Israel's Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar on Saturday launched a bitter diatribe against the proposed enlistment of haredim to the IDF , branding it folly and "devil's work."

In a sermon at Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's synagogue that was effectively the "warm up" act for the speech of the Shas party's spiritual leader, Amar said "the study of Torah is enjoying days of glory the likes of which we haven't witnessed for generations. The devil regarded that with an envious eye and got in into the minds of certain people to wage war on the Torah."

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"This nonsense is unheard of," Amar was quoted by Yedioth Ahronoth as saying. "It is as though our society is free of poverty and incest and other ills. Everyone is equal and we're the last outstanding problem, as if Israel has no enemies and is at peace with all. There's only one enemy left, the yeshivas. This is sheer madness."

This point marked the entry of Yosef, who was greeted with raucous applause. Amar continued, saying "For the sins of multitudes, folly entered the minds of the few, it is the work of the devil. Our salvation is wholly dependent on the Torah. The devil instilled in their minds the folly that putting an end to the yeshivot will rid them of economic or security problems. Turning the yeshiva students into enemies, god forbid. They protect us, their Torah safeguards us all."

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