Rosh Yeshiva: “Everyone Celebrated the Salvation — But There Was Punishment in the War”
In a rare and piercing address, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch calls on Torah scholars to reflect not only on the miracles of the Iran attack — but on the fear, guilt, and obligation that came with them
As much of the Jewish world gave thanks for the miraculous outcome of the Iranian missile attack, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, one of the leading figures in the Lithuanian yeshiva world, delivered a powerful and sobering address: there was not only salvation — there was punishment.
“There were two elements,” Rabbi Hirsch said. “There was a blow and there was a rescue. We must express gratitude for the salvation — but when it comes to the punishment, there is no exemption until we engage in teshuvah.”
According to the Rosh Yeshiva of Slobodka Yeshiva, while Israel was spared physical devastation, the fear and anxiety felt across the country were a divinely ordained punishment in their own right.
“People went to sleep afraid. They couldn’t find peace of mind. That was the punishment,” he explained. “Hashem could have performed the same miracle without the fear. But He didn’t. That fear was from Him — and it carried a message.”
Drawing on halachic parallels, Rabbi Hirsch compared the fear to lashes imposed by a Jewish court, which require not only physical endurance but also repentance, confession, remorse, and future commitment.
The Sin? “Bittul Torah — Neglect of Torah Study”
“What was the sin that brought this punishment? Without a doubt, it was bittul Torah,” the rabbi said firmly. “Neglecting Torah study is what caused that fear to come upon us.”
In response, Rabbi Hirsch issued a sweeping call to yeshiva students across the country: to take on an ironclad commitment to intense Torah learning as both gratitude for salvation and repentance for failure.
The Commitment: “Ten Hours a Day — Mandatory!”
“From now until the end of the zman — five weeks — every single bochur must learn at least ten hours a day,” he declared. “Not as a suggestion — this is a binding obligation! Like we do during Elul. And if ten is truly impossible, then nine. But the lechatchila, the ideal, is ten hours — and the more, the better.”
For Fridays and Shabbat, the minimum commitment he called for was eight hours of learning centered on Gemara.
Rabbi Hirsch concluded with a message of hope:
“If we do this, Hashem will forgive the sin. He will see that we truly want to be His children. And He will draw close to us — bringing blessings, success, and Siyata d’Shmaya.”