HaGaon Rav Dov Landau: “Only Torah Learning Saves Us—Zionism Has Brought Spiritual and Physical Disasters”

In a sweeping, no-holds-barred conversation filled with daas Torah, Maran HaGaon Rav Dov Landau, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka and one of the generation’s foremost leaders, laid out his clear Torah perspective on some of the most pressing issues facing Klal Yisrael today.

Meeting with senior Rabbanim from the “Lev Shomea” organization—including HaRav Eliav Miller, HaRav Eliyahu Klarman, and HaRav Mordechai Fish—Rav Landau offered guidance for yeshiva bochurim and addressed the storm swirling around the Chareidi world.

“The Only Reason We Were Saved Is Torah”
Asked about the war and the growing attacks on Torah learners, Rav Landau was unequivocal:

“I am not a politician. But everyone can see—there is no rational explanation for why our enemies did not overrun the country and carry out mass slaughter. The only explanation is limud Torah.”

Quoting the Torah’s warning that the land will “spit out” its inhabitants when defiled, he said the sole force preventing that today is Torah learning.

Not Achievements, But Immersion
For bochurim discouraged by lack of visible achievement, Rav Landau stressed that Hashem values deep immersion in learning far more than “results.” Each person must learn according to his capacity, but the essential requirement is to be fully engaged in Torah—not studying “on the side.”

The Secular Public Then and Now
Rav Landau contrasted the secular public of earlier decades, who still had a cultural connection to Yiddishkeit, with today’s generation raised entirely in heresy. “They have nothing,” he said, “no connection at all to Judaism.” Strikingly, he noted that even Arabs—our enemies—believe in Hashem, while too many Jews deny Him outright.

Religious Zionism and the Draft
Addressing the Religious Zionist community, Rav Landau said their self-sacrifice stems from a distorted ideology that replaced Hashem with nationalism. “They die because we are not learning enough Torah,” he declared. “Their rabbis have taught them a twisted Torah.”

On the Army and Security
Rav Landau challenged the assumption that military force is the key to survival. Recalling the approach of Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, who maintained respectful relations with Arabs, he suggested that Zionism’s confrontational stance has fueled hatred and brought disaster. “Zionism promised to save the Jewish people,” he said, “but it has brought both spiritual destruction and physical danger.”

The Unchanging Truth
Throughout the discussion, Rav Landau returned to one unwavering point:

“Every bochur, every avreich who learns Torah is the reason we are still here. The more Torah, the more protection. There is no substitute, no alternative explanation, and no other path to security for Am Yisrael.”