SLOVAKIA (VINnews) — On Monday, during a trip to Europe, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited the kever of the Chasam Sofer in Slovakia.
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Mr. Lapid recited Tehillim at the burial site of Rav Moshe Sofer, the legendary Rabbi of Pressburg, and one of the most renowned Poskim in the past three hundred years.
The visit was part of a diplomatic trip to countries that border Ukraine. He was joined by the leaders of the local Jewish community and his counterpart, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister.
Mr. Lapid spoke at the Kever, and his message appeared to allude to a political message involving the Charedi community.
He said, “contrary to the misinterpretation of his famous quote ‘chadash assur min haTorah’ [that which is new is forbidden by the Torah], the Chasam 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 ‘Eretz Yisrael is holier than the Shamayim in Chutz Laaretz.’ In order to work on the land of Eretz Yisrael, one must learn and know [about] the world – the Chasam Sofer was a person who knew the world, and the world knew him and his wisdom.”
Mr lapid, I truly appreciate your work in the knesset but please, leave the Musser to the yeshivas, which you Ironically don’t support, both literally and politically. Also, if the holy Chasam Soifer did indeed learn Torah alongside secular subjects, well then , it’s about time you enforced mandatory Torah learning in all secular schools. Even the Arab ones bc, why not
So now I should listen to a Kofer what he has to say I hear.
Did he also put tefillin?
Ok, Lapid isn’t so great, but there are secular zionist kofrim who would never have gone to the kever, say tehilim or recognize the gadlus of Torah personality. Mitoch shlo l’shma, ba l’shma.
It should be noted that Rav Sofer z”l and the Ba’al haTanya z”l did not learn in universities, by means of texts and teachers full of what the Ba’al haBen Ish Chai z”l called “heretical philosophy.” Instead, they learned themselves from texts, or from G-d fearing friends and relatives.
This heretic doesn’t mention their Zionist army requirement for Chareidim in Israel.
He also likely doesn’t know that there are many successful chareidim in the USA and elsewhere who did not learn the secular studies to which he refers yet who are B”H quite successful in their business endeavors.