Whispered Comment Exposes Lawyers’ Agenda

These days, the world has its eyes on Iran. Is the ceasefire holding? Is Iran accepting Trump’s dictates, or is it playing a deceptive game? Will Trump impose a blockade on the Straits of Hormuz and free the world from Iranian extortion? These are the questions on everyone’s minds, but for us, here in Israel, there is a different issue that holds our attention: the ongoing siege on the Torah world. And that term is not mere hyperbole. The olam haTorah is truly under siege and will apparently remain in that position unless and until a new draft law is passed.

According to MK Boaz Bismut, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, we are close to reaching that goal. Bismut claims that progress toward the law is being made in leaps and bounds, that the committee will finish its discussions before the Knesset returns for its summer assembly on Monday, 23 Iyar/May 11, and that the bill will be brought before the Knesset for an immediate vote when it convenes again. We can only hope that he is correct. Until that time, however, tens of thousands of yeshiva bochurim remain hounded by the authorities, with the specter of arrest looming over them as Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara continues demanding even tougher sanctions and more arrests.

In this column, I would have liked to write about Pesach in Eretz Yisroel. I would have preferred to write about the usual heavily attended Birkas Kohanim at the Kosel (which didn’t take place this time, due to the war) and about the bein hazemanim yeshiva programs and shiurim that were held around the country. Unfortunately, however, I must turn my attention to a different, far less pleasant topic — the judges on Israel’s Supreme Court.

This week, the Supreme Court convened to hear petitions calling for the government to be held in contempt of court for its failure to advance the draft of chareidim, to enforce the laws against draft evasion, and to employ economic sanctions for that purpose. The petitioners, a long list of anti-religious figures and organizations, decided to lodge a complaint against the government, which they accused of failing to abide by the judges’ previous rulings calling for increased sanctions against chareidim. During the court session, many vicious and disingenuous comments were made that were painful to hear, especially in an official institution of a supposedly Jewish state. When the representatives of the police and the IDF explained that it is difficult for them to arrest thousands of bnei yeshivos (or “draft dodgers,” as they put it), the petitioners and the judges were furious. I was astounded when the petitioners began recommending sanctions that no one has ever suggested before, such as barring young men classified as draft evaders from entering yeshivos altogether or stripping kollel yungeleit of their property tax discounts. It was utterly appalling.

What caught the public’s attention most of all, however, was a comment that was made during a recess and that was never meant to be heard. Unbeknownst to the lawyers, the microphones attached to their lapels were still operational, and everyone heard a quiet exchange that exposed their true agenda. It began when one of the petitioners gloated to a colleague about the arguments he had made, which he felt were certain to win the case. “What I said just now will put an end to the story,” he declared confidently, certain that he had successfully crushed the case in favor of the bnei yeshivos.

And then his colleague replied, “We will dismantle the Torah world.”

With that, the truth was out. The petitioners aren’t really concerned about the IDF’s manpower shortage or about the supposed discrimination in favor of chareidim. (After all, no one is really bothered by the fact that Arabs are not called up to serve in the army.) On the contrary, their agenda is to “dismantle the Torah world.” They are waging a campaign to destroy the yeshivos in the guise of a fight for social justice. May Hashem protect us!

The outraged reactions from the chareidi sector were not long in coming. The Shas party quickly released a statement: “The cat is out of the bag! This isn’t about the army’s needs or about reserve service. It is simply about the declared goal of dismantling the Torah world. Left-wing organizations that despise Judaism have banded together with judges who are detached from society and drunk on power, with the goal of harming the Jewish people’s spiritual source of strength during wartime: the study of the holy Torah. This is a shame and a disgrace.”

Degel HaTorah added, “This is what we meant last week [at the Seder] when we declared, ‘This is what stood for our forefathers and for us…. In every generation, they rise up against us to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands.’ History has shown time and again that everyone who tried to harm the Torah world vanished into the dust of history, while we continue surviving and thriving. This is how it has always been, and it will be their fate as well.”

Hatred in the Court

The court session took place on Sunday and ran for several hours. This session was chaired by Noam Sohlberg, a yarmulke-wearing judge who holds the title of deputy chief justice of the Supreme Court and has already issued a strict ruling against chareidim in the past. The hearing ended with the judges announcing that their verdict would be issued at a later date.

A bit of background is in order. In November 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that in the wake of its own ruling overturning the draft exemption for yeshiva bochurim, the government was required to act with all due haste to formulate an effective enforcement policy targeting draft evaders from the chareidi sector, which would include significant criminal measures as well as supplementary sanctions in the civil and economic realms. The Supreme Court ordered the government to come up with said policy within 45 days. “The authorities’ conduct thus far has been very close to complete neglect of enforcing the requirement of the draft regarding the chareidi sector,” the judges wrote. “This neglect is a violation of the duty of the appropriate authorities to enforce the laws of the state.” Nevertheless, the government did not draw up a plan to enforce the draft, nor was a new draft law passed by the Knesset. The Movement for Quality Government reacted by filing a petition asking for the government to be held in contempt of court; the government responded that it was in the process of advancing a new draft law, and it would not be correct to take other steps at the same time. The government later added that it would not advance the issue further during a war. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sided with the petitioners, in a terrible breach of propriety, and added her own suggestions for sanctions, which she claimed she had already proposed to the government.

During the court session, Ayelet Hashachar Saidoff of the organization Mothers at the Front, the woman who previously admitted that she had deceitfully engineered rifts in chareidi society and had hung fake notices in chareidi cities, addressed the court. “The court is dragging its feet,” she said, “and we, the mothers of soldiers serving in the army, have had enough. After 914 days of combat, we have had enough of the army’s excuses. When you tell the state that it will take another month or another two weeks, you are saying that our children, who are being injured, do not have the right to lead normal lives in Israel. Where in the world does such a thing exist, where one mother is condemned to a life of anxiety while another mother is granted a good life, with a Shabbos table and grandchildren? Equality is not a political matter. You, too, are guilty of contempt for the soldiers.”

Saidoff’s exploitation of the plight of injured soldiers earned her a round of applause in the courtroom. Meanwhile, Eliad Shraga, the lawyer who heads the Movement for Quality Government and who has a long history of filing petitions against the chareidi community, said to Judge Sohlberg, “The ministers will not do anything to promote the draft of chareidim. They must face personal expenses and arrest orders to motivate them to do so. Three years ago, the head of the Manpower Directorate and others stood here and promised that they would draft thousands of chareidim but look at the figures now. I told you that they were lying to you; I warned you,” Shraga insisted.

“The numbers are indeed very severe,” Sohlberg replied.

When the court adjourned for a recess and the judges stood up from their seats, Shraga let out a stream of curses directed at the representatives of the government and the army. He also interrupted a representative of the attorney general during the hearing, while she was presenting a series of statistics about the draft, and shouted at her, “You are lying!” Turning to the judges, he added, “And you are buying it!”

One of the two lawyers who were heard whispering about dismantling the Torah world was Chagai Kalai, who represented the organization known as Yisroel Chofshit. He declared during the court session, “I am asking the court to order the IDF and the police to carry out enforcement operations against chareidi draft evaders. Those operations are not taking place at all.”

Justice Yael Wilner replied, “But we already gave that order in a previous ruling. Are you telling us to repeat instructions that we have already given? Why would anything change?”

The attorney general’s representatives were likewise hostile to the chareidim. “It is necessary for concrete orders to be issued with instructions for every government minister about what to do,” they insisted. “In a different world, it might have been possible to settle for a court ruling with general instructions and to expect that every government ministry, every minister, and every official in the government or every professional would carry out the ruling. But that is not happening, and the ruling is not being implemented. Therefore, without specific orders instructing every minister and every professional about what is expected of them, nothing will be done.”

The Chareidim’s Sole Defender: Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs

The only individual who attempted to defend the chareidi community in court was Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs, who endured stern rebukes from the judges. Justice Sohlberg chided him, “We called for economic sanctions, but we are talking to a wall.” Justice Grosskopf said to Fuchs, “You agreed that it is no longer possible to exempt yeshiva students from the army since the previous law was overturned. Does the government plan to do nothing until a new law is passed?”

Fuchs tried to defend the government, claiming that certain measures were already in place, such as the cancellation of subsidized day care for children of kollel yungeleit. “Beyond that, the government is not aware of any other measures that will encourage more chareidim to enlist in the IDF and that do not require new legislation,” he said.

“A ministerial team was appointed to examine the issue. Was that the team’s conclusion — that there is no other measure to use?” Grosskopf asked.

“Correct,” Fuchs replied. “We can use only the tools that we possess. The ministers have examined the issue in their ministries, and nothing was found that the professional echelon believes will encourage enlistment. The government’s legal advisors did not make any such statements either. They are merely throwing sanctions in the air. Should we also bring the riot police to Bnei Brak and assume that it will lead to more enlistment in the IDF?”

At that point, Justice Sohlberg said, “There is a ruling, and it must be implemented. We are being asked to issue a contempt of court order because the government isn’t implementing it.”

“We are not aware of any solution that will encourage enlistment,” Fuchs said. “We have no tools for that, and we will not do things that are pointless.”

Justice Sohlberg then turned to the police representative and said, “Reading the data, one has the impression that this is a complete failure on the part of the police. What steps are you taking?”

The police official replied, “We asked the army to collaborate with us.”

Justice Barak-Erez asked, “What is the problem with keeping a draft evader who has been arrested in custody for an extra half hour?” This was in response to the police’s habit of releasing bochurim who are apprehended for other offenses, rather than detaining them until the military police arrive to take them into custody.

“We do not have the manpower for that,” the police official said.

“Not even for half an hour? Never?” the judge pressed.

The police official responded, “Every time someone is detained in that fashion, it means keeping a police car on the scene. There are some cities in the country with only a single police car. That means that I will not have the manpower to deal with a case of domestic violence, for example.”

Justices Wilner and Barak-Erez also wondered aloud about the fact that information on the planned arrests of chareidi draft evaders tends to reach masses of protestors even before the operations take place. “Is there a police officer leaking this information?” Barak-Erez asked. “The information is not released on its own.”

Wilner added, “How do the crowds assemble? This doesn’t happen spontaneously.”

The police official responded, “I have faith in the Israeli police that they do not leak information and cause disturbances of the public order.”

Justice David Mintz said, “The police have given up their power to the street and to the masses. Their fear of the mob makes enforcement impossible.”

The police representative disagreed. “That is not true; there is no fear,” she said.

In her response to the Supreme Court, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara listed a series of potential sanctions against lomdei Torah that had been proposed by various government ministries following research on the subject. The government responded that they would not advance the chareidi draft or any enforcement measures or sanctions during a war. The cabinet secretary added during the court session that the coalition has announced its intention to advance the bill that will regulate the draft exemption for tens of thousands of chareidim. He noted that Boaz Bismut, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, explained that the intent is to pass a “bundle of laws” that will include lengthening the service period of ordinary soldiers, the aforementioned draft law that will exempt thousands of chareidim from military service, and a law concerning reserve duty whose content is presently unknown and that is on the desk of Defense Minister Katz.

Supreme Court Meets on Shabbos to Give Green Light to Liberal Protests

It is impossible to expect anything positive from the justices of the Supreme Court, even those who wear yarmulkes. On the contrary, we must expect the worst from them. And if anyone had even a shadow of a doubt about this fact, those doubts were removed completely on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Pesach, when the Supreme Court justices decided to convene on Shabbos to hear a petition filed by the organizers of anti-war protests in Yerushalayim, Tel Aviv, and other areas.

The petitioners had filed a complaint against the police and the Home Front Command for imposing limits on the number of protestors permitted at a demonstration, and the court, upon deciding to hear the case on Shabbos, asked for the government, the army, and the police to respond to the complaint, thus causing mass chillul Shabbos. Despite the dangers of the war and the professional opinion of the Home Front Command that it is too perilous to hold large gatherings, the judges decided that the people’s right to protest takes priority over their safety, and they raised the permitted number of participants to 600. The government gave in immediately, accepting the court’s orders, but the religious community was outraged. Not only did the judges desecrate the Shabbos, but they also exercised a blatant double standard. Why should large demonstrations be permitted when the Kosel was closed to the public throughout the war? Is the right to daven any less important than the right to demonstrate?

This incident led to widespread shock and outrage. Rav Dovid Yosef, Sefardic chief rabbi of Israel, slammed the judges for their conduct. “They are behaving lawlessly and trampling on the mesorah of the Jewish people,” he said. “This was an illegal act in the state of the Jews: These judges sat together on Shabbos and blatantly violated the law, as well as forcing the government to respond to them, also in violation of the law. This is the unilateral approach of judges who have become enemies of Judaism. There isn’t a single religious Jew today who has any faith in the impudent gang in the Supreme Court. They are lawless people who step on our holy Torah. We will fight with all our strength for the identity of this state, and in the end, Judaism will triumph,” he declared.

The chief rabbi’s brother and predecessor in his position, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, announced at his weekly shiur, “They are heretics and wicked people; may Hashem destroy them.” Upon hearing this, his audience responded, “Amen.” Rav Yitzchok later clarified, “When I said that Hashem will destroy the judges, I wasn’t calling for violence, chas v’shalom. Hashem will give them the punishment they deserve.” Rav Yitzchok also pointed out the hypocrisy of permitting 600 people at a demonstration in Tel Aviv, while the number of mispallelim at the Kosel was capped at 50.

Chareidi politicians likewise condemned the court. I will quote only MK Meir Porush, who declared, “There is no limit to the detachment of the judges of the Supreme Court from every trace of Jewish heritage. After persecuting Torah learners and issuing rulings time and again that are opposed to the Torah of the Jewish people, they have now trampled on the Shabbos. Perhaps they could be judges in the judicial system in England, but in Eretz Yisroel, the judges should have at least a Jewish spark.”

A Foolish Response from the Chief Justice

Yitzchok Amit, chief justice of the Supreme Court, picked up on the outrage directed at the Supreme Court and made an effort to defend the judges. “No employee other than the judges worked on Shabbos,” he insisted, and then went on to pin the blame on others. “Despite requests from the panel of justices, the Home Front Command and the police refused to relay their responses on Friday and insisted instead that their positions would be relayed on Shabbos after they examined the sites of the demonstrations. Under those circumstances, for lack of an alternative, the Home Front Command’s updated position was relayed to the Supreme Court only on Shabbos.”

But why did that justify holding the court session on Shabbos? The judge’s bizarre explanation was that it was a matter of pikuach nefesh. “It was clear that this was an issue of pikuach nefesh concerning the safety of the protestors and police officers, and the court was therefore obligated to issue its response during Shabbos,” Amit wrote.

This explanation, of course, is absurd. What made this a case of pikuach nefesh? Had the court session been postponed until after Shabbos, there would have been no protests in the interim, and no one’s life would have been endangered. Moreover, the police and the Home Front Command insisted that the judge lied about their responses, which were actually delivered before Shabbos. To quote an official statement from the police force, “After examining the response from the judicial branch, let us set the record straight. Contrary to what has been claimed, the Israel Police presented its position to the Supreme Court before Shabbos began. Moreover, contrary to what was claimed, only the Home Front Command was asked to submit a proposed format to permit the protests to be held. Finally, but of no less importance, we must emphasize that hundreds of police officers were mobilized to implement the Supreme Court’s decision, despite the risk to their lives, and were forced to violate the Shabbos as well.”

A complaint against the Supreme Court judges was filed with the Ombudsman of the Judiciary. It will be very interesting to see how he responds.

In any event, this makes it very easy to understand why we have no faith in the judges on Israel’s secular courts. And I haven’t even mentioned another outrageous court ruling, in which the judges decided to cut kollel stipends by 25 percent, in response to a petition claiming that the approval for the stipends in the Finance Committee was not obtained in the proper fashion.

Hearings in Netanyahu’s Trial Canceled Over Security Concerns

In the midst of all the turbulence unfolding in this country, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s criminal trial is still underway. At first, Netanyahu reportedly asked the prosecution and the judges to postpone the remainder of the trial due to the security situation, but his request was denied. Beginning this week, he was supposed to attend court sessions for four days a week, as bizarre and unreasonable as that may sound. However, at the beginning of this week, a last-minute turnaround occurred, and at the prime minister’s request, the judges of the District Court in Yerushalayim agreed to cancel three days of testimony this week based on “classified state security considerations.” Netanyahu has also requested the cancellation of his testimony next week, and the court has yet to issue its decision; however, Israel will observe Yom Hazikaron (the memorial day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror) and Yom Haatzma’ut (the country’s independence day) next week in any event, and the court will not be in session on those days, which are vacation days for the entire country.

The judges announced, “At Mr. Netanyahu’s request, in light of the information contained in his request and the documents submitted for our consideration, and in light of the state’s position, we accept the request and order the cancellation of Mr. Netanyahu’s testimony on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week. Regarding next week, Advocate Chadad will submit a detailed update on Thursday as to whether there has been any change that makes it possible to hear testimony. The defense will make sure to bring alternative witnesses on the aforementioned dates.” The prosecution did not object to this ruling.

Netanyahu’s lawyers announced, “Due to classified security and political considerations, which are naturally connected to the dramatic events that have recently taken place in the State of Israel and throughout the Middle East, the prime minister will not be able to deliver testimony at least over the coming two weeks. We have provided explanations to the prosecution and the judges, but the public has not been exposed to them. A sealed envelope containing classified information was delivered by special messenger today to the prosecution and was relayed to the secretary of the honorable court on Sunday morning, to be reviewed by the judges alone.”

Netanyahu’s testimony has reached its final stretch; the prosecution estimates that they will complete their cross-examination in about 11 more days. This will be followed by some brief additional questioning from Netanyahu’s attorneys, at which point Netanyahu will conclude his testimony in the court.

Record Number of Knesset Members to Attend Parade in New York

The Knesset is scheduled to send its largest delegation in history to participate in the annual Israel Day parade in Manhattan, which is scheduled for the end of May. This year, the delegation will include 16 MKs from both the coalition and the opposition and will be headed by Knesset speaker Amir Ochana and Knesset director-general Moshe “Chico” Edri. The delegation is expected to include a total of 36 individuals from the Knesset (employees and lawmakers alike), in addition to the government ministers who are likely to attend. The decision to send this large delegation was made by the Knesset speaker as a response to the mayor of New York, who has gone on record making sharp statements against Israel, and who rescinded the ban on boycotts of Israel. Ochana also feels that it will send a message of encouragement and solidarity to the Jewish community of New York.

The Knesset, as a whole, is convinced that this is the right move to make. “If there is any year when a delegation like this must be sent, it is the first year of Mamdani’s administration and a year of war. It is time to support New York’s Jews against Mamdani and to show that we are not afraid,” a Knesset spokesman said. A statement from Ochana’s office added, “After the election of Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York, and in light of his many extreme statements regarding the intifada and against the State of Israel, as well as his appointments of people with antisemitic backgrounds, the Knesset speaker has decided that the largest delegation ever to be sent by the Knesset will head to New York this year.” The members of the Knesset will be flown to New York for a long weekend and will be hosted in VIP conditions, which they tend to enjoy. The Knesset will pay for the travel expenses and accommodations of eight members of the Knesset, while the other eight will be sponsored by the Jewish Agency.

Another Drowning in Bein Hazemanim

Amid the fragile ceasefire with Iran, after so many days punctuated by fear, air raid sirens, and thunderous explosions, we all hoped that the days after Pesach would bring a measure of calm and quiet. Parents throughout the country were certainly at their wits’ end after having their children home from school for such a long period of time. At long last, as Pesach drew to a close, that long-awaited reprieve seemed to have arrived, and yeshiva bochurim began cautiously taking trips on the few vacation days remaining to them (while trying to avoid contact with the military police). However, as we know, bein hazemanim has always been a time that is particularly susceptible to misfortune. Rav Gershon Edelstein always used to warn against allowing Torah learning to ebb during these vacation times, which would erode the spiritual protection that the Torah affords to us. Unfortunately, this bein hazemanim has also brought a couple of incidents in which yeshiva bochurim tragically drowned.

On Friday, two brothers from the Spiegel family (whose mother is a member of the Miletzky family) drowned at the beach in Netanya. One of the brothers was retrieved from the water in critical condition, while the other is still missing. On Sunday, a bochur from Bnei Brak named Yehoshua Re’em sadly perished in a drowning accident at the Ein Ekev spring in the Negev.

Meanwhile, Arab terrorists are continuing their efforts to kill Jews. This week, a terrorist was apprehended after throwing a rock at a Jewish youth and nearly killing him, and another terrorist was captured on his way to commit a terror attack. The latter terrorist’s suicide note was discovered in his car. Our enemies simply do not rest. The country has also been given no rest from cyberattacks; this week, the Iranians celebrated after they successfully hacked into the database of former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Another major story that deserves some attention is the discovery of more Israeli citizens who appear to have been spying for Iran. It is truly shocking to discover that many people were prepared to do anything requested of them by their Iranian contacts in exchange for monetary gain. Perhaps some of them did not really know whom they were working for, and some of them might have thought that the situation was a joke, but, at least according to the criminal indictments, a number of these suspects were well aware of the implications of their actions. In fact, some of the suspects were soldiers in the IDF who divulged military secrets to the Iranians. Sadly, the recent group of suspects even includes two chareidim.

There is more for me to report to you after this period of bein hazemanim and the Yom Tov of Pesach, but I am already out of space; perhaps I will leave those stories for next week. Bli neder, I will write at greater length about the closure of the Kosel, which illustrates the foolishness, wickedness, and audacity of certain government officials and led to vast disappointment on the part of tens of thousands of people who should have been permitted to daven there despite the war.

The Media’s Prattle

On the subject of the war with Iran, it is astounding to listen to the country’s vaunted news commentators and the senior figures in the defense establishment spouting utter nonsense in news studios. Their predictions have been proven wrong time and again, their contentions shattered in the face of reality, yet they continue appearing for news interviews and writing articles that showcase their lack of knowledge, as if they hadn’t been proven wrong many times already. Some politicians (such as Lapid) also manage to take every opportunity to contradict their own past comments, blithely making inconsistent statements to the public and carrying on as if they are certain that no one would notice.

The story of the American navigator who was rescued in Iran after his plane was downed is one example of the media’s penchant for ignorant prattle. The entire world waited tensely for news of the missing airman’s fate, and many people were stunned by the success of the American rescue operation. However, for our purposes, what really matters is the way it was reported in Israel. Yisrael Hayom minimized Israel’s involvement in the operation, reporting that “Israel helped from afar but did not send soldiers to participate.” In the same newspaper, I read the following: “Contrary to various reports that have emerged, the Israeli defense establishment reports that the rescue operation was conducted by American forces, without the involvement of Israeli forces either in the air or on the ground. It is reasonable to assume that Israel helped the Americans by providing intelligence and suspending its attacks in the area to avoid interfering with the American search and rescue efforts.” But then I read a very different version of the story in Globes: “According to the reports, Israel was involved in the rescue operation as well. According to Fox News, Israel provided relevant intelligence information, collaborated with the American intelligence agencies, and even suspended its planned bombings in the area. An Israeli source also told Iran International that two Israeli units, Matkal and Shaldag, were involved in the operation.” This report, which indicates that Israel had substantial involvement in the rescue operation, suggests precisely the opposite of the narrative that appeared in Yisrael Hayom. And then Netanyahu announced in a speech to the nation, “President Trump has thanked me for the assistance provided by Israel for the rescue of the American navigator.”

Another example is the question of whether Hezbollah and Lebanon are included in the ceasefire with Iran. The Israeli media busied itself explaining at length to the public that it was a terrible failure on Israel’s part to allow Trump to include Lebanon in the agreement, but that criticism was swiftly set aside when the White House spokeswoman set the record straight, announcing that President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu had agreed all along that the ceasefire did not involve Lebanon at all.

The Annual Brocha on Trees

There are only a few days remaining to recite birkas ha’ilanos. On the surface, this mitzvah seems to be completely straightforward, requiring nothing more than looking at a tree and reciting a brief yet meaningful brocha in which we praise Hashem for His creations. Nevertheless, there is much more to the topic than meets the eye. For instance, some may be surprised to learn that it is technically possible to recite the brocha at any time during the year. The Sefardim also have an interesting custom of reciting various praises before and after the brocha, including a passage from the Zohar. There are also many halachos concerning this ostensibly short and simple brocha. Thanks to a certain talmid chochom, a descendant of both Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro and Rav Sraya Deblitzky, who benefits the public by releasing summaries of various halachos for public consumption, I can share some of the details of the mitzvah with you.

Some versions of the brocha replace the word tovim with tovos, the feminine form of the adjective. It is noteworthy that the brocha is recited specifically upon seeing the fruits of a tree. And there are many other interesting details: There is no obligation for a person to find a tree in order to recite the brocha; the brocha can be recited at any time during the year; it may be recited only once every year; there is a dispute among the poskim as to whether one must see two trees in order to recite the brocha (although Rav Moshe Shmuel and Rav Deblitzky both recited it on a single tree); there is also some discussion among the poskim as to whether it may be recited on a tree of orlah; and it is preferable for one person to recite the brocha aloud and to be motzi others as well (which was Rav Deblitzky’s practice in his minyan).

There is also much discussion in halachic literature as to whether the brocha may be recited on Shabbos. Rav Elyashiv and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach both ruled that one may recite the brocha on Shabbos, and Rav Chaim Palagi permitted it as well, adding that there is no need for concern that one might pick a flower or fruit from the tree in the process. The Aderes actually made a point of reciting the brocha on Shabbos to complete the required hundred brachos of the day, and Rav Sraya Deblitzky habitually recited the brocha on Rosh Chodesh Nissan even if it fell on Shabbos. This psak was echoed by Rav Ovadiah Yosef as well. On the other hand, some poskim ruled that one should avoid reciting it on Shabbos, including the Kaf Hachaim (who expressed concern that a person might move a tree or its flowers or detach something from the tree) and Rav Benzion Abba Shaul. The author also quotes the Chida, who exhorts a person reciting the brocha to focus intently on it, since it serves as a tikkun for the souls that have been reincarnated in trees and plants, and to daven for those neshamos. In fact, I once heard that this is another reason to avoid reciting the brocha on Shabbos, since it is considered a form of mesakein (a corrective or constructive act). Rav Yaakov Sinai, a grandson of Rav Ovadiah Yosef, recently remarked that some prohibit reciting it on Shabbos due to the prohibition of borer (see Kaf Hachaim 266:4 and Ben Ish Chai on the Haggadah).

Finally, the author of this kuntres adds an illuminating anecdote: “Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was once observed reciting birkas ha’ilanos at a specific courtyard in the neighborhood of Shaare Chesed. Someone approached him and pointed out that there was another courtyard on a different street with two flowering fruit trees rather than one, and questioned Rav Shlomo Zalman about why he hadn’t chosen to recite the brocha there due to the halachic advantage. Rav Shlomo Zalman replied, ‘I am aware of the fact that it is considered preferable to recite the brocha on a pair of trees rather than one, but the widowed woman who lives in this apartment waits throughout the year for me to come here and recite the brocha on her tree. Bringing joy to an almonah is surely much more important than observing a single halachic detail that isn’t strictly required….’”