On Motzaei Shabbos, a special gathering was held at the Hayazdim shul in Yerushalayim, where crowds assembled to welcome the Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchak Yosef, at a traditional reception in his honor.
The event drew numerous prominent figures, including city rabbonim, dayanim, roshei yeshiva, and members of the Chief Rabbinate Council, all eager to hear the Rishon LeTzion’s weekly shiur.
During his Torah address, Rav Yosef spoke about the anticipated return of the hostages and publicly praised US President Donald Trump for his decisive role in bringing about their release. He declared, “We are privileged to hear of the hostages returning home. The price is indeed high, but thank G-d they are coming back – thanks to a kingdom of kindness, America, and the Righteous Among the Nations, the US President.”
Rav Yosef also discussed the halachic aspects surrounding this momentous event, explaining that the returning hostages would have special reason to recite the Shehecheyanu blessing multiple times over Sukkos. “There are three Shehecheyanu brachos here,” he explained. “They will bless for the sukkah, for the daled minim, and for their parents: Shehecheyanu for seeing them again after two years. It will be a sanctification of God’s name.”
The Rishon LeTzion further instructed that every shul across Eretz Yisroel should sing Nishmas Kol Chai on Simchas Torah as an expression of hoda’ah and joy “for the miracle that they have been released to good lives and peace.”
Turning emotional, Rav Yosef addressed the painful loss of those hostages who were murdered and whose bodies are to be returned as part of the agreement. “Those killed for being Jews will sit in the first row of Gan Eden because they were killed while they were Jews,” he said somberly.
Concluding his remarks, Rav Yosef shared a poignant revelation about the halachic challenges that arose during the war. He disclosed that senior defense officials had visited his home to seek psak halachah on determining death in cases of missing hostages, so that their wives could be freed from the status of agunos. “A great effort was made so that not a single woman remained an agunah,” he stressed.
{Matzav.com Israel}
