Basic Law: Torah Study
| Basic Law: Torah Study | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 25th Knesset | |
| |
| Territorial extent |  Israel |
| Enacted by | Knesset |
| Enacted | 13 July 2026 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Moshe Gafni |
| Preliminary reading | 10 June 2026 |
| First reading | 1 July 2026 |
| Second reading | 13 July 2026 |
| Third reading | 13 July 2026 |
| Voting summary |
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| Related legislation | |
| Basic Laws of Israel | |
| Summary | |
| Declares that "Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel" and provides that "those who have undertaken to devote themselves to Torah study for an extended period shall be deemed, for purposes of their rights and obligations, as persons who are performing meaningful service for the State of Israel and the Jewish people." | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
Basic Law: Torah Study,[1] informally known as the Torah Study Bill,[2] is an Israeli Basic Law that defines Torah study as a "fundamental value" in Israel. It was first proposed by United Torah Judaism in July 2023.[3]
History
[edit]Early proposals
[edit]In July 2023, lawmakers from United Torah Judaism proposed a basic law aimed at giving Torah study "supreme value in the heritage of the Jewish people". This proposal however did not continue as it did not receive support from Likud at the time.[3]
Then in November 2025, Avi Maoz of Noam proposed a similar bill on Torah study which outlined that "yeshiva students are performing 'meaningful service to the State and the Jewish people'".[4]
Preliminary reading
[edit]On 10 June 2026, a bill enshrining Torah study sponsored by Moshe Gafni successfully passed preliminary reading in the Knesset with 56 votes in favor and 43 against.[5] Following the vote, Haredi party leaders celebrated as a victory, with the chairman of Shas party, Aryeh Deri, championing this as a "historic step" in recognizing the value of Torah study,[6] while United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf called this moment the "beginning of righting an injustice".[7]
By contrast, opposition leaders such as Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, suggested that this legislation was a "deal" that the government made in exchange for a few more weeks of power.[8]
First reading
[edit]On 1 July 2026, the bill passed first reading with the support of 63 Knesset members while 53 members opposed.[9]
Second and third reading
[edit]On 5 July 2026, the Knesset's House Committee began preparation for finalizing the bill for the second and third readings.[10]
On 13 July 2026, the bill passed second and third readings in the Knesset after a lengthy debate, with 63 in favor and 52 against. Dan Illouz and Yuli Edelstein, two lawmakers from Likud and part of the governing coalition, joined the opposition in voting against the bill.[11][12] Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was notably absent during the voting process.[13][14]
Israeli opposition parties have opposed the legislation, and have vowed to repeal it if they win power in the upcoming elections.[15]
Content
[edit]Basic Law: Torah Study consists of two sections.[16]
Section 1 states that "Torah study is a foundational value in the heritage of the Jewish people."[2]
Section 2 states that "those who have undertaken to devote themselves to Torah study for an extended period shall be deemed, for purposes of their rights and obligations, as persons who are performing meaningful service for the State of Israel and the Jewish people."[2]
Explanatory Notes
[edit]The explanatory notes of the Basic Law are provided here for context, as translated from Hebrew into English. They are originally only available in Hebrew.[16]
The proposed Basic Law published herewith proposes to enshrine in the Basic Law the value of Torah study as a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel, in order to establish its recognition as a fundamental value and to create balances of justice in comparison with other fundamental values in the state.
The Basic Law Bill is also intended to provide a response to issues discussed in High Court of Justice 1877/14 Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel et al. v. Knesset et al. (published in Nevo, 12.9.2017), which repealed Chapter 31 of the Security Service Law [Combined Version], 1986, which concerned "Integration of Yeshiva Graduates and Haredi Educational Institutions", and was added to the law in 2014, and in High Court of Justice 6198/23 Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel et al. v. Minister of Defense et al. (published in Nevo, 25.6.2024), which dealt with the implications of the aforementioned ruling regarding the recruitment of yeshiva students and the transfer of financial support to educational institutions for students who did not receive an exemption or whose military service was not postponed.
When preparing the Basic Law Bill for the second and third readings, the Knesset Committee will examine whether the proposed legislation has any implications for the conduct of government authorities in light of it.
According to the assessment of the Budget Division of the Ministry of Finance, at this stage it is not possible to estimate the budgetary cost of the legislation, as it is not clear what actions are derived from the proposed text.
References
[edit]- ↑ "הצעת חוק-יסוד: לימוד תורה (Basic Law: Torah Study)". main.knesset.gov.il (in Hebrew). Knesset. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Explainer: Basic Law: Torah Study and Its Implications". Israel Democracy Institute. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- 1 2 Breuer, Eliav (25 July 2023). "UTJ proposes Basic Law to equate Torah studies with IDF service". The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ "Knesset committee to advance Torah Studies Law". Israel National News.
- ↑ "Knesset advances bill to enshrine Torah study into Basic Law, supporting haredi draft evaders". Jerusalem Post. 10 June 2026.
- ↑ Baruch, Hezki (10 June 2026). "חוק יסוד לימוד תורה עבר בקריאה טרומית" [Basic Law on Torah Study Passed in Preliminary Reading] (in Hebrew). Arutz Sheva.
- ↑ Cohen, Yishai (10 June 2026). "החרדים חוגגים את אישור חוק יסוד לימוד תורה, באופוזיציה תוקפים," [Haredim celebrate approval of Basic Law on Torah Study, opposition attacks] (in Hebrew). Kikar HaShabbat.
- ↑ Ettinger, Amir (10 June 2026). "חוק יסוד לימוד תורה עבר בקריאה טרומית" [Basic Law of Torah Study in Preliminary Reading] (in Hebrew). Ynet.
- ↑ Ettinger, Amir; Fried, Shiloh; Ganot, Gal (1 July 2026). "נתניהו הגיע להצבעה לדרישת החרדים, חוק יסוד לימוד התורה אושר בקריאה ראשונה" [Netanyahu came to vote at the request of the Haredim, the Basic Law on Torah Study was approved in first reading] (in Hebrew). Ynet.
- ↑ "House Committee begins preparing Basic Law Proposal: Torah Study for final readings". main.knesset.gov.il. Knesset. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ Karmel, Ariela (13 July 2026). "Israel passes quasi-constitutional law declaring Torah study a foundational value". The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ "Israel enshrines 'torah study' in basic law and extends IDF conscription to 32 months". i24 News. 13 July 2026.
- ↑ Ettinger, Amir (13 July 2026). "Netanyahu again skips controversial vote as Torah study law passes: 'Blow to IDF during wartime'". Ynet.
- ↑ Ettinger, Amir (13 July 2026). "נתניהו שוב נעדר מהצבעה שנויה במחלוקת, אושר סופית חוק יסוד לימוד תורה" [Netanyahu again absent from controversial vote, Torah Study Basic Law finally approved] (in Hebrew). Ynet.
- ↑ "TRT World - Israeli opposition criticises Netanyahu's Torah study bill as legalising draft evasion". www.trtworld.com. TRT World. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- 1 2 "הצעת חוק-יסוד: לימוד תורה" (PDF). National Legislative Database. Knesset. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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