Shas rabbi: Leftists are harm-doers

In weekly sermon, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef refers to members of Israeli Left as 'angels of destruction'

Akiva Novick|Published: 09.18.11 , 14:58

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Shas' spiritual leader, slammed the Israeli Left in his weekly sermon Saturday evening, referring to leftists as "angels of destruction" – in other words, harm-doers.

"God Almighty judges people, and has created angels on the right and on the left. The rightists speak positively, and the leftists say derogatory things," the rabbi said while addressing the Jewish New Year.

More of Rabbi Yosef's statements:

"Here too we have leftists now, but they are all angels of destruction," Yosef said.

The audience laughed, and the rabbi went on to slam the secular Right: "This why each and every person should adopt rightist angels… Not Likud, rightist angels of Torah, who will speak positively about him on Rosh Hashana."

Rabbi Yosef's weekly sermon has been delivered since 1973, is very popular and is broadcast via satellite all over the world. The sermon usually engages in halachic issues and the weekly Torah portion, although the rabbi often addresses current affairs, without political correctness considerations.

The rabbi has sparked quite a few rows in the past due to his controversial remarks.

Last Year, ahead of Rosh Hashana, Yosef wished death on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his people, who he called "evil enemies of Israel."

In December, he implied that the fire raging on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, which left dozens of wardens and firefighters dead, was a punishment from God for religious offenses committed by the area's residents.