HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau delivered a shiur on Wednesday at Yeshivas Beit Shemaya, a Sephardi yeshivah in Bnei Brak.
After the shiur, the Rosh Yeshivah spoke about the issue of the recruitment of bnei yeshivos. Sephardi Roshei Yeshivos and Rabbanim are especially concerned about the effect of increased IDF recruitment in the Chareidi sector since it is known that more Sephardi bochurim choose to serve in the army than Ashkenazim.
HaRav Landau addressed this fact, saying to the bochurim: “You must be mechazeik and not give in to them. You should know that many of those who didn’t withstand the nisayon and were drafted later regretted it and understood that Torah is the ikar and the only guarantee to continuing our lives here as the Am Segulah.”
HaRav Landua explained that unlike in the past, when yeshivos were mainly intended to produce Gedolei Torah, today, the goal of yeshivos is also to preserve Yiddishkeit. “Since we’re surrounded by secular society, the yeshivos ensure that we’ll remain Shomer Torah u’mitzvos,” the Rosh Yeshivah said.
“The reality today is whoever isn’t in yeshivah, in an atmosphere of yeshivah, the risk to ruchniyas is very great,” the Rosh Yeshivah said. “It’s almost impossible for some who doesn’t learn in yeshivah to remain a proper Shomer Torah u’mitzovos.”
“There are two religions here in this country,” the Rosh Yeshivah continued. “There’s a religion called Tzionut (Zionism) that wants to establish a new nation. There’s another trend in recent years of what is called liberalization, progressivism. It has turned into a religion. And whoever has a religion, it supersedes everything else.”
The Rosh Yeshivah continued by saying that although Chareidim live in Eretz Yisrael and even participate in the government, “we never accepted the religion of Zionism. And of course, we never accepted the religion of liberalization.”
“You need to know – the central democratic right of each person is to adhere to his emunah. And it’s forbidden to harm this democratic right. And what the state is trying to do – via the melting pot of the IDF – is contrary to the most basic right of democracy. No other democratic country in the world tries to sculpt the nation according to its religion. Part of the way they do it is through the IDF – the education officer – which doesn’t exist in any other army in the world.”
“Another issue they speak about in recent years is ‘carrying the burden equally,'” the Rosh Yeshivah continued. “This is a new idea that never existed before. This is also contrary to democracy and a false idea. I want to read something to you from the Charter of the UN that speaks about the establishment of the state. ‘Each person must be able to enjoy his basic rights – freedom of religion, of language, of speech, and education.'”
“The fact that they want to recruit everyone is contrary to this principle. It’s written explicitly that it’s forbidden to harm anyone’s religious rights.”
The Rosh Yeshivah continued by saying that even the units that the IDF is establishing for Chareidim pose great risks to ruchniyus and the army cannot be counted on to keep its promises.
“Hakadosh Baruch should give you the koach to withstand this nisayon,” the Rosh Yeshivah concluded.
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10 Responses
In America it’s separation from state and religion and that means that religion is first to state, but in Israel state is over religion and that means state is first and then religion
It’s fascinating to see a Chareidi leader use concepts like democracy, freedom of religion, the UN Charter, and the like to support his position that Chareidim should be exempt from service. How about some Torah sources – things like V’ahavta l’Reiacha Kamocha, Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh loZeh, Imo Anochi b’Tara, and Vachai Achicha Imach? Or the big one – Pikuach Nefesh?
Chareidi rabbinic leaders clearly have learned more Torah than I ever have – why don’t they put out a well-reasoned, Torah-sourced, explanation of their position and why the above don’t apply to them and their followers?
an Israeli Yid
This is sloppy and irresponsible reporting. reread the article on Kikar Hashabbat were you sourced this from, and fix up the mess. Hint: Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein… Good luck!
Oddly enough he omitted to mention the 1st Amendment Freedom of Religion in USA, & also forgot to mention, that mention that President Donald Trump שליט”א announced during Corona, that all Houses of Worship, are essential necessities, more so than liquor stores, and must be allowed to reopen immediately, & how he would make Hell for any governor opposing reopening of Houses of Worship.
Ah the Gedolim on the bottom of the yeshiva world comments have spoken!!
Ppl like an Israeli yid do not realize that it is forbidden for a Ben Torah to be in the atmosphere of kefira and tumah that is the idf
anIsraeliZionist:
He’s speaking “liShitasam”, showing how the wicked Zionists who claim to be “Democratic” are anything but that when it comes to Chareidim.
@anIsraeliYid
You need to back up your arguments.
Clearly, you don’t understand how Da’as Torah works.
Why would you think that pep talks to teenagers are poor substitutes for comprehensive, tightly reasoned, and scholarly treatments (in writing)?
@anIsraeliYid
you asked:
“why don’t they put out a well-reasoned, Torah-sourced, explanation of their position and why the above don’t apply to [any Yid who keeps Torah]”
And, the answer is that it has already been published as the well known sefer “Vayoel Moshe” by the Satmar Rebbe.
Of course there have been no published “well-reasoned, Torah-sourced, explanation” by the amharutzim who push zionism by taking random statements of chazal out of context and think “am yisrael (sic) chai” is anything but a Carlebach song.
Where it says “love your fellow like yourself” that’s going on a person who intent is to keep all the Torah and emunah, where it says all Jews are “arevim” that also is talking about not doing bad deeds, where it says “I am with in his pain” that’s is talking about God hearing praying, where it says “your brother should live with you” that is also going on a totally different story,
There is a story of somebody asking the maggid how he makes such good parables and so he took him to a place of target practice and saw how each arrow hit the target exactly and so he says the best shooter, but them he saw the person painting the target around the arrow shot and then he understood, first I have the target then I paint the parable, your making things from the Torah with your target painted after you shot the arrow