its students. In contrast, most of the elected representatives of the Jewish people stood up and supported it out of love for the Torah and its students.

“This is not just another bureaucratic law, but a law that expresses the cry of the entire Jewish people from one end of the world to the other. This is a law that demands an end to the cruel persecution against Lomdei Torah in the Holy Land. It is intended to restore the honor of Bnei Torah who were trampled in the Holy Land, under the boots of the dictatorial jurists who seized power.”

UTJ MK Meir Porush said: “The Jewish people do not need legislation to recognize that Limmud Torah study is a foundational value of the Jewish nation.”

“Unfortunately, due to the malicious conduct of the legal system and the systematic persecution of Torah scholars in recent years, we were forced to address this through the Basic Law: Limmud Torah.”

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri called the bill’s approval “a historic step toward recognizing the supreme value of the holy Torah and the tremendous contribution of Lomdei Torah to Am Yisrael.”

“The Torah is the secret of our existence, and it is what has preserved the Jewish people throughout the generations,” Deri said. “Shas will continue working resolutely until the legislation is completed and Torah and its scholars receive the honor they deserve.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)