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| Charedi Gedolim |
Much ink has been spilled by moderate Charedi writers suggesting that many Charedim are now more willing than ever to join the workforce, and in some cases, even serve in the IDF. Especially if their Charedi needs are met. The IDF, for its part, has tried to accommodate Charedi needs by creating special units that cater to them.
In the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre,
there was a mini-surge in Charedi enlistments in the IDF. There have also been
some Charedi Rabonim who have suggested that not all Charedim need to spend
their entire lives learning Torah 24/7/365. That one can, in fact, be a fully
committed Charedi and still join the workforce. And even train in the
professions. Schools have been created to support Charedim in this regard.
There has even been an increase in Charedi yeshiva high schools that offer a
secular curriculum in the afternoon—similar to many Charedi yeshiva high
schools in the United States.
Their Hashkafos are decidedly Charedi. Their morning
programs extend into the early afternoon with rigorous Torah study, while the
afternoons are filled with a decent secular studies curriculum in most cases.
I looked at all this and thought—finally! A breakthrough
toward common sense. Finally, the Charedi community can become integrated into
the rest of society without having to sacrifice a single Charedi principle or
custom.
But my bubble has been burst - by perhaps the single most
important feature of the Charedi world that did not accompany this new
breed of Charedi: listening to the Gedolim. (Otherwise known as Daas Torah.)
The Gedolim to whom the Charedi world looks are opposed to
all of this. They do not accept Yeshiva high schools with secular studies as
valid Charedi Yeshivos. Nor do they accept the idea that one can choose to work
instead of learning full-time. This is not to say they don’t acknowledge the
existence of working Charedim. They do. But only if they first spend as much
time as possible in kollel.
This new breed of Charedim rejects what these Gedolim say is
required of them. And therefore, they are not fully accepted as part of the
Charedi world. They are seen as ‘Charedi-lite.’
The Charedi world acknowledges that this new breed has not
gone OTD. They even acknowledge that they maintain nearly all Charedi Minhagim
- from wearing velvet Kippot and black hats, to consuming only Chalav Yisrael
dairy, to eating only food with the most Mehadrin Hechsherim, to the manner in
which they Daven.
Their wives all fully cover their hair and dress in the same modest fashion the
rest of the Charedi world does. They accord honor to the Gedolim, respecting
their vast Torah knowledge and leadership.
But they do not agree that learning full-time is necessarily
the best way for all of them to serve Hashem. They will serve in the army and then joining the workforce honorably. They even have Rabonim who support
those views.
Other than that, there is no practical or discernible
difference between the lifestyles of this new breed of Charedi and the old
guard.
But the new breed is considered to be Chutz La’machaneh - outside
the camp of the Charedi world - even while acknowledging that they are Charedi
in every other way. By not listening to the Gedolim, they have forfeited the
right to be considered authentic Charedim. They are instead labeled ‘Charedi-lite’
and looked down upon as rebels.
They are still a relatively small minority within the
Charedi world. Most of whom would never dare go against the will of the
Gedolim, who - as is well known - completely reject army service and any kind
of secular education in their schools, even though it means losing financial
support from the government.
This view is endorsed by the rabbinic leaders in the US who
have facilitated massive fundraising campaigns to replace those lost government
funds. A view they continue shouting from the rooftops. This is demonstrated as
recently as today by a feature story touted on the cover of a Charedi magazine about
a certain rabbinic leader that is fighting against the Israeli draft.
To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. I had hoped
this new breed of Charedi was the wave of the future. That eventually, a
grassroots groundswell of support would emerge. One whose numbers would rise to
the point that the next generation of Gedolim would adopt a different view than
the current ones.
But sadly, I just don’t see that happening.
What this portends for the future of Judaism in the State of Israel—on this, the day before Yom Ha’atzmaut (Heh Iyar is tomorrow) - I cannot predict. But the intransigence of the Charedi world is easy to predict. The power of Daas Torah cannot be understated!
