Defense Minister Ehud Barak met on Wednesday evening with Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, chairman of the hesder yeshivot organization. The meeting was held at the rabbi’s behest. Rav Druckman headed the state giyur program, and is a former MK as well as an elder and leader of the hesder network, regarded by many as a voice of moderation.
Rabbi Druckman was hopeful that he could persuade the minister to retract his recent decision to oust the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva from the network due to the position of the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, who officials accuse of indoctrinating students to reject direct orders from IDF commanders if they feel the orders violate Torah Law.
The meeting did not achieve its intended objective, as Barak told R’ Druckman his decision is indeed final, and Har Bracha is being cut from the hesder system, and Defense Ministry funding for the hesder yeshiva will be halted.
The implementation of the decision is being delayed somewhat to give students an opportunity to find an alternative arrangement.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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4 Responses
Barak is such a fool.
Little does he know, that in the eyes of The ONE
who really makes the decisions for this world…
it may well be HIM that is “Out For Good”.
#2 – The Torah is the exclusive “interpretation” of Hashem’s will. If the yevonim couldn’t force us to abandon it, Barak and the IDF don’t stand a chance.
#2 starwolf – I never claimed to be an “interpreter” for HKB”H, but “I vas yust following orders” was not an acceptible reason to commit immoral, illegal acts 65 years ago, and it certainly is not acceptible for Jewish soldiers today!
Chayalai Tshaha”l answer to a (much) Higher Authority than (a hellenist like) Ehud Barak!
Sorry,AynOdMilvado1 –there is nothing in the Torah that says that R. Melamed has any right to instruct soldiers to disobey orders.
By the way, this decision is supported completely by the command structure of the IDF. Right -wing religious reserve generals have come out publicly and said that R. Melamed left Barak no choice at all.
And IDF solieers do answer to their commanding officers. That is the lew, and claiming to answer to a “higher authority” id not an excuse. R. Melamed’s viewpoint is not the exclusive Torah opinion.
The IDF knows full well (even if some of the posters on these forums do not) that it is better to do without such soldiers, no matter how good they are, then to sanction insubordination and refusal of orders by soldiers who think that their Rabbi’s views can supersede commands by the IDF.