Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef ends tenure with harsh words for High Court

According to Ynet, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef used his final official lesson as Israel's chief rabbi to address the controversy surrounding his recent statements about the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) draft bill. "I have been criticized," Yosef stated. "Who criticized me? Secular judges who do not possess knowledge of a single page of Talmud."

Yosef, who is concluding his term tomorrow after nearly 11 years in office, added: "What do they know? They're no match for our rabbis, I do not need to fear them, do not be afraid of anyone. We do our part, what we can, we haven't succeeded in everything."

This is the second time Yosef has referred to the High Court's ruling in recent days. Late last week, the rabbi said in an interview with "HaDerech" newspaper: "The sons of the Torah are the reason for Israel's existence, that's what kept us alive through the generations. But they don't understand that, they're victims of their own making who don't understand what saved the people of Israel. Without the Torah, we have no right to exist, and certainly no right to the land of Israel."