Rabbi Dr. Yuval Sherlow, rosh yeshiva of the Petach Tikvah Hesder Yeshiva has come out in support of the IDF in the matter of the officers’ training cadets who walked out of a kol isha performance.
As a result, four of the soldiers were ousted from the program after they refused to apologize, as five of their colleagues did, with the latter being reinstated into the program.
Rabbi Sherlow publicized his p’sak on Wednesday (Sept. 14) in which he justified the IDF’s decision to oust the shomer Shabbat cadets from the program. He feels the incident provides an opportunity to delve into the Torah way to address such a situation. He adds that in this case, there was also an element of failure on the part of commanders, failing to appropriately address the issue. He feels the situation could and should have been avoided, and it is most unfortunate that “the military loses officers and there are significant tensions as a result”.
On the one hand, military service may not come in conflict with one’s adherence to Torah and mitzvot. If this was not possible, then religious youth would not serve in the IDF. Nevertheless, one may not extrapolate that the position of the soldier’s rav compels the IDF as well. This is simply not correct from a Halachic perspective or from a practical perspective. The army and its rules must accommodate fulfilling the Torah and its Commandments, but on the other hand, the IDF mustn’t become a unique environment and the existing cross-section fiber of the military may not be destroyed.
Rabbi Sherlow adds “You must fight for your right not to be present for cultural events including kol isha” but he feels this may not include walking out in the middle of such an event.
Rabbi Sherlow feels very strongly that IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier-General Rafi Peretz must have the final halachic word for the IDF and his p’sak compels soldiers, not a p’sak from one’s individual rav. This must be the Halacha for soldiers, while in private; a soldier is certainly permitted to adopt a more stringent approach. This however may not encroach on others, as was the case when they walked out of a performance for this negatively impacts others and is destructive to the social fabric that makes up the IDF.
Rabbi Sherlow feels the soldiers can and must fight to be excused from such events, but when we are dealing with a military ceremony of an entire unit, there is nothing more correct for a religious soldier to do but be part of that event.
Elazar Stern, a dati leumi Jew and a retired IDF major-general and former head of IDF Manpower Branch and former commander of the Officers Training Base had harsh words for the actions of the cadets.
He explains that he too grew up in yeshiva and this was not an issue. (Stern attended Netiv Meir High School). The Shulchan Aruch talks about conquering one’s desires to let them learn to do this he explained. They should not try to drag others there or expect that women will not perform in the IDF.
Stern, who during his tenure as head of the military’s manpower worked to shut down the hesder program, expressing his strong position as a shomer Shabbat Jew that the soldiers must be integrated and the segregation was not in the interest of Torah and mitzvos or the IDF.
Stern questions the actions of soldiers who walked out, questioning the modesty of their actions, perhaps on a lower level than a woman who was singing from a distance of 50 meters from them. “Where is this heading? It is absurd” he exclaimed.
He added that he receives phone calls from parents of soldiers who simply don’t understand and they do not want to be part of this Judaism.
“Even someone who does not believe in G-d should be able to be a proud Jew” he feels. Stern is of the opinion that one needs to be wise and not just correct, and weigh one’s actions. “We constantly need more rabbis who come up with more Halachos. It is absurd as is the question if a father may attend his daughter’s second grade siddur party or if a father may diaper his daughter. Soon they will think we are raising perverts”.
Stern is of the opinion that while soldiers may be well-intended, they were out of line and ultimately, their actions harm the entire dati leumi camp.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
I don’t know Stern’s qualifications in Halacha, but re 2nd grade performances, R’ Moshe Feinstein has a Tshuva, and where did he find a problem with men diapering their female children?
Stern should throw away his kipa.
He long ago threw away what it stands for.
As in the case of the defeated candidate Weprin, the fact that he went to yeshiva only makes his past and present statements and actions that much MORE reprehensible!
Thank you for your sagacious opinions. I’ll stick with Halacha plain and simple. You sound like you want to write your own Shulchan Aruch. There’s a movement for people like you – its called Reform.
This is absurd!
We are talking about soldiers for a Jewish country!
The soldiers should have every right to get up and leave a situation of pritzus!
They should never be forced to attend to begin with.
They complain that the chareidim dont want to fight for the country and when they do fight for the country their rights as torah observant jews are taken away from them? Ridiculous! We should start a macha!
His point is that the IDF has a “posek”, and if you join the IDF then you are agreeing to abide by that posek’s ruling. But that’s a problem.
If that’s the case then the IDF must exempt people whose faith is compromised by the positions of the IDF Chief Rabbi. Then, anyone who agrees can stay and listen to Kol Isha that is not Kol Isha according to the chief Rabbi.
This other nonsense about diapers is irrelevant to this. And let those who don’t want to be a part of this Judaism first understand what it is about and then make that decision about what they do and odn’t want to be part of.
But being “wise and not just correct”, is not observant Judaism. Yes, there are areas where one can be makil. But straight halacha cannot be compromised at all whether “to be wise” or to make someone happy or for any other reason. First and foremost, one must be correct. If there are more than one correct options and one is wiser than the other, then certainly choose the wiser one. But don’t be wiser than halacha demands.
I can’t believe this article. This is really anti Jewish and I would say that this guy is a self hateing Jew bcz you should respect someone who would get embarrassed and do what’s al pi Halacha then be sitting there and here kol isha. My fellow ‘Jewish’ solders be proud of yourself and we are all with you chazak!!!!!!