The Dean of the Beit El Yeshiva, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, in a conversation with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News on Thursday, called for a conscription bill that does not provide exemptions to those who do not study Torah full-time.
"In principle, everyone must participate in a religiously commanded war (milchemet mitzvah), and there is no exemption for anyone, whether they study Torah or not. Certainly, in a war to defend Israel from the enemy, which is a war of self-preservation, no opinion says that one who studies Torah does not go to battle," Rabbi Melamed stresses.
In his opinion, "In practice, in the current situation, there must be a law that demands the conscription of anyone who does not study Torah fully. I assume that at least 50% of the haredi public does not continue studying after the age of 26. One who learns full-time will get a deferment, and as long as he is occupied with his studies will be exempt from conscription. It needs to obligate the entire public, including the haredi public. According to the halacha that says that 'you force people to perform the mitzvot,' if the haredi public refuses, you have to force it and withhold all its rights until it agrees to what was accepted by all the great sages of the previous generation."
Rabbi Melamed also defined what full-time Torah study is: "This refers to the study practice according to the rules observed today, that a person must study two sessions a day: an evening session and a morning session. Whoever stops studying during the years when conscription is mandatory must enlist in the military."
He expects haredi leaders to join him. “There needs to be a call from the great Torah sages, the rabbis, and the Haredi public figures, acknowledging that those who study receive a deferment, and those who do not are obligated to enlist.”