Earlier in the month, YWN reported (HERE) that the IDF’s chief rabbi, Brigadier-General Avi Ronsky was at the receiving end of a sharp attacks appearing in the chareidi media over an incident that occurred on Erev Pesach, a Shabbos.
The rav traveled with a unit activated to the Gaza border, leading to criticism that his presence as a non-combatant was not justified and therefore, he was mechalel Shabbos without justification.
Following a series of articles appearing in the press, this week, Rav Ronsky in a letter to members of the IDF Chief Rabbinate justified his actions, stating the rav of a unit is a part-and-parcel of that unit and his presence to strengthen the moral of troops and support their actions and do whatever he can towards their success in a mission is indeed a reason for traveling on Shabbos.
Rav Ronsky stated that just as a combat rav of a unit carries his cellular telephone at all times, including on Shabbos and Yomim Tovim, his is required to do things on Shabbos and Yomtov towards the success of a unit’s mission. He drew a comparison from Tenach, when the leaders would address soldiers before going to battle.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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20 Responses
“Judge not, lest ye be judged”. I should hope none of us ever find ourselves in that position..
PuhLease:
Please spare us quotes from the Gospel of Matthew, or any other part of the New Testament for that matter. This is a Jewish website.
Very poor excuse for Chilul Shabbos, (in addition to requiring his driver to be mechallel shabbos). He could use that excuse anytime he wants to give a “moral boost” to be mechalel shabbos.
#2
Have you ever been in a potential combat situation?
it is a old and known fact that the idf uses the excuse of emergancies to shake the frum soldiers from there shmiras shabbos . the isreali government .,as rab chaim briskar ,said , wants to uproot the entire torah . no frum soldier returns home the same . the znus in the israeli army is unparraleled in the entire world r”l …
Joseph,
Back when my wife didn’t know better and gave birth in hospitals, the psak I received was that if she went into labor on Yom Tov or Shabbos, then I was not only allowed, but encouraged to go with her in a car (and drive her, if need be), in order to provide emotional support. Is that not what the rov was doing for an entire army unit? In fact, my dw once did go into labor on Succos, and our rov said that if I didn’t hurry up, he would drive her himself (obviously an ambulance or taxi or a goy could have transported her, so it wasn’t a question of nobody else being available to deliver her to the hospital), but, rather, a question of moral support affecting the outcome of her – and the baby’s – childbirth experience.
PhuLease makes a good point, and Joseph should be very careful before he judges another frum Yid.
-MK
This IDF unit has merited a Rav to offer compassion, encouragement and comfort to his soldiers during a milchames mitzvoh.
#5
Please see my comment on the story on this site with Leviev
The rabbi who got his jewish education in israel shuold learn from Leviev who got is jweish education in the soviet union and is not a rabbi what shabos is.
To responders 2 and 4. Clearly you have not been in the military and for that mater in harm’s way. If you had those experiences you would understand the importance of a Rav (or any Chaplain) and the comfort they bring (who BTW go in harm’s way unarmed).
Responder 2, do you think Christian literature has nothing to teach us?? Don’t be so smug!
Didn’t the original article indicate that the combat mission was already over at the time the rabbi started driving out to the location based on the time logs?
Re #5 – would your Rav have permitted you to drive back home if it had been false labor, or a quick labor? Or to even turn off the engine or close the car door that turns off the light after she got out of the car? Or to carry anyone else out of the car?
To responder 4, I am the third generation to serve in the military (my grandfather was in the Tzar cavalry, and my father an I served the US). No you don’t come home the same person but all three of us left home shomrei torah u’mitzvot and returned hoem shomrei torah u’mitzvot. “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone …”
To Moshe Kapora – You are unfortunately making a very big mistake here in your comparison.
Childbirth is considered a “definite” endangerment to life and therefore one must violate any prohibitions that are deemed “necessary” for the stability of her health. Chazal deemed it necessary for her husband to accompany her to the hospital lest she panic and fall into a more dangerous state of health. Even so, any violations that can be minimized to D’Rabanons without hampering her state of health must be done. It is not a blanket Heter to be non-discriminant with Chilul Shabbos just because you started with a Chiyuv Chilul Shabbos.
The Army situation described in the article is not so simple. It is questionable at best that this case falls under the “definite” endangerment to life. It may fall under the category of “possible” endangerment to life, which allows for much less violation of Shabbos. Even if we say that this falls under the category of “definite” endangerment, non-the-less it is much more questionable if this Rabbi’s presence is “Truly” needed or not. If it is not, then this Rabbi violated Shabbos B”farhesiya B’shogeig and is Chiyav a Karbon Chatas (and requires Teshuva as well).
This is not up to you or me to decide and in truth, unless this Rabbi falls under the category of a Gadol B’Torah, it was not only his responsibility to consult Gedolim on the matter, it also shows a gross lack of responsibility as a Rav over many not to set an example of proper Halachik conduct. If he will decide such “serious” issues on his own without consulting Rabbanim of greater stature, then in tow, others (laymen) will decide other serious matters on there own as well.
If this Rabbi would have said that he had consulted his mentors and this was their ruling then I wouldn’t have had any Tinas on him. However, he did not state that and it is apparent that he decided this on his own. If so, the proper thing for him to do is discuss this issue with a leading Posek and vow never again to act on any questionable issue w/o first consulting a leading posek. Furthermore, if he was wrong he definitely NEEDS to publicly declare that he made a mistake so others won’t learn from his misdeed.
BTW – Concerning your comment, “Back when my wife didn’t know better and gave birth in hospitals…”, have you discussed this with your Rav?
drawing a comparison between dovid hamelech’s army and the IDF? hashem yishmareinu
Husbands are allowed to go to the hospital on Shabbos with their wives. The wife is in sakana. Also, complications may arise and decisions may have to be made. The wife may not be in a fit state to make those decisions. You can’t compare the 2 situations. Obviously, Rabbi Ronsky appears to have made himself posek acharon when it comes to deciding what IDF chaplains can and can’t do on Shabbos and Yom Tov. However, in all fairness, a rav may have to go on dangerous missions to insure the proper treatment for meisim r”l, or to help a badly wounded chayal say vidui. Let’s hope he asked a gadol what to do in these types of situations. We really shouldn’t pass judgment until we’ve stood in his shoes.
….”he znus in the israeli army is unparraleled in the entire world r”l …”
Im definately not a “zionist” but one who says such garbage “should” lose all of his olam haba! Hashem yerahem.
Keep your self hatred to yourself. Have you seen the all the horrors and znus of the world before saying that garbage?!?!?!
I ask YWN to post this comment…
to #9. Why quote the xtian bible when the exact same thing can be found in our torah (in fact most of tyhe xtian bible is either a blatant ripoff or distortion of our torah).
its disheartening when a yid finds such a nice vort and is ignorant of its source and attributes it instead to a foreign religion.
Mr. Smugly Left Brooklyn (and wasn’t missed) – Absolutely NOT. Christian literature has ZERO to teach us! We can usually learn what to do the OPPOSITE of.
From today’s Jerusalem Post “Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has received special rabbinic permission to work on Shabbat on the Iron Dome anti-Kassam missile defense system, defense officials said Monday. “
who says his driver was jewish. it might have been a druze. hevei don lfak zchus
Let’s not knock the IDF. Where would we today without them? Yerushalyim would be occupied by Hamas. Next time you see a soldier on the streets of Eretz Yisroel say thank you (even to a female soldier).
i agree “let’s not knock the idf”
and we most certainly should express our appreciation to them.
but if you really believe: “Where would we today without them? Yerushalyim would be occupied by Hamas”
then you need to learn a little more about how the world’s affairs are conducted, and Who conducts them.