The Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz today appointed a new Chief Rabbi for the army. The new Rabbi is Rabbi Ronsky from the Yishuv of Itamar. While many on the left are condemning the appointment due to the location of his residence, I see this as a blessed opportunity.

How so? The yishuv of Itamar is located right next to Sh'chem. Sh'chem is a hotbed of terrorism. That being said, it is also the location of the kever of Yosef Hatzaddik. As we all know, during the intifada the Arabds destroyed the structure above kever Yosef and have burnt it numerous times. It is very difficult to get permission to go daven at the very special holy site, due to the great dangers involved. Whenever the army gives a group permission to go there, they must spend the day clearing the area of suspected terrorists and dealing with terror threats. This is done in coordination with the PA and, while difficult, can be accomplished. The vists to kever Yosef have gotten less and less frequent over time as the army has decided it is too dangerous.

With the appointment of Rabbi Ronsky as Chief Rabbi of the army, I see this as an opportunity for the army to renew the visits to Kever Yosef with the encouragement of the new Chief Rabbi.

I pray that we soon will get the opportunity to daven on the grave of Yosef Hatzaddik for the salvation of our forgotten and captive brothers held in foreign lands by foreign hands. I pray that our brethren in captivity will be released quickly, so we will not need to pray for them any longer, but until then at least we should be able to beseech Hashem with the zechus of Yosef Hatzaddik on behalf of our captive brothers.