Yeshiva Head Rebukes Students After Theft Incident: Fiery Speech Goes Viral
After a student was caught stealing from the kitchen, Rabbi Yehuda Cohen delivered a searing address condemning the act as a spiritual abomination — warning of reincarnation, public shame, and divine judgment.
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A highly unusual incident took place this past week at the Be'er HaTalmud Yeshiva (a traditional Jewish religious seminary), when the Rosh Yeshiva (dean), Rabbi Yehuda Cohen, gave a fierce moral rebuke after discovering that a student had stolen items from the yeshiva kitchen. The speech, which emphasized the seriousness of even minor theft, sparked significant reactions both inside and outside the yeshiva. JFEED publishes the full translated transcript.
Rabbi Cohen—head of both the Yakirei Yerushalayim ("Beloved of Jerusalem") and Be'er HaTalmud Yeshivas, and considered a senior figure among Sephardic Torah leaders—began his talk with deep emotion:
"I am sorry to speak of such matters after all the Torah discussions we’ve had, but as the saying goes, 'necessity is not to be condemned.' I believe the public already knows what this is about. I say it now so there will be no complaints or excuses later. Woe to us on the Day of Judgment, woe to us on the Day of Rebuke. What will a man answer on the Day of Judgment?"
He continued:
"No one can exonerate himself and say, 'It wasn't me,' because the abominable act that occurred in the yeshiva last night—if the despicable one who did it wasn’t counting on his friends to protect him, would he have done it?"
"You could have prevented it," he told the students with visible pain. "But you didn’t. Forgive me for saying this, but otherwise, in Heaven they will hold me accountable. Woe to a society that raises such snakes and scorpions. A person may pass away and go through all the torments of the grave and judgment, but if he has one stolen coin in his possession—he must return in reincarnation (a belief in the soul returning to earth to rectify sins). I am the owner of this yeshiva. I built it with my sweat and blood."
Rabbi Cohen added:
"And a student comes to the yeshiva, and suddenly he’s the owner, doing whatever he wants. I see these things—I won’t even tell you all of what I see. Personally, whenever I take anything from the yeshiva, I pay for it. If I need to drink half a cup of water, I only fill the boiler for that amount. Because instead of the electricity running for 12 seconds, it’ll run for only eight."
He reprimanded the students further:
"All Jews are responsible for one another. They will be judged, each one. Why didn’t you protest? You saw what happened. The Mashgiach (spiritual supervisor at the yeshiva) worked all day tirelessly, yet couldn’t catch the thieves. I have a high-ranking friend in the police—I called him. I’m telling you, this could cause a huge desecration of God's name. The boy who did this—his name will become known. He won’t be able to marry a religious girl. Maybe a demon (a play on words suggesting a monstrous being). That will be the disgrace of the whole yeshiva when the police arrive at Be'er HaTalmud to look for thieves."
"I am ashamed of this," the rabbi admitted, "but necessity knows no shame. This is the one sin that remains. Jealousy, lust, and the pursuit of honor drive a man out of the world (a famous rabbinic saying). These are people of lust. They’re driven out—not just from this world, but from the next. They have no forgiveness, no pardon, no atonement."
He went on:
"And I tell you—if the culprit is not found, we’ll have no choice. I’ll gather the entire yeshiva, we’ll recite Psalms and penitential prayers, we’ll open the ark (where Torah scrolls are kept), and mention the name of this man, asking God to take vengeance on our behalf. Forgive me, but I would rather raise animals than raise such creatures capable of doing these acts. These are haters of God, haters of Torah, desecrators of God’s name—who have no atonement forever. And anyone who knows about it and hides the truth—his fate is like the thief’s."
In conclusion, Rabbi Cohen declared:
"In any case, I inform you: the police are expected to come, this will make headlines, this is a desecration and a disgrace and so much more. I’d rather close this place down and turn it into a chicken coop than raise such students. 'An arrogant heart is an abomination to God.' And this is an abomination. Such abominations must be removed. A student like that—his Torah is an abomination! It’s not Torah. Thank you."