But I changed my mind. It is an important subject. And in light of what seems like a change of direction by at least one Charedi leader, albeit in the Sephardi camp, I thought it was worth another look.
First, it is interesting to note that both the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudah and Pope Leo urged their followers to undertake fasting and prayer within the same 48-hour period.
Not that the two declarations were for the exact same
purpose. They were not. But I find it curious that leaders of two faiths
simultaneously called upon their people to beseech God for mercy in the form of prayer and fasting in order to alleviate
human suffering. Without the knowledge of either about the other calling for the
same thing at virtually the same time.
Last Thursday, the Agudah Moetzes declared in a Kol Koreh (public
notification) that Yom Kippur Katan should be observed. Yom Kippur Katan is
declared on the eve of Rosh Chodesh when there is an Eis Tzarah L’Yisroel
- a troubling time for the Jewish people. Since Rosh Chodesh fell on Sunday,
and Yom Kippur Katan cannot be observed on Shabbos or Friday, it was moved to
Thursday - the closest halachically viable day. They added that if one is capable
of doing so, that they should include fasting on that day as well.
The first paragraph of the Kol Koreh reads:
“The situation of Acheinu Bnei Yisroel everywhere has become increasingly perilous, with rising waves of anti-Jewish hatred around the world. In our Holy Land, the danger is even greater, with the looming threat of war. Moreover, we still have precious souls who remain captive in the hands of our enemies, Rachmana litzlan, and we pray that Hashem will have mercy upon them, deliver them from their suffering and captivity, bring them from darkness to light, and from oppression to redemption.”
While this sounds sincere and heartfelt, it feels more like
a statement of fact rather than a passionate call to action. It seems to set
the stage for what the Moetzes is really asking for. Which becomes abundantly
clear in the very next paragraph, expressed in far more dire terms:
“At this time, terrible decrees have been issued against the world of Torah and the yeshivos in our sacred land. There are ominous plans, chalilah, to draft those who dedicate themselves to Torah learning, those who sit on the benches of the batei medrash. Our Gedolei Torah have already declared unequivocally that any form of army conscription poses a profound spiritual danger. In addition, there are numerous other decrees and persecutions threatening the Torah world, both spiritually and physically. Tragically, hundreds of yeshiva bochurim have already been conscripted into the army, and several avreichim and bochurim are currently imprisoned in military jails.”
In other words, while the first paragraph asks Hashem to
have mercy on Klal Yisroel generally, the second makes clear what truly
concerns the Moetzes: the “terrible decrees” they see in the effort to draft
Charedim into the IDF.
The emphasis becomes unmistakable in the immediately
following concluding words:
“Am Yisroel’s strength lies only in prayer. It is our sacred duty to plead before the Borei Kol Olamim and to arouse Divine mercy upon His people. Therefore, the Gedolei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel have proclaimed a special day of tefillah this Thursday, 27 Menachem Av, to coincide with Yom Kippur Katan, observed early this month.”
Readers debated whether the Moetzes was dedicating this Yom
Kippur Katan to all the crises facing the Jewish people. Or just to what they
view as the evil anti-Torah decree of drafting Charedim into the IDF.
I think it is safe to say they intended prayers for all the Tzaros - trials and tribulations we - the Jewish people face today. But there is no
doubt in my mind which issue matters most to them. It is not the hostages still
in captivity, not the IDF soldiers who risk their lives daily, not the rampant
antisemitism spreading worldwide. What they fear most - what they want us to
pray about most - is that the God ‘tear up the evil decree’ – issued by the ‘evil
Zionist government’ to force Torah students into military service.
I do not accuse them of not caring about the other issues. They
surely do. But they are relegated to the back burner compared to the danger
they see of Charedim being drafted.
It reminds me of an anecdote (related by Rabbi Moshe Taragin) that Rav Amital often told about the Baal HaTanya. The Baal
HaTanya once told his grandson, the Tzemach Tzedek, who was so deeply engrossed
in Torah study that he failed to hear a baby crying in the next room:
‘If you are so immersed in your learning that you cannot hear a baby cry, that is not true Torah study.’
When it comes to priorities among the Jewish people, it
seems some of our rabbinic leaders cannot hear the baby crying. Instead of
closing the Gemara to go help, they keep learning. What about the crying baby? What
crying baby?!
