Secular soldiers die because they serve whilst most of the religious freaks don't. Rav Ovadia, you are an spectacular fool!

Jews died in wars while Israel was following Torah? How many died in the Holocaust who observed Torah and mitzvot but unfortunately listened to their observant rabbis and stayed to be murdered? This man and men like him are doing irreparable harm to Jews and are responsible from keeping JEWS away from their G-d. Shame on him.

Ovadia's comments are wordy of Amahdinejad and all the other muslim terrorists statements. With a ' FRIEND " like him, the IDF does not need additional foes.

they are only afraid to be placed in a military prison by their commanding officers

And I will go one step further and say that if the IDF soldiers were keeping the Mitzvot, there would have been no war in the first place.

Why even report about it? It only creates animosity. Is reporting going to change it? Real shame.

and was refering to the fundamentalist Jews who don't serve in the army.

That's why he's getting his frum butt on a plane and making aliya, then going to Lishkat Hagiyus to sign up and serve as an orthodox example! Right Richard? Because if Richard had made aliya and shown us all his great midot, the war wouldn't have broken out in the first place. Oh, but Richard is sitting at his keyboard in NY and not making aliya, so it looks like he'll be the cause of the next war. With logic like his, who needs rabbis?

in the last war secular? Did none of them observe Shabat? or pray every day? What a load of nonsense from a senile old man. Shame that he makes the headlines with this rubbish...

Just blurting out any old opinion? Really, I have never understood how this man is supposed to be one of the greats.

as they have ugly hearts and mouths

Spewing drivel, this pompous Shas spiritual leader does incite responses by normal Israeli citizens. Adjectives hurled at him (so far): He is an idiot Ayatollah josef All ego "sans" (without) brains Mischievious Ignorant Insulting Stupid (my own) same as "sans" brains ? " fearful soldiers should return home during times of war or danger". AND, let all Shas followers pick-up M16's and save Israel.

National religious Jews are Torah mitzvah observing Jews too. stop referring haredim as The only mitzvah observant Jews! call Them what they are: Haredim

Everybody are rolling their eyes out as if it is the first time Ovadia is talking nonsense. I don't remember one single time when the rabbi surprised me with saying something smart. He is always saying bullshit like that one. What's new about this? There is only one thing that should surprise people and this is how this person is considered gdol haposkim of our days.

if you understand the full context of what they are saying. Which I think is hard from a ynet article:-). The torah clearly teaches that if you choose to obey G-d's commandments, you've chosen life. There are, of course, very few perfectly observant people (if any). I'd imagine that he was peaking to an audience who believes these things and he was giving them advise to become more observant, especially if they serve in the ID, that if they're observant, then they need not fear in battle - related to the torah portion of the week. He simply re-iterated a basic and well-known torah principle to an audience of 'believers'. I would go one big step further than #36 and say that if every jew in the holy land and especially the leadership, from the first immigrants, was torah observant, there would never have been an 'arab'-isreali war IMHO. Furthermore, if a person is disregarding of such a basic torah principle, then in what way are they more deserving of the land of yisroel (mentioned in the torah) than the indigenous arab population?

The facts are that many frum Orthodox soliders who also study in Hesder yeshivas serve in the army, and sadly also get killed. This nonsense argument was used by the crazy Haredi rabbis ineurope, and they thought their opposition to zionism or their staying put in their evil yeshivot would protect them fromt he Nazis - so this is proof that their yeshivot were not mitzva observant..

why should I make Aliya? I don't feel any love coming from the tone of your voice. And if people aren't going to keep the Mitzvot in Eretz Israel, that is more dangerous than living in New York.

on this ghastly person's comments in hebrew ynet. Why did this ynet leave this out....

Roi Klein - a fine religious young man - gave up his life to save his soldiers. Rabbi Yosef - you should be ashamed of yourself for saying what you said!!

Why are we surprised by this? Shas and Labor had secret and underhanded financial arrangement in early 1990s that enabled crazy uncle Shimon to bring arafat and his hell back to Israel via Oslo. Shas also joined the Kadima government led by that snake Olmert despite the fact that the coalitionagreements are in direct violation of Torah law. Shas and its leadership are surely corrupt as the secular left in this country. But alas they are not alone - UTJ sold out Gush Katif by joining Sharon's failing coalition for bribe money in 2005. Shas seems to be interested in power and money, and they dress it up in yeshiva and social welfare. Sounds quite similar to Hamas or Hizbullah. Granted Shas does not murder innocent civilians with terror weapons - but our sages teach us that it is worse to lead someone to sin that to kill them. This so-called rabbi is poison to young Jewish souls, 1000s of them, that are told he is a role model and tzaddik. This comment along with other public remarks that Shas has been forced to "clean up" after, are just astonishing. The Torah inaccuracy of this remark is only exceeded by the stupidity of ignoring the negative consequences. Maybe Ovadia Yosef needs to get that stupid arab blue tint out of his eyeglasses, get on his knees, rip his shirt, and beg Hashem and the Jewish people forgiveness for his horrible complicity with oslo and more. It is corrupted and sick rabbinical leaders like this that cause not just soldiers to die, but an entire nation to experience a repeat Shoah, only now here in the Land. How every one religious person takes this snob seriously, or would listen to his rulings, is beyond my imagination. Rambam said to learn wisdom from wherever it comes - certainly the reverse is that we should reject stupidity from wherever it comes too. The word Rabbi and this man just have no connection.

Ovadiah Yosef is a halachic giant and a theological ignoramus. His primitive "God" is not worthy of worship and "Modern Orthodox Jews" , while retaining their allegiance to a life of Mitzvot, should, at the same time, if they respect Rabbi Josef's theology, rethink the meaning of God and Torah in our time.

with the Rabbi. G-d is with those who observe mitzvahs.

If you do not observe G-d's commandments, how do you want Hashem will be on your side?!

What a horrible thing for Rav Ovadia to say. Many, many religious soldiers gave their lives to protect us as did many so-called non-religious. What about Roee Klein who jumped on a grenade in order to save his soldiers? All of our soldiers are tzadikim, whether they keep Shabat and Kashrut, or not.

Don't religious Jews die of sickness, car accidents, or even hiking in the desert? What is Rav Ovadia's answer to that?

This man is sick in his mind. Without all the non-religious soldiers who died in the founding and defense of Israel he would have been killed by the enemy. People like him are the reason I stopped being religious.

The rabbi should try a scientific experiment. Since I'm sure he thinks he is a holy man who fulfills all the mitzvot, during the next war, he should take a stroll into a combat zone.