Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who is visiting Europe, went to the grave of Rabbi Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Lapid prayed at the site together with the leaders of the local Jewish community and the Foreign Minister of Slovakia.
Lapid said that "contrary to the misinterpretation of his famous saying 'chadash assur min haTorah' [that which is new is forbidden by the Torah], the Chatam Sofer studied mathematics, history and astronomy. He was a great rabbi who encouraged his students to study science alongside Torah study - because he believed that Torah, education and work are things that go together."
"He once said, and this is a beautiful saying, that 'the land of the Land of Israel is holier than the heavens outside of Israel.' In order to work on the land of the Land of Israel, one must learn and know and know the world - the Chatam Sofer was a person who knew the world, and the world knew him and his wisdom," the foreign minister added.