Reply To: Shmad in Israel?

Doom- I appreciate your post and I would like to counter with a few points. I don’t want to debate so much on the facts as you present them, but just to say that my impression was quite different than yours. I know many many people… friends, neighbors, family, who served and I only know of one person who I suspect went off the derech R”L. So, while your experience may be different, I don’t know if the numbers are really that high. In terms of a commander giving anti-halacha orders, I don’t know how often that happens. The kol ishah case was a big deal, but that was years ago. The army has a rabbanut that I do believe protects the rights of religious soldiers… and there also may be a different level of psak when we’re dealing with war, not everything that would be a violation of halacha for civilians in peacetime would apply to soldiers in war. I’m also not sure if your description of the lack of need for soldiers is accurate, or how ineffective Charedi soldiers would be after their basic training.

That being said, I would like to counter with two of your other points-

1) “Sharing the burden may be a good midah in general, but every middah should be evaluated. Charity is also an important middah” I think the comparison to charity highlights a big issue with how many Charedim view the army, and the concept of sharing the burden. Tzedakah is when we share the burden of others. You may not be suffering financially, but your friend is, and charity is supposed to be you bearing HIS burden and helping him out. But the army is not someone else’s burden… it’s ALL of our burdens. The genocidal maniacs want to kill all of us, not just the secular and Dati LeUmi. We all benefit from the protection of the army and we all expect the army to protect all of us. The Torah teaches us that it is unacceptable for one who’s load fell to expect someone else to help him if he himself doesn’t join in. All the more so when we are dealing with stakes as high as pikuach nefesh and hatzalas Yisroel. Sharing the burden is not about sharing in the burden of others… Sharing the burden is about participating in our own burden, and not expect others to do the dirty work for us while we benefit from their sacrifice and sit back and watch.

2) Is the army dangerous? Of course it is! War is dangerous not only spiritually, but physically. That’s a reality of war. Even though it’s not one of the “big three” averios, we are still expected to risk our lives for both a Milchemes Reshus and a Milchemes Mitzvah… and despite not having a Sanhedrin, the current war may indeed be considered a Milchemes Mitzvah as it’s for Hatzalas Yisroel. The risks do not outweigh the rewards… Hatzalas Yisroel is one of the most important things we can do. If a person is needed for Pidyon Shevuyim would you accept his arguments that he’s not responsible because he’s afraid of the spitirual challenegs involved in traveling to who knows where to save Jews? Defending our people is not just “good midos”. It’s an essential part of being part of the Klal. Despite the risks. And maybe, the more yeshivos that prepare their talmidim to serve, and the more Yirei Shamayim who join the ranks, would also inspire change in the army itself.