Rabbi Yoel Manovich, head of Yeshivat HaGolan, a "Hesder" yeshiva whose students combine Torah study with military service, spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News about the new stage thousands of yeshiva students, who fought for several months and are now returning to intensive Torah study, are facing.
"It is clear to me, in general, that soldiers returning from battle will need help adjusting back to routine life in the yeshiva," says Rabbi Manovich.
"We are currently studying Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook's commentary in Orot Hamilchama (lit. Lights of War) about King David and Abraham, that they were strong in spirit, and we yearn for these souls. It is clear that this prophecy is being fulfilled during these months of fighting. The soldiers have seen situations, faced fighting, and reached peaks of mental and spiritual strength, including on Shabbat and special times like Hanukkah."
Rabbi Manovich adds: "Obviously, you experience extremes and, on the other hand, terrible traumas, not only because your friend was killed and you continue to fight and don't go to the funeral, but you also kill people and see a lot of people lying dead on the ground. I have students who have seen a lot of people being killed and even had to evacuate them. All this creates a different, mature personality and a bigger person who has had to deal with bigger things. It's all about the magnitude of traumas and mental strength that we don't even know. They have an advantage as well as a disadvantage, and we have to see how to help them build it, even in terms of our normal curriculum, in classes on Jewish faith."
Rabbi Manovich elaborates on the soldiers’ return to the yeshiva after the war. "There may be lessons on faith that have become trivial for them. They have experienced so many emotional ups and downs that all their senses are sharpened. It is clear that one needs to think of a plan for how to help them re-adapt and how to bring them back to reality. In my opinion, they will have to put in extra time at the yeshiva to compensate for the time they spent in the army. Those who were not in yeshiva during the war, especially if they were at advanced stages of their studies, will need to put in extra study hours precisely because of the immense experiences they encountered. They will have to decide to be in the yeshiva for a longer period of time in order to process all the experiences and build a world of faith that recognizes these mental strengths.
We know that war can raise and can also destroy people, not only in regard to their diligence in learning Torah but also in their ability to return to learning after fighting in battle."
He concludes: "Everyone who returns from three months of reserve duty says: 'I saw God, real divine miracles, miracles, and suffering.' War brings everything to the edge of existence and sharpens one’s senses. One woman said that she and her husband had a wonderful relationship. But then he was drafted, and when he was released, he was always at home, in comparison to the past, when he was generally home once every two weeks. This new situation caused difficulties, and they had a lot of relearning to do in their daily lives at home. We will also have to do a lot of re-training in the yeshiva."