Israeli Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber sent a halachic letter to the head of the Shvut Israel Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Meir, in which he addressed the issue of halachic dispensations to desecrate Shabbat to boost morale during wartime.
In his letter, the Chief Rabbi rules that there is no place for such a blanket permit since fundamental instructions on matters of Shabbat and war should be accepted by Torah scholars and halachic arbiters.
At the beginning of the letter, the Chief Rabbi noted that he usually avoids ruling on halachic questions regarding the military since "the Military Rabbinate, which is on the ground and is closely familiar with the operational reality, is the appropriate body to show the way in such cases."
This being said, in this case, according to Rabbi Ber, there is "a general halachic provision that comprehensively permits Shabbat desecration to boost morale, and it could be used as a precedent for other cases," therefore, he sees a need to address it.
Rabbi Ber stated that he agrees with Rabbi Ben Meir's halachic stance, and writes that "The aforementioned exemption poses a significant halachic and factual challenge and is not based on halachic sources and on an accurate examination of reality. Therefore, there is no place to allow Shabbat desecration to boost morale."He further warned that expanding permits of this kind could “open the door to broadening the scope of permissible Sabbath desecration beyond the limits established by the Sages and the leading halachic authorities throughout the generations."
The Chief Rabbi went on to say that, based on his own military service, there is no doubt that leave contributes to soldiers' recovery and morale. However, he argued that this alone does not constitute pikuach nefesh (a life-saving necessity) that would justify violating the Sabbath. He added that such a directive could also affect the public's perception of the sanctity of the Sabbath if civilians see observant soldiers traveling home on Shabbat.
The rabbi further emphasized that when issuing a broad and unprecedented halachic ruling with far-reaching public implications, “it would have been appropriate to first submit it for the consideration and ruling of the foremost Torah scholars and leading halachic authorities, and only afterward publish it as a general directive." He said that, going forward, any fundamental directive of this nature should be brought before senior Torah scholars for a ruling before being made public.
At the same time, Rabbi Kalman Ber stressed that his remarks should not be viewed as criticism of the IDF's unit rabbis, battalion rabbis, or the heads of the Halacha Department in the Israeli Military Rabbinate. He said their role is to implement halachic rulings in accordance with operational realities, whereas determining overarching halachic policy “is entrusted solely to the foremost Torah scholars and leading halachic arbiters, whose rulings are authoritative."