Rabbi David Lau
Rabbi David LauDavid Cohen/Flash90

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau implicitly responded today (Monday) to the statements his Sephardi counterpart Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef made that haredim should consider leaving the country if they are drafted as other Israeli citizens are into the IDF or national service.

During the funeral of Captain Daniel Perez, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and whose body has been held by the terrorist organization ever since, Rabbi Lau said, "We have a wonderful generation, a generation of soldiers, a generation of dedicated people, a generation of those who stand up and do everything to protect the people, to protect the Torah and protect the land."

Later in his speech, he referred to what Rabbi Yosef said: "There is no contradiction between these three. They are three that stem from one place. The people of Israel, the Torah of Israel, the Land of Israel."

A week ago, Rabbi Yosef said in relation to the draft law, “There are Yeshiva students who go to reserves. Not everyone merits to learn Torah. Everyone merits to be a student, and Torah students are exempt from army service under any circumstances, no matter what. If they force us to go to the army, we will all leave Israel. We will buy tickets and leave. There can be no such thing.”

“All the secular community understands this, and they need to understand that without Torah, without study halls, without yeshivas, there will be no existence and no success for the army. The soldiers succeed in the merit of those studying Torah. Everyone needs to say this with pride - we are studying Torah, and it is the Torah that protects us.”