Basic Law: Torah Study, informally known as the Torah Study Bill, is an Israeli Basic Law that defines Torah study as a "basic value" in Israel. It was first proposed by United Torah Judaism in July 2023 and was passed in July 2026.
History Early proposals 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.
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'".
Preliminary reading 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. 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, while United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf called this moment the "beginning of righting an injustice".
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.
First reading On 1 July 2026, the bill passed first reading with the support of 63 Knesset members while 53 members opposed.
Second and third reading On 5 July 2026, the Knesset's House Committee began preparation for finalizing the bill for the second and third readings.
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. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was notably absent during the voting process.
Israeli opposition parties have opposed the legislation, and have vowed to repeal it if they win power in the upcoming elections.
Content Text Basic Law: Torah Study consists of only one section:
Proposed second section A proposed Section 2, which stated 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", was not included in the final text of the law as enacted.
Explanatory notes The explanatory notes of the Basic Law are provided here for context, as translated from Hebrew into English. The original text is only available in Hebrew.
References
External Links Full Text Official English Translation