During a visit to Kfar Chabad, Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef addressed the issue of chareidim serving in the IDF. The rav stated that bochrim who are not in a learning framework should enter the IDF, but there must be appropriate options available to them to accommodate their lifestyle.
Rabbi Yitzchak explains that he has run a yeshiva for many years and has threatened bochrim who do not learn that they will be heading to the army. He added that for those who do not learn full time there are programs such as hesder, offering an alternative.
He explains that for one in such a situation, he can be m’chazek others such as one young man who went to the army and took Yalkut Yosef with him, giving daily shiurim.
The rav showered the Chabadnikim with praise for their mesirus nefesh in being mezake the rabim and the chassidus’ concern for all of Am Yisrael.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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13 Responses
Clearly, he did not see the memo about the IDF being in the business of shmad.
Of course, if we give it “AThought”, we can explain away his statement as not meaning much.
and has threatened bochrim who do not learn that they will be heading to the army. –
NOT sure that THREATS are the way to go……rather encouragement or understanding!!
And he was chosen by shas. Shame on them.
That is because Shas has been trying to be part of the zionist movement. He is invitingthe zionists to be conciliatiory and to: 1) offer to seriously accomodate hareidim in the army; 2) exempt full time students. If the zionists to continue to demand that all hareidim serve in the army it will, as the goyim say, a kick in Shas’s behind (or less politiely, a stab in the back).
Remember that about 10% of the hareidim, perhaps more, hold that the medinah is treff and army service is prohibited under any conditions. As long as this group is not exempted as conscientious objectors, Shas will be in the awkward position of needing to defend the medinah and army, while at the same time resisting persecution from the medinah and the army.
finally someone who make sense in this never ending debate – learn or serve
Ya ya, very good. So bring a proof from one “young man who went to the army and took Yalkut Yosef with him, giving daily shiurim”. How about all the rest that sacrificed even a chatzi shiur of their yiras shamaim?? I doubt even this one solider will tell you his yidishkite is where it was before being recruited.
Soooo? everyone who leaves the walls of the BM and goes to work must be extra careful to watch themselves, right?? Yes, but the army is much different. Besides the non-charaidi officer with absolute power of leadership over you, besides the ultimate goal of weakening your adherence to Torah. Even if you are strong enough to overcome these people the yetzer horah is too strong. When it comes to war the Torah realizes this. It is the ONE situation where there is a clearly written hetter. This past weeks parsha.
This is a good idea. Finally some sense to this issue. Hesder program has been around for over forty years and combines Torah with IDF service.
Gafne, Porush and Rav Yosef are all repeating the words of Rav Shach and Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l… LEARN FULL TIME OR SERVE.
Remember at the age of 26 or above the talmidim join “Shalav Bet’ which is 4 months of IDF service like Mk Porush and others enlisted for.
Did everyone forget already that the IDF was the first army in the world to draft women?
Do you think the boys in the IDF are all Yosef hatzaddik, Rav Yosef?
#9 that is why their is Nachal Haredi which is all men. Stop with these false excuses.
deepthinker#9: The Israeli Army has the worst and most rampant and tolerated immorality of any modern nation. It is institutionalized.
some ppl seem to be a little incapable of reding English properly… Rav Yosef clearly stated that the army must provide appropariate accommodation etc… In nachal charedi there isn’t one woman on the whole campus! In the army the guys don’t have time to mess around and get up to what some bored yeshiva guys can get up to…
Why do people always have to find something bad to say? Lets look at the achdus tha Rav Yosef shlita is trying to spread and take a good example!
The Army said recently they will not stop women soldiers from entering Nachal Chareidi bases.