President Shimon Peres paid Israel’s Chief Rabbis, and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a holiday visit, exchanging words of Torah with them.

Though not an observant Jew, Peres has a long-standing custom of visiting the Chief Rabbis twice a year, on the Passover and Sukkot holidays.  He has a particularly long-standing relationship and friendship with Rabbi Yosef, whom he described after his visit in glowing terms: “He is truly a phenomenon. I was very happy to see him in much better health; he is overflowing with blessing and knowledge and Torah.” 

Asked by an Army Radio interviewer, “Who wins in the age category between the two of you?” Peres responded with a twinkle, “Age is always the loser.”  Peres was born in 1923, and Rabbi Yosef in 1920.

Peres said he had discussed words of Torah with Rabbi Yosef, “and this time, it was mainly myself who did the talking.” Asked what he had said, Peres answered that he quoted his friend Jacques Attali:

“Jacques Attali is a true genius, a former advisor to ex-French President Mitterrand, and a man who writes a best-selling book in France every year. His last book was ‘My Love for the Hebrew Dictionary;’ he is an expert on Hebrew, the Bible, and the Talmud. He asks how it can be that the Haggadah for Passover [a long ritual text describing the story of the Exodus and other Passover-related concepts, read aloud and discussed at Passover seders [meals] throughout the world] does not mention Moses at all, even though he was the one who led the People of Israel out of Egypt?

"Attali's answer is that the Haggadah is not just a history book, but is rather a guidebook, [a book of our] destiny.  Everyone must see himself, every day, as if he himself left Egypt [the Haggadah says]; the Jewish People’s path leads towards freedom. What happened in the past, and exactly how it happened, is not [as] important; the important thing is what will be in the future.”

Peres said that Rabbi Yosef greatly appreciated his words.  The two also discussed Gilad Shalit and matters of regional importance.

Afterwards, accompanied by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, President Peres visited the Rishon Letzion, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, as well as Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger. 

After his visit with Rabbi Metzger, Peres was asked by reporters about Iran, and said, “Sooner or later, the world will discover that Iran has colonialist ambitions to take over the entire Middle East. The collision between the Sunni-Arab Middle East and an Iranian minority that wishes to rule is inevitable.”

President Peres thanked the rabbis for “providing an atmosphere of optimism and faith for the nation. In the end, it is the spirit that will be victorious.”