Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein has revealed a ruling he personally received from his father-in-law, Maran Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l, concerning the obligation to participate in Israeli elections, recounting how the late posek had addressed the question of an avreich whose rebbi had instructed him not to vote.

Speaking during his weekly shiur, Rav Zilberstein described an encounter that took place many years ago, when an avreich approached him seeking guidance following the petirah of his rebbi, Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul zt”l, the renowned rosh yeshiva and author of the Ohr Letzion.

The avreich explained that he had been a close talmid of Rav Abba Shaul, who had opposed participation in elections and instructed him to refrain from voting. Following his rebbi’s petirah, the avreich was uncertain whether he remained bound by that instruction or should follow the guidance of other Gedolei Yisroel regarding electoral participation.

Rav Zilberstein said that he first investigated the matter and established that the avreich was indeed a genuine, close talmid of Rav Abba Shaul. Recognizing the significance of the question, he accompanied the avreich to Rav Elyashiv to obtain a definitive ruling.

According to Rav Zilberstein, Rav Elyashiv responded unequivocally that the circumstances facing the Torah community had changed and that even Rav Abba Shaul would have recognized the obligation to vote under such conditions.

“Certainly, if Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul were alive today and saw the kind of war being waged against the Torah and those who study it, and understood what is at stake in this fateful battle, he too would rule that voting is obligatory,” Rav Elyashiv said, according to Rav Zilberstein’s account.

Rav Zilberstein shared the incident as the chareidi community confronts renewed controversy over the military draft of yeshiva bochurim and the future of Torah institutions, with the Knesset elections approaching.

He emphasized that Rav Elyashiv had viewed electoral participation as an important means of preserving the political strength of representatives working to defend the Torah community.

According to Rav Zilberstein, his father-in-law had warned that abstaining from elections could weaken those representatives and strengthen political forces whose policies threaten the interests of the yeshiva world.

Rav Zilberstein stressed that the question of voting must be understood in the context of the broader struggle over the continued ability of yeshiva bochurim and avreichim to devote themselves to Torah learning.

He concluded his remarks by emphasizing the importance of following the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel regarding elections, particularly at a time when the legal status of yeshiva bochurim and the future of the Torah world remain central issues in the national debate.

{Matzav.com}