Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita sends a clear message to the tzibur on Memorial Day, “that without the soldiers we would not be able to learn”.
Adorned in his talis and tefillin, the gadol hador first recited Keil Molei Rachamim for the fallen soldiers, then reciting a special mishabeirach, in which he added that “without the soldiers we would not be able to learn Torah due to the evil people, the enemies of Israel who seek to destroy us”, calling on HaKadosh Baruch Hu to protect the soldiers of the IDF and keep them safe.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
The gedolim on the other side would bring proof from the Torah & say that without Torah & avoda all the soldiers wouldn’t be worth anything.
What is the Chidush ?
We say a special Meshebairach every Shabbos for the soldiers and every Yizkor we say a Kail Moleh for those soldiers who were killed.
Nothing new here for any Young Israel shul
What’s the chiddush? Im ein kemach ein torah; but it remains just as true that in ein torah ein kemach, and a talmid chochom should not leave the gemoroh and go be a farmer.
To #1 While you are correct you are ignorant. We also need our soldiers to protect us. A war by am Yisrael is fought on two fronts. Through soldiers fighting to keep us safe and of course through learning Torah. That’s is why Rav Shlomo Zalmen Aurbach once hugged a soldier at the kotel telling him “thank you for protecting us”
The Chiddush is huge, since this is not the mindset or education given over to the kehilla presently & the question is WHY?
To Milhouse
This is not a “chicken and egg” debate. If it were not for the brave soldiers of the IDF and the farmers in the kibbutzim, all your kollel yungerleit would be roadkill for the terrorists or begging for food. There is plenty of time to balance both limud torah and serving in the IDF or working on a farm. The large percentage of bochurim in kollels are not talmedei chachamim and never will be. Many are simply too lazy or risk averse to serve in the military or work on a farm.
#6, that’s not what the Torah says. Parnossoh and defense come from Hashem; the soldiers and farmers are merely His shluchim, and if they were not there He would provide others. In the future the soldiers, famers, and other “support staff” will all be goyim, ועמדו זרים ורעו צאנכם, and we will all be free to learn Torah full time. Nowadays most of us haven’t reached that level, and some of us must serve as “support staff” so that the “combat troops” may learn Torah. But never forget that the Limmud Hatorah is the ikkar and the farming and soldiering exist only to support it.