The haredi community in Israel is getting slammed from all directions for its refusal to send its young men to enlist in Tzahal at a time when many more soldiers are badly needed. In response, haredi leaders cite several reasons for their remaining on the sidelines during the ongoing war. While the reasons have a justified foundation, including problems of modesty in certain army situations because the army did not keep its promises to the Religious Zionist yeshvias on that score, and the challenge of maintaining a high level of frumkeit in the IDF, in light of the tremendous sacrifice of life on the part of the general public and the long months of fighting borne by reserve soldiers and their families, the arguments of the haredi community are being met with rebuke.
The secular public cries out that all citizens have the same obligation to share in the national burden. Many Rabbis and religious soldiers in the National Religious community point out that there is a Torah commandment known as “Milchemet Mitzvah,” an existential war, which halakhically requires all Jewish men to go forth to war when enemies threaten Jewish life in the Land of Israel. There is also the Torah commandment not to stand idly by the blood of your brother. Also, a Jew is not supposed to separate himself from the general Jewish community. Is there a greater separation from the Clal (general community) when a person or group refuses to take up arms beside his brothers when the survival of the general Jewish community is at stake?
[Note: The IDF is now creating a special haredi Hashmonaim Brigade and is working to make it totally suitable for the haredi/frum soldier, so that the not trivial claim that too many Religious Zionist soldiers became less religious in the army will not be applicable.]
However, the Torah commandments to go forth to war when Jewish life in Israel is threatened and the injunction not to stand idly by when your Jewish brother is being killed, these Torah obligations apply to all Jews the world over – not only to the Jews who live in Israel. A Jew who lives in a foreign land cannot hold up his foreign passport and say, “I am exempted from these Torah commands because I don’t live in Israel.”
Just as a Jew must keep kosher and observe the laws of Shabbat wherever he lives, he must also defend his brothers in mortal danger whether they be in Brooklyn, Boca, Bogota, or Bnei Brak. The Prophet Yonah thought he could escape Hashem’s command by fleeing from the Land of Israel. He discovered in the belly of the whale that his reasoning was wrong.
Hashem is not hampered by border crossings. His word extends everywhere. When a Diaspora Jew reaches Heaven, he won’t be able to hold up his foreign passport and claim that he was exempt from performing this mitzvah or that because he didn’t live in Israel. A servant of Hashem is expected to rush to perform as many mitzvot as he can. You can be considered a draft dodger in New York or California or South Florida.
As mentioned in a previous essay published on this website, when one entertains the conception of Redemption as coming by miracle, “leave it to Mashiach,” and expects the Redemption to come all at once, “all or nothing” – then considering all that is lacking today in the State of Israel, this is certainly not “all,” therefore it is “nothing” to this way of thinking. It is obviously not exactly what we have been praying for. This perspective does not fit with the teachings of our Sages that Israel’s Redemption is a gradually developing process like a sunrise which evolves over time – not all at once. This gradual unfolding process is further rejected when it comes about through secular – and even anti-religious - pioneers!
Let me share a story about HaRav Isachar Shlomo Teichtal, author of “Eim HaBonim Semeichah,” which took place in Elul 5704 (1944) in Pressburg during the Nazi round-up of Jews. The story, as related by Rabbi Aharon Rosenfeld, can demonstrate this attitude of rejection.
“Upon entering our trusted hideout, Rav Teichtal introduced himself. Immediately we understood that standing before us was an important Rabbi and a giant of Torah. We implored him to offer us and the fellow Jews in hiding words of encouragement, ssince the atmosphere was deeply despondent following the uprising in Banská Bystrica. The rebellion had prompted the German military to enter Slovakia to suppress it, and true to their demonic nature, they had channeled their wrath toward the Jews. We could sense what was about to unfold.
“Rav Teichtal began: ‘Gentlemen, what can we say, how might we justify ourselves? As the verse says, 'God has uncovered the iniquity of His servants.' What words could possibly address the fate of European Jewry? However, let me share with you a tale that shall express all that I feel.
‘In a small township, the synagogue's sexton passed away. To provide sustenance for his widow, it was agreed that she would fulfill all the duties that were performed outside the synagogue's premises. When the days of Selichot arrived - as was the custom - the synagogue sexton would rouse people at dawn for the penitential prayers by striking their gateway doors with a designated staff intended for this purpose. This time, the task fell to the widow. At three o'clock in the morning, in wintry weather, she ventured to the outskirts of the village and commenced her sacred duty. The first house she visited belonged to a man named Sándor Weiss, an unsavory fellow who was startled by the knocking. After receiving an explanation from the widow, he contemplated briefly and proposed to take the Selichot staff from her, suggesting she rest in his dwelling while he would fulfill the duty in her stead.
‘When he approached the nearest house and began knocking to rouse people for Selichot, the householder inquired, ‘Who’s there?’ When he answered that he had taken it upon himself to wake people for Selichot, the householder responded angrily: ‘A swine-eater like you shall not wake me for Selichot.’ And so it continued from house to house, with everyone declaring, ‘A transgressor like you shall not wake me,’ or ‘A swindler and scoundrel such as yourself...’ Thus concluded his rounds through the township, where he was met with mockery and contempt, with everyone remaining in their beds rather than rising for Selichot.
In the morning, the congregation assembled for the regular morning prayers, and the Rabbi greeted them with bewilderment, asking what made this year different from all others, and why they had not come to Selichot. Upon hearing their argument that Sándor Weiss was to blame for everything, the Rabbi could not contain his indignation: ‘Fools! True, Sándor may be guilty of all the things you attribute to him, but this time he was not engaged in any of the matters you mentioned - he was merely waking people for Selichot. Why did you not rise?’
“At this point, Rabbi Teichtal burst into tears and cried out: ‘Indeed, the Zionists may desecrate the Sabbath and commit other transgressions, but they awakened the people and called out: 'Escape from this upheaval! The Gentiles hate us and we have no place except in the Land of Israel!' Yet we did not listen.’ He concluded with these words: ‘May we merit to rectify this distortion and be received in the Promised Land.’"
Ironically, this very mindset of waiting for a holy redeemer was a large part of the reason why the Zionist movement became dominated by the secular. Those with the “Mashiach will do it all” illusion maintained their belief that action on our part was unnecessary or prohibited. Thus a “sit back and wait” approach dominated the religious camp who were against doing the building themselves. The work of rebuilding the nation was therefore done by others. Thus the philosophy arose – let others do the work. Let others fight in the army. A philosophy which we hope will stop paralyzing the haredi community and Jews the world over today.