(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
The incitement is repeated: minutes after the draft bill was approved on Tuesday evening, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid rose to the podium and harshly attacked the chareidi public, the Likud and the Bayit Yehudi parties.
MK Ben-Tzur’s draft law was approved in a preliminary reading by a majority of 59 to 38, with Minister Sofa Landver voting against it the bill. Shas MK Ben-Tzur said, “I do not know without the Torah where Margi from Morocco would be today, or Kahlon from Tripoli, or Lapid from Serbia or Yvette from Russia. ”
MK Yair Lapid got up to respond, saying, “I will tell you where they were today without the IDF, they would be dead because without the IDF it is impossible to maintain the State of Israel.”
Lapid added: “I do not remember that it says in the Torah that it is permissible to send others to be killed for you, and I do not remember that it says in the Torah that it is possible to evade serving. The word chareidim, but the disgraceful surrender of the Likud and Bayit Yehudi. Who do you think that you are fooling? Cowards sacrifice the IDF and its soldiers for political interests. Where is written in the Torah that it is permitted to send someone else to be killed for you, since when did you learn in the Torah that contradicts the defense and preservation of the homeland? Shame on you! You are all throwing the IDF soldiers under the wheels of your political bus.”
MK Moshe Gafni, Chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, attacked Lapid with his statements. “I am happy that the law on limud Torah has passed, without which we have no right to exist as a Jewish people. The Knesset accepted the right to study Torah with a significant majority for those who declare limud Torah as their profession and thereby sustaining the Jewish People. This is a historic event and I was deeply moved by it when seeing the outcome”.
Gafni added: “I did not understand Yair Lapid, and he spoke about mesirus nefesh…. There are yeshiva students who go to work and go to be a reporter for [the IDF magazine] BaMachane.” It is not certain that as a reporter for BaMachane Lapid risked his life. In his position, I would prefer not to raise this argument for he takes crowns that he hasn’t earned for himself.”
Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri responded to the approval of the amendment to the draft law in a preliminary reading and said: “I am happy that the amendment we brought to the Torah law was approved by a large majority. That certain elements have tried to make political capital on it and to create an unnecessary crisis.”
“I congratulate my coalition partners who showed responsibility at the moment of truth in order to enable this good social government to continue to work for the general public,” Deri added.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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19 Responses
Au contraire my dear Yair. Without Torah learning the IDF would be dead.
Yes we need an army of fighters but we also need an army of Torah learners.
He’s on point.
Without the Yeshivas the IDF would be dead.
בס”ד
מכתב אש קודש מאת מרן פאר הדור הגה”צ המקובל רבי יעקב מאיר שכטר שליט”א
עת צרה היא ליעקב כאשר מתרחש כאן בארה”ק ע”י אנשי הערב רב מסע של עקירת הדת, ויומם ולילה לא ישבותו ויושבים וזוממים ומתכננים כיצד לעקור תורה מישראל באמצעות גזירות קשות של שמד ממש שהקשה מביניהם שנטפלו לצעירי בחורי ישראל בגזירת הגיוס להעביר את ישראל על דעתם ועל דעת קונם
ולאחרונה החלו גם בנורא מכל לפעול ולהפעיל להכניס שינויים בגיוס בנות ישראל בפגיעות חמורות בהסדר הפטור שהיה נהוג מקדמת דנא, והיא גזירה קורעת כל לב שאחריתה מי ישורנה.
הן על כל אלה הנני מצטרף בזה לקריאת גדולי הדור מרנן ורבנן שליט”א שהכריזו על יום תפילה ושוועה עולמי בער”ח ניסן הבעל”ט שהוא יום מסוגל לקבלת התפילות שיתקבצו בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות לזעוק אל ד’ שיקרע גזר דיננו, ובפרט הגזירות הנוראות הנ”ל של גיוס בנים ובנות ה”י
והן ק-ל כביר לא ימאס תפילת רבים המשוועים לישועה למען תורתנו הקדושה ולמען קדושת בננו ובנותנו, וגם לרבות להתפלל על ישועות עולמים שמכל צרותנו יגאלנו בחודש שהישועות בו מקיפות ובניסן נגאלו ובניסן עתידים להגאל במהרה ובקרוב. וְתֶחֱזֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ בְּשׁוּבְךָ לְצִיּוֹן בְּרַחֲמִים. וְשָׁם נַעֲבָדְךָ בְּיִרְאָה כִּימֵי עוֹלָם וּכְשָׁנִים קַדְמוֹנִיּוֹת
אדר תשע”ח – יעקב מאיר שכטער
He’s right!
What an idiot!Without Hashem we’d ALL be dead! And far more people are murdered in terror attacks ,than in serving in the IDF(at least since the Yom Kippur War) and a disproportionate number are frum jews, because we’re easily identified as such!We are in danger just walking the streets of Jerusalem, while Lapid has his private car.And this is from a guy who had “protectzia” from his MK father so he didn’t get anywhere near combat!
Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, thy name is Lapid!
Lapid is not the only one who claims that “without the IDF, you guys are dead.” There are plenty of ostensible Chareidim, and even a well-known website who often seem to espouse the very same sentiment. Anyway, more and more Israelis are starting to realize and admit that forced conscription is simply not possible. The IDF has always known that to be the case. Which is why it did not, and even at present, is not clamoring to “force” the Bnei HaYeshivos into the army.
Dear Yair Lapid,
The Gemara in Makos 10a, Omdot Hayu Raglenu behsaareich yerushalaim, ma garam leraglenu sheyaamdu bamilchama, shaarei yerushalim hametzuyanim b’halacha.
What caused our feet to stand in the war?, the gates of jerusalem (the batei midrashos, and yeshivas) that are toiling in Halacha.
He should really do his research first before opening his mouth….
Avi732
Yes we need TRUE torah learners, not the mass blanket of exemptions that allows men to baby sit, hang around, beg for money from door to door, work off the books for years, and cost the government billions of shekels under the guise of torah learning.
@luda: How did the Jews and the Torah survive 70 years in Bavel, Paras, and Madai without the IDF? How did the Jews and the Torah survive 200 plus years under the Greeks without the IDF? How did the Jews and the Torah survive close to 2,000 years of persecutions, expulsions, torture, decrees, heavy taxes, slavery, etc. without the IDF?
Pretty boy gives another greps.
Dear Gadol hadorah:
where is your haskamah for this great oheiv yisrael , and great talmid chacham who is teaching about priorities, maybe you should explain to him that he’s correct except that running a marathon is just slightly more important
How would Yair Lapid know what it does or doesn’t say in the Torah? Did his “chareidi friend” tell him?
Where is this Rasha getting his warped “Torah” talking points from? His goyishe father’s michtovim? His close friend, the big kover himself, Dovy Lipman?
Gafni said it best. What a chutzpa that this draft dodging lowlife elitist who never served 5 minutes in any combat, is lecturing others about forced entry into an army.
Reply to american yerusalami: You suggest that a draft does not raise a good army. That is contradicted by the success of the IDF – widely regarded as a remarkably good army, one of the best – if not the best – in the world. I don’t know whether all learners should be exempt from the draft, but I have yet to hear any Chareidim explain how many are needed to learn to protect the State of Israel, Land of Israel, or the Jewish people.
Huju: No one can be forced to be soldier against his will. If a conscript refuses to cooperate, and is willing to endure imprisonment, and even physical punishment, no one can force this guy to agree to be trained. An untrained conscript is a danger not only to himself but to the entire platoon, battalion, etc. The army cannot retain a person who cannot be relied upon to do his job. I was not calling for no draft (although many are making strong noises lately advocating such a move). I AM saying that drafting fellows who will refuse to become trained soldiers is a fruitless waste of time and money. And it’s fairly obvious that the IDF has always known this to be true. Furthermore, the IDF’s battlefield successes over the past 70 years without the yeshiva students only underscores my point. They’ve done remarkably well without the yeshiva students. All of a sudden, the IDF needs these guys? Most of whom are not great military assets.
Today, everyone in Israel knows the truth that only about 50% of the 18 year olds end up serving. The not-drafted ones are not primarily yeshiva students. Kids from leftist communities are doing everything in their power to avoid conscription. Substantial numbers of athletes, entertainers, academicians are routinely granted shortened or no army service at all.
As far as how many learners are required, don’t ask the Chareidim. It’s not their (our) decision. Pose your question to the gedolei and manhigei hador, whose decision it is.
@Avi732 – The primary reason the shomrei Torah work off the books is because current laws do not permit those who have not served in the IDF to hold regular tax-paying jobs.
True they often babysit but it is usually bein ha’sedarim. And what about the extra night sedarim lasting often until 11,12,1 at night?
It’s sad that it has come to a point that some people have built up such a hate for Torah learners, that they can agree with one of the biggest anti frum people alive.
Also @juju, the psak of all the gedolim going back to the Chazon Ish was that yes, we will not accept anything less than blanket exemptions for all bochurim, learning or not.