Maran Rav Dov Landau, rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, has issued his first public response to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s controversial remarks about the chareidi community, describing statements questioning the legitimacy of chareidi life in Eretz Yisroel as a deliberate and public chillul Hashem.

The remarks were delivered Wednesday evening during a meeting with rabbonim from Rechasim, who visited Rav Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch to seek their guidance and bracha ahead of the upcoming elections.

Rav Landau addressed both the importance of voting and the growing political attacks against the Torah community, invoking the longstanding instructions of the Chazon Ish regarding participation in Israeli elections.

“The Chazon Ish zt”l instructed unequivocally that there is an obligation to vote in government elections,” Rav Landau said. “The Chazon Ish’s instruction has not changed. On the contrary, today the obligation to vote is doubled and redoubled, because, rachmana litzlan, the Torah itself is being left vulnerable to attack, and those who study Torah are being treated as prey. Hashem should protect us.”

The rosh yeshiva then turned to the recent statements made by Smotrich, who had sharply criticized the chareidi community and Rav Landau himself during campaign appearances earlier in the week.

“People who are called observant Jews come along and publicly declare that, chas v’shalom, there is no justification for being chareidi in Eretz Yisroel,” Rav Landau said. “This is a deliberate chillul Hashem committed publicly.”

He added that the comments did not require a personal response, but that the broader attack on the honor of Torah demanded action.

“There is no need to answer him. But there is an obligation to act against this terrible chillul Hashem,” Rav Landau said.

In his remarks, Rav Landau identified voting for United Torah Judaism, represented by the Hebrew letter Gimmel, as a public declaration of the centrality of Torah learning.

“When we vote Gimmel, we proclaim loudly, ‘We have nothing left except this Torah.’ Only Torah! And only Torah! The Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world except the four amos of halacha. Only Torah! And only Torah!”

Rav Landau went on to emphasize that participation in the election must be treated as a serious personal obligation, even when voting involves inconvenience, expense, or disruption to one’s regular schedule.

“It is forbidden to evade voting,” he said. “Even someone who is occupied with various matters must make an effort beyond his usual capabilities to vote Gimmel, even if doing so involves what appears to be a loss.”

He stressed that the number of people voting in each community carries significance beyond the immediate election results, describing the turnout as a measure of public commitment to kavod Shomayim and the preservation of Torah life.

“In every place, the number of those counted among those who sanctify Hashem’s Name has tremendous significance, both for the present and for future generations,” Rav Landau said.

He further instructed that voters should cast their ballots specifically in their own communities rather than seeking alternative arrangements to avoid traveling home.

“Therefore, everyone is obligated to vote specifically in his place of residence. There is no exemption because of a long journey, and one should not look for all kinds of other solutions. In all of this, one must always be stringent.”

The rosh yeshiva’s statements followed two campaign appearances in which Smotrich sharply criticized the chareidi community, accusing it of failing to appreciate the significance of Jewish sovereignty in Eretz Yisroel.

During an interview conducted by Arutz Sheva, Smotrich was asked why he had declined to publicly respond to criticism directed at him by Rav Landau.

The finance minister initially explained his reluctance by referring to the obligation to show respect for talmidei chachomim.

“Let no one think, G-d forbid, that my silence means agreement, because ‘be careful of their burning coals,'” Smotrich said, invoking the warning of Chazal concerning disrespect toward Torah scholars.

“If I thought responding would accomplish something, I would respond. I do not respond to a Torah scholar,” he continued.

However, Smotrich then made a personal remark about Rav Landau that drew outrage in chareidi circles.

“By the way, it pains me, and I pray to the Holy One, blessed be He, that He bring him back in repentance as well, but there is no need to respond,” Smotrich said.

In additional comments, the finance minister accused the chareidi community of failing to recognize what he views as the religious significance of the State of Israel.

“The chareidim are ungrateful to the Holy One, blessed be He. They are completely blind. I do not understand how anyone can be chareidi today,” Smotrich declared.

The comments provoked an angry reaction among chareidi political figures and members of the Torah community, particularly because they were directed in part at one of the generation’s leading roshei yeshiva.

Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, has repeatedly clashed with chareidi political leaders over the military draft, the role of the state, and the status of full-time Torah learning.

{Matzav.com}