The Myopic Charedi View of Daas Torah

One of the many signs denigrating the IDF seen at Charedi protests (eJP)

By now, I should be used to this attitude. And yet, I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. The default posture of the Daas Torahniks is the total suspension of one’s own common sense in deference to authority - simply because someone older and presumed wiser in Torah knowledge says so, without explanation. They call this Daas Torah. Questioning it is treated not as disagreement, but as near heresy.

This mindset was once again on full display in the backlash to a letter signed by over 100 Charedi donors stating they would no longer support Yeshivos and Kollelim that denigrate the IDF. Notably, the letter did not challenge the Charedi position opposing military service. Their demand was far more basic: do not disparage those who are risking - and in many cases sacrificing - their lives for the Jewish people.

That should be self-evident.

While I personally believe Charedim should serve as a general rule, with exemptions where appropriate, this letter was not about conscription. It was about ending rhetoric that goes beyond ideological opposition and crosses into outright contempt for soldiers and their families.

First, let me be clear: if organizers misled signatories or attached names without consent, that would be wrong and indefensible. But beyond one or possibly two claims, there is no evidence that this occurred. In any event, that controversy is not the real issue. The reaction to the letter is.

You don’t need to be a Gadol to understand the motivation behind it. How Charedi leadership can tolerate - let alone engage in - denigration of people who protect not only secular Israelis or religious Zionists, but the Charedim themselves, is astonishing...

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