In a letter distributed on Thursday by rabbonim affiliated with the hesder yeshivot, they write “loyalty to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and his Torah supersedes any other loyalty, including to the army and the government”. These words will undoubtedly serve to escalate tensions between hesder and the government, as some are working to persuade Defense Minister Ehud Barak to reverse his decision and to reinstate the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva into the system.
The leaders of hesder however, led by Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, a moderate, are still working to persuade Rabbi Eliezer Melamed to sign a letter opposing insubordination in the IDF.
The letter of support for Rav Melamed’s position, sent to students who are about to enlist into basic training, it states “The military has one commander, and he must remain loyal to Hashem”. The rabbis who signed are affiliated with yeshivot around the country, but they are not roshei yeshiva, just rabbonim. They stress our loyalty to Hashem must take priority over loyalty to any mortal man or entity.
On Sunday, in Beit Shapira, dozens of hesder roshei yeshiva will gather in the urgent session that was called after DM Barak ousted the Har Bracha Yeshiva from the system. They appear to be seeking a solution to narrow the chasm that was created as a result of recent events, still hopeful of the possibility that DM Barak will reverse his decision and permit Har Bracha to return to the system.
Commenting on recent events on Thursday, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin warned of damaging the long-standing arrangement between the military and hesder, stating hesder contribution to the nation’s military speaks for itself.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
Ha-Shem is more important than the Medinah.
Torah is more important than zionism.
The hareidim have been saying that all along.
The religious zionists took almost a century to figure this out? They are slow learners.