The recent escalation in hostilities, starting with the terrorist attack on Thursday and culminating in the barrage of rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel, with rockets landing in Ashqelon, Ashdod, Beer Sheva and surrounding area regions resulting in many injured and some killed looks like it is headed to only worse places.

I don't doubt the truth of the statement some rabbonim have made that the escalation is due to it being bein hazmanim, the vacation period from yeshivas. Because the yeshiva students are on vacation and traveling around the country, they are not learning nough and the protection we normally have from their Torah is currently not available. Rav Shteinman has even said that if the yeshiva boys would get back to learning, the situation would calm down.

I don't doubt that, as the Torah protects us, even if we don't understand exactly how. However, if that is the case, perhaps it is necessary for the rosh yeshivas to cancel the vacation period, shorten it, find a way to reschedule it, maybe stagger it sending different groups of boys on vacation at different times. If it is really the learning of the yeshiva students that so directly protects us, it seems negligent almost to allow them on such a wide-scale vacation.

I know vacation is necessary for yeshiva boys, but if their going on vacation has such a direct effect on the security situation, a solution must be found to have the learning continue around the year.