After the draft law passed its first reading in Knesset earlier this week, Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman explained “Our primary responsibility is to our tzibur, to place limud Torah at the helm, to permit all those who learn to continue, and that no one is compelled to leave the beis medrash”. The deputy minister’s remarks are quoted in Hamodia, citing he was speaking with supporters.
Litzman said that 70 years ago, on the eve of the establishment of the State of Israel, Rav Levin ZT”L, the esteemed president of Agudas Yisrael expressed the position maintained today, that all those wishing to declare limud Torah as their fulltime occupation are permitted to do so.
The deputy minister added, “Indeed, the chareidi public is busy with a thousand and one issues, and each one is important and necessary … Our partnership in the coalition contributes on many levels, but Torah study stands before everything. Therefore, things must be clear. We are clinging to our position in line with instructions of the Moetzas Gedolei HaTorah, and oppose the draft law raised in the Knesset, and if it passes despite this, we will leave the coalition”.
“Complying with the Moetzas Gedolei Torah,” continued Litzman, “must be absolute and brings only a bracha. Every question, every discussion and every decision must be brought to its table, and only the Council will decide what representatives of Agudas Yisrael will do.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Earthquakes while trying to pass draft law. Just wondering…
Didn’t Rav Kanievsky say not to oppose it, because it’s the lesser of 2 evils? And wasn’t he proven right when the opposition leader lamented that this won’t wind up drafting any more bochurim? So why is Litzman picking the fight of his life over this? Doesn’t he usually listen to the gedolim?
Litzman, we hate to see you, go! Ohone more thing ,Dont let the door hit you where the sun dont shine!
Do they think they’ll get a better deal from a left wing coalition?
ladler: correct
Not only those that learn. Even those that don’t learn shouldn’t be sent to the IDF where their spiritual demise is almost guaranteed. How does it make any sense?
The child is struggling, and instead of utilizing all forms of outreach to bring the child closer to Hashem, we will push him over the edge?!
Wer’e not discussing boys who have unfortunately gone completely off. Wer’e discussing regular boys who may be going through a hard time.
A hard time is defined by the law as learning less than 45 hours a week.
The IDF just released their statistics of chareidi enlistment for the year of 2017. From June 2017 to June 2018, 3,011 chareidi boys were drafted r”l. Many were good ehrliche boys who may have been struggling for a little bit, and had their ben yeshiva status revoked. Who knows what will become of them now…
Rav Litzman is guided by the Moetzes of Agudah and is not bound by the position of gedolim outside Agudah. It’s also quite possible that Degel and Agudah agreed to disagree,as both positions might be necessary to bring about the yeshuah.
Litzman the one who cause Barkat to win -twice
The country was slumbering ..then Litzman was the one deciding all of a sudden back in March to start this whole problem
Maybe Degel and Shlomei Emunim/Hamevaser should put him in his place already or dare him to go walk off
A soldier does not fight a battle with just a rifle in his hands and hand grenades attached to his belt. He fights with a group of men who in turn are supported by airplanes, helicopters, drones, tanks, cannons, howitzers, anti-aircraft missiles and other armament. Possibly hundreds of miles away there are many more supporters who do not fight at the front but are just as necessary; ammunition supplier, cooks who prepare their portable ready-to-eat meals, boot makers, uniform suppliers, etc.
With this knowledge of thousands backing him a soldier has full confidence of his success in battle. That bravery helps assure victory on the battlefield.
Just as important—and more so—a secular or religious soldier’s spirit depends on the worldwide Charedim community whose merit in prayers, learning Talmud, and strict adherence to God’s law his life may hang on.
It is a self-defeating purpose for the Israeli government to force the Charedim into army service. The backbone of belief in them holds the future of any success just as it did in the past 70 years in Israel and as it has done since Judaism came into being.
It is a major flaw in believing that taking Charedim out of their yeshivas will aid the army as it is in allowing easy victory to the enemies of Israel.
In reply to two comments:
To Rebbe Yid,
I think Rav Kanievsky was referring to the law as passed before Liebermann came out with his so-called “IDF approved” plan. It was in objection to the protests by the Yerushalmi Faction. I could be wrong, I don’t read all the news from the charedei sources. This law is very similar to the law that was passed when the hareidim were not in the coalition, regardless of what Ayelet Shakad says.
To anonymous Jew:
Labor (Zionist Union) members are also reported to be voting for the law, disregarding their leader.
So where do you see a left that will support their aims?
No, the secular members of the coalition, and the National Religious are all really fired up when it comes to curtailing Supreme Court power when it comes to issues they truly care about, but when it comes to the major point that the hareidim joined the coalition for, draft deferrals for yeshiva students, they seem not to care. In fact, one could say, at least with those whom I don’t have an obligation to judge b’zehus. that was their agenda all along,
The Aguda faction is doing the right thing, it’s always the right thing to follow the gedolim, these are the chassidic gedolim. As I said before the Litvish gedolim, who have spoken, may have a different opinion, not sure.
I think one should look back at a precendent here, when young men, who may have not been from the “right” families, or may have not been the top students, but still wanted to fullfill the mitzva of limud Torah, and they had selection committees in Russia who would decide which young men went to the army and which got to learn. Those rabbis who decided surely had a tough choice, but then, as now, they should have not complied with the authorities. It’s too easy to say,”The less of the two evils.” It won’t be any evil for the priveledged and it could be a very grave evil for the unpriveledged. Perhaps H’ is giving us a chance to do teshuvah.
Maybe, if everyone enlisted it would flood the IDF and they would realize what a ridiculous thing this is to draft yeshiva boys. Don’t know, but Deputy Minister Litzman is doing the right thing.
I really respect Deputy Minister Litzman and Meir Porush and, even though we are Litvish, I would say that those Chassidim better represent us than the present Degel HaTorah. They know how a religious Jew should act in the public sphere.
Baloney !! do you really think they are ready to forfeit annual THREE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS , $350,000,000 they get for the yeshivos, as bribery to be part of the coalition ???
Do you think Litzman & co will walk away from such an insane amount of collective bribery ??
No they won’t!! they will threaten & bluff, but in the end will capitulate, by supposed minor changes or miniscule tweaks to the law & claim victory..
c’mon , we are all sick & tired of this baloney.
Time for the Aguda to return to their roots & be the Aguda of the Holy Chofetz Chaim , Reb Boruch Ber, Reb Elchonen ZTL & actually FIGHT the Anti Torah ZIONISTS.