The rosh yeshiva of the Elon Moreh Hesder Yeshiva, HaRav Elyakim Levanon Shlita has announced he is stepping down in protest over the military’s trampling of Halacha. Rav Levanon is also the mora d’atra of the yishuv, as well as the rav of the Shomron Regional Council, viewed as a leading Halachic authority in the dati leumi community.
During the conflict surrounding the kol isha issue in the IDF, when soldiers were ousted from officers’ training school for leaving a kol isha event, the rav stated that Halacha will never be compromised and if he is compelled to choose, he will instruct his talmidim not to enlist in the IDF. The event that sparked the issue took place in September 2010.
This was the case with Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, the rosh yeshiva of the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva, who publically came out against the IDF directives for violating Halacha. Rabbi Melamed stated that Halacha would not be compromised, instructing his talmidim to walk out of kol isha events.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak halted budgeting for the hesder yeshiva, officially expelling Har Bracha from the hesder network in April 2010. Rabbi Melamed nevertheless remained true to Halacha and made no effort to apologize in anyway. Quite the contrary, he condemned the IDF’s policy, for turning its back on the best of its fighting force, the kippa sruga soldiers who today comprise the backbone of the IDF infantry combat units and the most elite units.
It is now revealed that Rabbi Levanon and other rabbonim met last week with IDF Chief Rabbi Brig.-Gen. Rafi Peretz, during which the rabbonim called on Peretz to step down. They were referring to his unacceptable statement of late, publically declaring that if there is a conflict between Halacha and military regulations, the latter must supersede Halacha.
Rav Levanon explained that by resigning, he is no longer affiliated with the hesder network, and as such, he may speak his mind, which he plans to do.
Rabbi Levanon, 62, will undoubtedly comment in the immediate future for during recent weeks he warned state and military officials that they are coming “dangerously close” to creating a situation in which rabbonim will have to instruct talmidim to distance themselves from the IDF. This was before the IDF officially announced that soldiers, religious and non-religious alike may not walk out of kol isha performances during compulsory ceremonies.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
It’s interesting how the whole issue of Kol Isha has (unfortunately) been conflated with the overall “Hadarat Nashim” rumpus that’s now going on in Israel. Because of the efforts of some groups to push ever-more-stringent Chumros on the general public, there has been a backlash against any and all perceived affronts to women’s rights, with no distinctions between those trying to restrict a woman’s place based on non-universally accepted Chumros and those trying to follow a normative interpretation of Halacha. This is truly a case where it can be said about those pushing the Chumros, “Kol Hamosif, Gore’a”.
Yes, there are Heterim that some follow re: Kol Isha, but they are generally viewed as B’di’avad. Kol HaKavod to Rav Levanon for standing up for basic Halacha.
an Israeli Yid
Its good to see Rav Melamed & Rav Levanon standing up for torah values when they are under attack by people who hate that way of life. Let’s see which other hesder rabanim or rabanim in or connected to the Tzahal will follow. Who can justifiably stay under a management like this?
The Rosh Yeshiva of my sons Hesder told the boys that if they are in such a situation, they should not cause a scene, but they should close their eyes so they can not see who is singing, and not pay attention to the singing. This is not to say that it is ok to tell yeshiva guys they must stay, but until it is resolved by higher ups, this is what they should do.
Kol hakavod!
AnIsraeliYid, as far as I see its the secular trying to impose their pritzos’dik & hefker lifestyle on the frum, like the forcing of frum to listen to “kol isha”, destroying all Mehadrin lines that serve the frum, and has nothing with them seculars, half naked women walking up on private frum bus lines to provocate and so forth and so on.
Guter yid – When you conflate so-called “mehadrin” buses, which are a Chumra of relatively recent origin, to the Halachic Issur of Kol Isha, you are showing the same attitude that caused the current backlash against what is seen by the secular majority of Israel as religious coercion. Trying to force someone to follow your Chumra on PUBLIC buses is going to antagonize them and cause a backlash. Eizehu Chacham? HaRo’eh es HaNolad.
an Israeli Yid
Rav Peretz did not say that military regulations supersede Halacha. This was commentary by a chaplain upon leaving a closed meeting.