then sharpen up your knives, line up the animals, and get your bag of stones ready. Get real, take a chill pill and if you think you are the great prophet you make yourself out to be, go out to the streets, make yourself known so we can all be enlightened? I have seen other's like you come and go and sadly there will be many more nut's to come. Obviously that mikvah water cooked your egg.

the 'ultra-othodox/strictly orthodox/haredi' rabonim, then you will find unity and peace in the holy land. It is really telling when isrealis are willing to do a witch hunt on Rav Ovadia (moran), who has been one of the most helpful and compassionate of rabbonim in israel to the observant and non-observant alike. You don't have to agree with him but certainly such 'pent-up' rage as dispalyed here and in the other article is uncalled for in a jewish state.

comments. Maybe because he is a proper holy man.

I can also be found on the streets helping people, saving lives, putting out fires, catching criminals, and what have you. Where does your chicken come from? A place with sharpened knives or does the chicken do it by itself? Youre simply removed from reality - soft one. Just because you claim it doesn't exist and that you chicken comes cooked in a kentucky fried chicken bucket, doesn't reprove the reality of the situation. The chicken lived, ate, breathed and payed the ultimate price. So yes lets sharpen our knives and give them to the Kohen. He can prepare a steak that we all can enjoy while we sit together acknowleging G-d in a way different than typical secular acknowledgement - The "Why me G-d?" fashion after years of denying him. The stones are the job of the court and the police as well as the cooperation of society for helping to catch crooks. Lets do their job removing the evil from our midst and put them in houses of stone and metal. Too ancient for you? I am not opposed to the death penalty either. It is a modern concept as well as an ancient one. ...and yes I want a straight reading of Torah to be the guiding path. Lastly, you have never seen anyone like me. Mikvah cooking my egg - funny, but the point you make is still a pathetic rebelion against G-d, - not me. I didn't write Torah. Careful who you target.

Stupid, ignorant old man. Thank g-d Ben gurion had the wisdom to seperate religion from state!

They threw another juicy bone for those who drool like dogs. Only in Israel, only in this "advanced and enlightened" secular zionistic culture can such disrespect be paid to one of today's greatest Talmudic scholars and poskim. Never in our history have we seen such brutal expressions of hatred toward our spiritual leaders by our own people. Has Ynet ever reported on a chidush (original Torah incite) of the Rabbi? How come they edit out all their video footage and only release a snip of the most controversial statement he made? Doesn't anyone have the intellegence to understand the agenda here? Or maybe most people do see the contrived witch-hunts against the Rabbis, but they feel very comfortable about it, as it assuages their guilt for not keeping mitzvot and it serve as a convenient tool to release onself from the ohl of Torah, from the obligations that formed us into a Nation. To understand the modern birth of this phenomenon watch this most important video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1459280916999356707&q=Zionism+and+Herzl&total=28&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Pardon my ignorance but, is it customary to bow and kiss the hand of any rabbi? I thought that was a custom of the catholics re: the pope. have we ( pardon the pun) 'stooped so low?' If we swallow every word of a rabbi instead of the Torah, we're in deep trouble.

that Rabbi Yosef be appointed as Chief of Staff before the next war breaks out. He could march at the head of four or five battalions of Haredim armed only with The Three T's. Tanaach, Talit and Tephillin. No rifles, no tanks, no fighter planes, no hi tech. He would invoke such fear in our enemies that they would surely do as is written in the Tanaach. "On one path your enemies will approach you, but on seven paths shall they be dispersed". Maybe we should try it once and see if it succeeds.

In your dreams the pope would not say such stupid things. He too in the very recent past has had to retract comments

If you knew Jewish History,you would know that we have never fought the way you suggest. And our brave men were religious,its been 3000 or 4000 years,depending if you see since Avraham or since Moshe. Actually it is a shame to yourself to talk about the Tanach in such a way. It shows your own stupidity about the matter,not to speak in slandering our Sacred book. But don't worry,you will pay somehow for it,unless you repent,and now it is a good opportunity by Yom Kippur.Profite! And a last add: I see the Education in Israel has been bad from long ago,since you said you are in your 60ths!

I wasn't aware that Linda might be a christian missionary. I haven't seen any comments of hers indicate this, but I might not have read what you have. Do you have any evidence to support your claim? I have no problem with her being a Christian supporting Israel. I do have a problem with her if she's found to be a missionary.

"...Anyone manipulating religion for his own benefit..." The Religion Zionist party does not manipulate the public consciousness.

3000 / 4000 years ? Neither Avraham nor Moshe commanded armies. The folks who left Aram Nahariam with Avraham were neither Jews nor Israelites and knew nothing about warfare, and they did not wear black coats and funny fur hats.The Canaanites who dwelled in Egypt for an estimated 400 years and who left Egypt under the Egyptian Prince Moshe, only became "israelites" during the forty years of desert wandering and they also did not wear black coats and funny hats. They HAD to fight their way through the desert in order to survive and to reach "The promised Land". That is what the Haredim should be doing today, fighting, not praying. Would you like some more history lessons ?. Just ask anytime. Do you think that Moshe said to the survivors after battle with Amalek, "you survived because you prayed". I think he said, "well done boys,we owe our life to you and more so to the fallen". Wake up Keren, 5.56mm, 20mm and 150mm plus human resilience and sacrifice, that's what wins wars and ensures survival, not the Haredim praying for those who go into battle.

May friend, you are mistaken, and rather arrogant too. Both Avraham and Moshe led armies. Avraham led a war against the 5 Kings who kidnapped his nephew Lot. Moshe, as you mentioned, led the Jews in battle against the Amelikites. And yes, he relied on Heaven. The Torah relates that when Moshe lifted his hands towards heaven (i.e. when we look towards heaven for salvation), the tide of the war was in our favor and when he lowered his arms, the tide turned against us. Sagi, I agree with you that Haredim should not be excused from military service if they live in the land. Most of our Torah heroes fought for our Nation including Avraham, Moshe, Joshua, David, the Macabees. But keep in mind, they fought and lived according to the strict guidance of the Torah, and fought to establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth to create an abode for our Creator. They did not fight to create a fatihless secular Zionistic community of democratic anti-religious hypocrates who rule a society trying to influence it to be anything but G-dly.

You are optimistic , do you think that she knows what 5.56 , 20 and 150 mm means ? , but she talks about warfare and soldiers .

its so hard to see whats going on and stay quiet. first off everyone who wrote back nasty judgemental comments has no chance at surviving as a part of the nation of israel unless they change fast. our rabi Yoseph is absolutely brilliant and even at the old age that he is at he is fully in control of himself (unless most of us). he only sleeps about 3 hours of every 24! he studies torah all the time and helps hundreds of thousands of people. the fact that nobody thought twice about who you are dealing with shows the nearsightedness of everyone here. i am shocked to see how everyone knows exactly what he said and what he meant and believes ynets testimony on rabbi yosef over his close students. doesnt that seem strange to anyone? when was the last time that ynet was bias against the rabbis? is this a first? how can you people be so simplistic in judgement and not look past the headlines when you spew insults at one of our greatest men in modern times? have any of you ever had a conversation with him? seen him? can any of you claim to be 1/10 in control of yourself as he is? 1/100 as moral and righteous? please stop the baseless hatred and insults to our leaders and our religion.

Does it really make a difference if Rabbi Ovadiah didn't intend to include the victims of Lebanon II in his hurtful remarks? Explanations as to the intents of the Rabbi from his sycophants do not mitigate the pain and shame of the parents, widows and children of the soldiers

The 6000 brave who fell for Israel's independance were mostly seculars if not anti religious . They did not give their life for Israel to become an charidistan . They gave their life for a democratic state for the Jews , not to be ruled by some rabbis who can only insult the Memory of all Israel's fallen soldiers

According to your vision of a state, you'd have Jew kill Jew without any hesitation. As long as you're given the order, its all good by you. I can't even come up with a prefix for that ---stan of a state. You can refer back to our discussion wherein you imply so in the clearest terms: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3435555,00.html I doubt that those souls that perished shared a vision with you. And Charles, how about those MILLIONS in our history that perished to retain their faith in Torah rather then assimilate, convert, or abandon our G-d? Would you so dishonor their memory as to forget them completely? Without them, your mother wouldn't have been able to bear you and call you a Jew. And then you certaintly wouldn't even have that minimum to claim a right to Eretz Israel.

Nonesense!!! Rabbi Yosef is trying to back track from what he said. Facts don't lie. When you examine the content of his remarks , you can;t help but notice that he is referring to the present. He uses "don't" . Had he really been referring to the past, biblical times, he would have used "didn't"... So according to Rabbi Yosef, this army should be made up of only orthodox\yeshiva boys that observe all the mitzvot, etc etc and the IDF will never suffer any casualties!!! What a brilliant idea Rabbi...

Believe in our mission, our place in the mankind, in our land Israel, in our History, in our tradition, in our rituals, in our fate. Do believe in what to be jewish means. Do put tefilin as often you can, when you feel the desire, when you are in distress, just to feel being a member of this people, the jewish people. Do believe in our common fate. Don't give up. Get the strength to fight our enemies for the values we are believing in, for the values we are fighting for. Do believe in what our parents, grand-parents, grand-grand-parents died for. If you have not this strength, this faith, you, we, will not survive, as jews or even as human being.

Thank you for your "blessing". If it should happen to even one of them, I have ten, I would be extremely sad.

just stopped dressing like Sargeant Pepper.

he'd be better off at a black jack table in vegas. The hand kissing thing is really sick. Kiss this I would say, and then I would turn around.

I follow the real Torah.

" Do put tefilin as often you can" Read the Neveem. They speak of a magical device bound near the armpit and that the Kohen Gadol lied to the Jews for personal gain. (seems politicians never change) By the way this counterdicts Rabbis claims that Torah was not corrupted by the leaders through the generations and that the San Hedrin were wise men. According to the Neveem, this device, as well as the head piece (could be a the same as a kippah) allowed good- jews to suffer. "To trap their souls". I really dont think thise device nor the incantation is what Torah meant. In addition, ther are referneces to binding the entire Exodus in the same fashiojn. I dont see a box near the arm pit for that. To go further the Torah says "al yade cha". On the hands not the arm nor near the armpit. At the same time the Kohen gadol was misleading the Jews, the prophet saw the 70 men of temple (San Hedrin is a safe assumption) doing magic, and soceresses getting the Jews to use tephillin like obejects in the same manner as they are used today. They were warned to stop or we would loose temple. Well, we lost the temple, so they didn't stop and likely took it with them into disporah - where a sinning Jew belongs according to the curses and rules of Torah. That being said, are you sure what your recommending is Torah or just another chet addition to Torah as part of Rabbinical magic. I and many other believe Torah calls for binding the words delivered and binding the exodus on the hands and between the eyes as a symbolism and that the box given by our leaders is a magic device for their own power. We agree that it is saying do Torah and see Torah and is not a device oreinted thing. Just as the golden calf was a device oriented thing. G-d doesnt like places and objects as items that can be worshipped and of power - only he is to be worshipped. Hezkel 13:17 (Ezekiel 13:17 "..in order to trap souls" I would argue as to the question why this is what Rabbis promote rather than a campain for Shabbat obeservance. Shabbat is much much more important than booths with boxes to bind near the armpit. How about stopping people at the mall to get them to promise to observer shabbat? Cleary Shabbat observane shoud be a higher priority for rabbis, but it isnt. Why? Regardles, your good intentions are noted.

"The rabbi's words caused fury and drew harsh criticism from bereaved parents of soldiers who died in the last war. " I am a citizen and a reserve soldier and his words caused fury also to me. His words caused me shame and pity for the stupid guys who think he can serve as a rolemodel and a spiritual guide. He is just a poor old man who knows tons about the Torah but nothing of its message. I hope this old and senile son of a ###ch passes away as soon as possible. I prefere him rotten and buried rather than speaking about citizens who fullfill their duties and contribute to the wellbeing of the nation.