A rgentina’s president, Javier Milei, paid a visit to the Chevron Yeshivah in Yerushalayim on Monday as part of his ongoing state trip to Israel. The visit drew significant attention, reflecting his well-known interest in Yiddishkeit and his strong identification with Toras Yisrael.
Milei arrived in Israel this week for a series of diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening ties between Argentina and Israel, including meetings with senior Israeli leaders and participation in national events. His trip has been marked by visible expressions of affinity for Jewish tradition and support for Israel.
His decision to visit the Chevron Yeshivah, one of the most prominent centers of the Torah world, and to address its talmidim about the importance of Torah study was widely seen as a gesture showing his admiration for the spiritual foundations of klal Yisrael.
I spoke to the rosh yeshivah of Chevron Yeshivah, Rav Yosef Chevroni, about the visit.

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, visited the yeshivah today. Was it a special visit for you?
It was a tremendously important visit. I think this was an example of the pasuk “U’shmartem vaasisem, ki hi chochmas’chem u’vinas’chem l’einei haamim asher yishme’un eis kol hachukim ha’eileh v’amru rak am chacham v’navon hagoy hagadol hazeh—And you will guard and you will do [the mitzvos], because it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations, who will hear all these laws and say, ‘This great nation is surely a wise and understanding people.’”
To see a world leader, the president of a very important country in South America, Argentina, understanding that when he comes to Eretz Yisrael, he wants to see what Eretz Yisrael and am Yisrael mean—he isn’t going first to universities or anything like that; he wanted to see the olam haTorah.
We are now in a situation in Eretz Yisrael about which the Gemara (Nedarim 32a) says, “Mipnei mah ne’enash Avraham Avinu v’nishtabdu banav l’Mitzrayim masayim v’eser shanim? Mipnei she’asah angarya b’talmidei chachamim—Why was Avraham Avinu punished and his children enslaved in Mitzrayim for 210 years? Because Avraham drafted the talmidei chachamim [when he went to war against the four kings to rescue Lot].” Israel is trying to take talmidei chachamim out of the yeshivos. I don’t want to be mekatreg, chas v’shalom, but when there’s such a tremendous bizayon…
Every yeshivah bachur in Eretz Yisrael is an outlaw just because he’s learning Torah. It is unfortunate that someone from outside, someone who isn’t Jewish, comes and declares—and he spoke very well and for a long time—telling the yeshivah bachurim, “You should know that you are the source of the light of the world and of all the good things that we have… Everything good comes from the Torah and from what you represent. You yeshivah bachurim are the light of the world.” That the people of Israel should have to hear this from a foreign president is heartbreaking.

I heard from Jewish people who know Milei very well that he learns parshas hashavua every week.
I’m aware. His mentor and rav is the Argentinian ambassador to Israel, and he’s a real talmid chacham. He’s a big talmid of Rav Moshe Shapira. He has a tremendous influence on the president. When someone like this comes and speaks about the importance of Torah for the world, it’s a kiddush Hashem.
The president of Argentina, Mr. Javier Milei, doesn’t stop speaking about am Yisrael, Toras Yisrael and the tremendous influence the Torah has on all of mankind. The inspiration he has in everything he does is all because of Toras Yisrael.

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