Harav Sternbuch Speaks on Terror Attack,  Decries Attempts to Liberalize Conversions

By Hamodia Staff

Harav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita, Raavad of the Eidah Hachareidis, referred to the terror attacks last week at the entrance to Yerushalayim and Tzomet Ramot, in which a yeshivah student from the Har Nof neighborhood was killed, and dozens of people were injured, two of whom later died of their wounds.

“This morning there was a very serious attack in Yerushalayim. One person was killed and several others are in critical condition. Everything is from Shamayim, and this is surely a call to us from the Alm-ghty to wake up — nachpesa darkeinu v’nachkora,” said Rav Sternbuch at a shiur klali in his yeshivah in Beit Shemesh.

“I recall that the Brisker Rav used to say that the real battlefront is among the sarim in Shamayim; the situation here depends on the victory above over the sarim of the nations, and if we say Tehillim we win the war above, and the yeshua descends to this world.

“…We are in a very difficult situation and the only thing that can save us is strengthening study of the Torah. In the parashah it states, ‘The voice is the voice of Yaakov and the hands are the hands of Esav,’ which the Sages interpreted, ‘As long as the voice of Yaakov is heard in the batei medrash, the hands are not the hands of Esav; and if not — the hands are the hands of Esav.’ Now, at such a time, we must strengthen the kol Yaakov in the batei knesset and batei medrash, and through this, the hands of Esav will be powerless.”

Later in his shiur, Rav Sternbuch referred to the Likud’s demand for liberalization of conversions to Judaism.

“Amid all of these tzaros, the wicked are seeking to permit fake conversions without a sincere acceptance of the yoke of mitzvos. Who knows what else will happen? They are angering HaKadosh Baruch Hu within His holy Heichal, because the holy Shechinah is here and they are fighting Hashem in the midst of the Shechinah, and we must protest against them and not give up in the war against them.

“Each one of us should make a cheshbon to see what he can add to strengthen Torah study, and through this we will merit the yeshua.”

This request came soon after Rav Sternbuch issued a letter to residents of Har Nof requesting that they add to their Torah study “so that this should be an additional shemirah for the whole neighborhood.” In light of the terror attack and the loss of a yeshivah bachur from Har Nof, many throughout the neighborhood have remarked on the prescience of Rav Sternbuch’s request.