Human beings innately yearn for freedom, as independence constitutes a fundamental attribute intrinsic to every sentient being. Not merely individuals aspire to this, but indeed entire nations and peoples collectively strive for autonomy.

Examination of the historical record elucidates that myriad formidable civilizations have been expunged from the land. The paramount catalyst for their obliteration was spiritual and cultural subjugation. This is the main factor behind the eradication of entire societies, now no longer in existence. There is but a singular nation on this earth that has proudly bore the same banner for millennia, safeguarding its uniqueness and distinctive character.

In his seminal opus "The Guide for the Perplexed," Maimonides inscribed that two festivals teach us about precepts and virtues – Passover and Sukkot.

"Passover teaches us to remember the miracles which God wrought in Egypt, and to perpetuate their memory; the Feast of Tabernacles reminds us of the miracles wrought in the wilderness. The moral lessons derived from these feasts is this: man ought to remember his evil days in his days of prosperity. He will thereby be induced to thank God repeatedly, to lead a modest and humble life.

"We eat, therefore, unleavened bread and bitter herbs on Passover in memory of what has happened unto us, and leave our houses in order to dwell in tabernacles, as inhabitants of deserts do that are in want of comfort. We shall thereby remember that this has once been our condition; "I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths"; although we dwell now in elegant houses, in the best and most fertile land, by the kindness of God, and because of His promises to our forefathers, who were perfect in their opinions and in their conduct. This idea is likewise an important element in our religion; that whatever good we have received and ever will receive of God, is owing to the merits of the Patriarchs, who kept the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment."

These two aspects, virtues and precepts, constitute the bedrock of our existence. Faith embedded in the heart, ancestral traditions, observance of commandments – these spiritual acquisitions facilitated the edifice of the Jewish nation, and by their merit, our people's continuity persists.

The State of Israel represents a juncture in the realization of prophetic visions about the ingathering of exiles and the revival of the desolate land of Israel. Yet redemption transcends the corporeal, predominantly manifesting in the spiritual realm. Not through spiritual assimilation and emulation of foreign cultures shall we preserve our existence, but rather by upholding an ancestral manner of life, adhering to the "divine path." We must aspire concurrently to Redemption and the liberation of our souls. Solely liberating the body is insufficient, the soul too must be redeemed.

The cataclysmic events of the preceding year constitute a pivotal and substantive chapter in Jewish history. The murderous onslaught initiated here on Simchat Torah compelled many to turn to introspection. We understood that although fortitudinous, our existential peril persists.

"The beneficiary of a miracle remains unaware of its providence" applies not merely to individuals, but to the nation entire.

The notion that the recipient of a miracle remains unaware of its providential derivation is applicable not solely to individuals, but to the nation in its entirety.

Just last week, we endured a harrowing night as hundreds of rockets and missiles rained upon us with malicious intent. Our security forces and defensive systems fulfilled their mandate, succeeding in mitigating casualties and devastation. This achievement transcends the terrestrial realm; we must perceive it as an expression of Divine Providence and Heavenly compassion.

This evening, we shall convene collectively around the Seder table, an observance dedicated to instructing subsequent generations in the heritage and traditions of the Jewish people. The children constitute the focal point. They shall pose the quintessential query "Why is this night different?", to which parents, grandparents, and elders shall respond with the inherited answer – just as Jews across generations immemorial have inquired of their forbears and received the singular response that defines our nation.

At the Seder table, we shall recount the tribulations and slavery in Egypt, expressing gratitude for the redemption we merited. However, not every family shall be wholly complete around the table. For certain families, the haunting void left by absent loved ones cries out incessantly. The seats of those barbarically slain and abducted stand abandoned, bereft of occupants.

Upon each of us rests the sacred obligation to be cognizant of the anguish of others, and pray explicitly during this seminal observance of reciting the Haggadah – to invoke remembrance and beseech the Divine on behalf of those presently enduring captivity and suffering.

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Alongside hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday, I accompanied Maran Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the Minister of Torah, on his final path. I walked behind his coffin with the multitudes from all sections of society: ultra-Orthodox, religious, secular. They were all there to walk with Maran, who was always there for everyone, on his final path? The heart refuses to believe the body cannot digest. Maran, the Minister of Torah, is no longer with us. The rabbi of the Children of Israel has left us on our own.

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Over many years, I had the privilege to enter his holy abode, to ascend the steps leading to his house on Rashbam Street, to pose questions to the Minister of Torah, and to await his decision. He always gave a decisive and clear answer, one that cast aside any doubts. After every visit to the house on Rashbam Street, we would leave with our strength replenished and with a blessing for the way to continue our efforts for the People of Israel.

But we did not just leave with a clear answer. Every time anew I would leave in wonder at the sight of the depth of Rabbi Kanievsky's engagement with the Torah, with his love of Torah which knew no boundaries. His nephew and confidante Yanki  Kanievsky would seat me next to the rabbi and then a deafening silence as we waited for Maran to lift his head. We would wait patiently for the rabbi to finish studying and notice our presence in the room.

Of course, the rabbi would never finish studying. It was always left to his nephew to say, "Grandfather, the Chief Rabbi is here." And then I would see how his incredible love of Torah would switch to love of Israel. How he would listen with infinite patience to every question as if the Gemara was not waiting for him on his table. He would sit and listen, even though I had interfered with the study he so loved.

But the needs of his people are plentiful. And he had not only the questions of the Chief Rabbi to answer. In the long queue climbing up the stairs to his house, one could see all the shades of the People of Israel, who had come from near and far. He would listen to every one of them with patience, give counsel, a blessing, and a good word. That was the simplicity of Maran, the Minister of Torah. He lived in a simple house with walls covered with books from floor to ceiling. It was a unique simplicity that characterized him.

Yesterday as I cried watching his coffin being lowered in the fresh grave, I noticed how his simplicity was also reflected in the simple grave where he was laid to rest alongside his wife of blessed memory, the Rebbetzin Kanievsky, may she rest in peace.  Maran's simple grave immortalizes his legacy. It shows us the path to continue his way: love of the Torah born out of incredible simplicity.

After the funeral procession, as I left the gates of the cemetery, one of the policemen securing the funeral came up to me. "Rabbi," he said, "Rabbi Chaim has gone, the generation will be lacking." Indeed, he will be missed. Not only to the man in uniform, who knew Maran primarily from the media but to the entire People of Israel, who dwelled in his books, walked in his light, and was led by his wisdom.

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During my visits to coronavirus wards at hospitals across the country, I encountered a most worrying statistic. All of the hospitalized were relatively young people that had not been vaccinated. A few minutes after one such visit, I learned that a childhood friend of mine, a healthy individual with no pre-existing conditions, had died. That morning, he had found it difficult to breathe, and by 5:00 p.m., he headed downstairs to the ambulance waiting to take him to the hospital. By 2:00 a.m. the next morning, he was gone.

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These visits and this news have led me to call on all of you to get vaccinated.

We have the incredible fortune afforded to us by God to have a vaccine, but many of us still contemplate the move despite the fact that Halacha mandates we inoculate against the virus.

According to senior physicians in Israel and around the world, the vaccine is the best answer to the virus. The risk of the virus is certain. The risks posed by the vaccine are in question. These doctors' unequivocal position has been that we must vaccinate unless instructed otherwise by a doctor.

I wonder who gave certain individuals the courage to play with people's lives. How can irresponsible people try and undermine something that has been proven to save lives? Unfortunately, this phenomenon of convention-breaking is not just typical of our battle with the coronavirus; we see this in many other fields. Those same people who work so hard to prevent people from getting the vaccine bear no responsibility for the public. While they say they want to preserve their rights, they are in fact harming their fellow man.

Our obligation to be careful is not a choice. One cannot harm their own body or that of those around them. Those who do not get vaccinated are not just putting themselves at risk, but more importantly, they could cause harm to others. Over a year ago, I made clear that beyond an individual's need to make sure they are safe, they must ensure not to inflict physical or emotional harm on others.

Hope and willpower are the solutions to many illnesses. One of the Torah's commandments is to visit the sick. The intention here is not to ask the ill person how they are doing but to see what they need. Those who undermine the vaccines weaken public resilience, and that's a shame. The Torah's command that we take care includes the obligation for preventative medicine, and the existing vaccine helps with that.

To my mind, anyone who doesn't fulfill this commandment is being ungrateful that merciful God gave his world and us this vaccine to exit this pandemic.

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