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Rav Chanan Porat:

An Eretz Yisrael Torah Scholar

Rabbi Shlomo

ecause of the great humility of Gesher seminars he brought together After retiring from politics, he was Aviner
my beloved friend Rav Chanan religious and so-called “secular” one of the founders of Herzog College,
Porat zt”l, because of his simple Jews; though in truth, no Jew is truly teaching there, at Yeshivat Beit Orot,
Bclothing and his lack of airs, secular, for every Jew has a holy soul. Machon Meir and many other yeshivot.
many did not realize that a true Torah These three passions of Rav Chanan That is when it became clear to all that
scholar stood before them, one of the are not really separate matters. Rav he was truly a great and profound
most brilliant students who flourished Chanan liked to talk about a discussion Torah scholar. He also humbly edited
at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav. And they he and his friends once had at Merkaz a Torah newsletter, ר ֹוא ָה ן ִמ ט ַע ְמ, “A
certainly didn’t realize that was HaRav. “What is more important – the Little of the Light” [later published as
ordained as a rabbi! Rav Chanan did Torah, the people or the land?” They a popular set of books on the weekly
not desire to make the Torah “a spade turned to Rav Tzvi Yehudah with this parasha], a work that contains much
with which to dig”, but rather made question, who replied with a smile: light – though it is not a blinding light,
himself into a spade to dig into the “We are concerned with shleimut, with but rather a gentle and illuminating
depths of Israel’s soul. All who knew wholeness.” This was Rav Chanan’s light.
him cannot but admit that this noble guiding principle, that everything is What did Rav Chanan not do? He had
Jew lived what he preached. one. And so even as he was very busy a regular radio show on Galei Yisrael
This brave paratrooper was chosen with his public activities, Rav Chanan Radio, and was one of the founders
by Divine Providence to be among did not stop studying and teaching and heads of the Orot HaChessed
the fighters of the Six-Day War and Torah. In particular, he illuminated association that provides food and
the liberators of Jerusalem, for he paths for those in search of faith; electrical products and clothes to the
understood that the inner holiness of his book ׁש ֵּ ק ַב ְמ י ִכֹנ ָא י ַח ַא, “In Search of underprivileged.
the nation is the supreme guarantee my Brothers”, clarifies the deepest He was the epitome of the “Eretz Yisrael
of its existence. But the Land of Israel foundations of our faith in a language Torah scholar”, a man of redemption
must not only be conquered but also and style that find a way to the hearts whose spirit pulsates among us and
settled, and so he left the beit midrash and minds of all thinking people. in all our works, and will illuminate
and was moser nefesh to reestablish Kfar But Rav Chanan’s greatest sacrifice for them forever.
Etzion. More precisely, he invested his Am Yisrael was his decision to enter
nefesh, his soul, his spiritual and Torah the Knesset. That difficult and dark “We must always look ahead.” “What
life, in the settlement of the land. place can wear down even the noblest can I do to bring new spiritual strength
He also literally gave his body and life people! But though he spent many to the nation?” “How can we ensure
the light of our people will not dim?”
to his people. In the Yom Kippur War, years in that complicated maze, he These thoughts never left Rav Chanan.
he was very seriously wounded on the remained holy and pure, never falling Indeed, Torah scholars have no rest,
southern front, and was saved only by in love with his position. Indeed, he neither in this world nor in the next.
the grace of G-d. When he recovered twice resigned his seat in the Knesset
he became one of the founders of to allow others to take his place. Rav
Gush Emunim and the settlements in Chanan served in the Knesset for the Rabbi Shlomo Aviner is the Nasi of Yeshivat
Yehudah and Shomron. sake of Heaven, working tirelessly for Ateret Yerushalayim (formerly known as
But he was not only interested in the people of Israel in whatever way Ateret Cohanim) in Jerusalem, former rabbi
the Torah and the Land; he was also he could. of Bet El and one of Religious Zionism’s
leading thinkers.
interested in people. Through his

(PHOTO: HOWIE MISCHEL) | 21