HaGaon HaRav Aaron Leib Shteinman Shlita has instructed rabbonim visiting him this week “we must increase tefilos towards removing the harsh gezeira”, referring to ongoing efforts to compel chareidim to enlist into the IDF.
The rav is quoted in the weekly BaKehilla as saying “if there is a single person who is truly pained by the gezeira” it will contribute to removing it, “but this is not simple”.
The rav is quoted as telling roshei yeshiva that the cause of the gezeira is a lack of “emunah and yiras Shomayim”.
“It is likely that externally it appears as if there is emunah and yiras Shomayim but inside, it is empty”. The rosh yeshiva adds this is the reason so many holy souls opt to follow the yetzer hora.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
16 Responses
Could someone explain why requiring chareidim to protect the country is somehow a bad gezeira? What happened in the time when Bnai Yisroel entered Eretz Yisroel? Who fought the wars?
I say this humbly and respectfully – serving in the IDF is not a gezeriah k’neged Torah, it is an opportunity to be mekadesh Shem Hashem and preserve artzeinu hakedosha!!
nothing wrong with serving and learning- no one is saying no learning— they are even offering community service which is chesed…..and for the real iluy’s they are allowing 4000 to learn full time…sounds great to me…
instead of 3/4 of people not working and sitting around this will allow them to work and learn….
HARSH gezeira ?
Baruch Hashem klal yisroel has anonymous bloggers that know better than Daas Torah. Who needs Rav Shteinman shlita when you have “flatbusher”, “MichaelB” and “RamatShilo”?
If we are against the State then what are we doing taking funds form them? Why are we saying that wer’e learning Torah for the sake of the State?
If we are in favor of the State someone’s got to do the army. I guess that would be the non Frum Jews. But then again, Don’t we want everyone to be Frum??
This is the position of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of AGUDATH ISRAEL. The stand is not to take a stand. There is not a clear Mahalach for how the entire Jewish people is supposed to look like.
This vaccume is not going to stay like this forever. Either the Aguda Gedolim are going to go back to their roots which is the official Mahalach of the Eida Chareidis, Satmar and the Briskers and admit that they were wrong for leaving that path in the first place, or, the politicians are going to win over again and they are going to go further towards the Mahalach of the religious Zionists. (In the mean time many of the RZ’s are going even further away on their own adventorous exploration further and further away from our roots…)
BOY, DO WE HAVE TO DAVEN…
YESHIVAH world news. Yeshivah- translation from Hebrew- SITTING (meaning studying or an institution where people sit and study). All those (commentators) who can’t see the importance of sitting and learning full time should give up their desk jobs and find a more labor intensive job, I’m sure an Avreich would swap with you for your 100K plus job. Besides for the Haspah it brings to the world, not every learning guy is built to be a foot soldier.
Al Shlosha Devarim KOL AOLAM OMAD- TORAH, Avodah, and Gimilas Chasadim. There is a reason why Torah is first, and I’m going to continue to follow the words of our Torah Leaders.
#1, There is no legal exemption for Charedim. Charedim do defend the country — so long as they’re not learning full time. The fuss now is to drag people away from the gemoras and make them go to the army instead; and that is wrong. Dovid Hamelech didn’t go to war; he learned Torah so that the fighters should be successful.
#2, Forcing people to stop learning Torah is by definition a gezeira k’neged haTorah. The Rambam paskens that “shevet Levi”, which includes anyone whose profession is Torah, does not make war.
#3, 4000 is not nearly enough. Ideally there should be one learner for every combat soldier.
But R Shteinman, if you really want to avert this gezeira, davening is not enough. Avrohom Ovinu knew that the way to be answered in your own crisis is to help someone else in theirs. So why did you instruct your MKs to vote for throwing Jews out of their homes? How is that not a gezeira equal to the one you’re complaining of? Just because they’re Tziyonim, does that make them any less yidden? Does Hashem love them less? Are they less yirei shomayim then you? You are right in your complaint; but so are they in theirs. You should be helping them and they should be helping you.
1. Those who are seriously learning all day are defending the country. Our history has shown that Jewish survival is a function of Torah, not playing soldier.
2. If the army was truely open to Hareidi Baal-ha-Batim, most Hareidim would serve. Indeed they would be fanatic soldiers anxious to drive all the goyim out of Eretz Yisrael, regardless of halachic or political concerns, but at present are safely controlled by the gedolim. Imagine Kush Katif if they asked a bunch of frum soldiers to evict kosher Jews from their homes! At present Hareidim who wish to serve in the army either are forced to compromise on mitsvos, serve in segregated units (not unlike the former colored regiments of the American Army), or put with up significant harassment and persecution while serving in secular units.
Y don’t al u well meaning ppl go ask the gedolim what and y they say these things and then argue with them 2their faces instead of writing ur rubbish “daas Torah ” or daas wateva over here
I hope all of the self-proclaimed “kanoyim” read this and see that the Rosh Yeshivah is not as pro-army as they thought. I think he is speaking to them about chitzonius vs pnimiyus yiras shomayim
I was referring to “It is likely that “extremely” it appears as if there is emunah and yiras Shomayim but inside, it is empty”
I think it should be externally but I could be wrong.
#1 and #2:
Despite Zionist fallacies that wish you to believe otherwise, Zinist wars cannot be compared to the milchemes mitzvah commanded MiPi HaGvurah.
Gedolim since the inception of the State of Israel have ruled that the IDF is not an appropriate place for a religious Jew. Some have used the term Yehareig viAl yaavor. That’s only the first problem and the first major difference between the IDF and, LiHavdil, kivush haAretz as commanded by Hashem.
Hashem looks out for Eretz Yisrael. Regardless, there’s no reason for a frum person to transgress a yehareig viAl yaavor and join the IDF.
After Harav Shteinman shlit”a and decades of Gedolim have spoken out against this gezeiras shmad, by whose authority is anyone allowed to disagree?
A public forum is not the place to point out the problems of the army. Speak to frum people who have been to supposedly frum units and ask them. Rav Steinman shlit”a is well aware of what is at stake – much better than both you & me but please do a little research.Especially people based in USA or new Olim should find out more about how things work in this country before daring to argue casually with Gedolei Yisroel.
#1 – ‘could someone explain why …. is a bad gezeira?’ – i suggest HaGaon HaRav Steinman shlita probably could.
#2 – nice of you to ‘humbly and respectfully’ disagree with the gadol hador. it may be even more humble and respectful to consider that he understands the gravity of the decision better than you and I.
If YWN decides to publicize the remarks of our gedolim, i would suggest that it more appropriate for those who consider themselves bnei torah with some level of emunas chachomim to at least keep their objections to themselves and not publically disagree.
do any other YWN readers find this ‘with all due respect to the gedolim’ attitude somewhat inappropriate?