News Brief20:20 PM

(IsraelNN.com) "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of a hollow government, a strong one shall grow," said Rabbi Yakov Shapira Sunday, in a paraphrase on a verse from Isaiah 55. Shapira, the head of Mercaz HaRav Kook yeshiva, spoke to journalists following the massacre at the yeshiva.

"At this time we need to realize the potential power that is hidden in this entire nation, enlarge the Torah and make it great, [and] maintain proper and true educational systems for the general public, until the ministry which is in charge of education touches the deep roots of these powers," the rabbi said.

"If there is no Torah, there is no moral fiber and the physical strength is also lacking," the yeshiva head added. "All day long we are on the defensive vis-à-vis our neighbors. The nation expects and yearns for a systemic change in thinking and this is the time."