There are two Orthodox communities in Israel that ought to
be in sync on the major issues facing the Jewish state today: the Charedim and
the Religious Zionists/Dati Leumi (RZ/DL). Both believe in the same Torah and
both observe the mitzvot meticulously. Both proclaim the value of Torah study
as supreme and urge all their youth to pursue it diligently. Both have poskim
who do not compromise on halacha and rule in accordance with their
expertise and religious conscience. Both reject deviating from tradition to
accommodate modern cultural trends.
In most areas, there's little difference between these two
groups in how they live their religious lives.
And yet, they are so deeply divided on one issue that the
saintly rabbinic leaders of each community have virtually no contact with one
another. This division filters down through the communities, often leading to
resentment - at least among the general public, if not always at the leadership
level.
For those unfamiliar with the source of this divide, one
word sums it up: Israel.
How each side views the modern State of Israel has created
an unimaginable and growing rift—one that has widened dramatically since
October 7th, for obvious reasons.
From that day forward, Israel has been at war with the
perpetrators of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. That has
required a massive call-up of the citizen-soldiers who make up the bulk of
Israel’s defense forces (IDF). And that is the issue that has caused the
massive rupture between these two devout communities.
From the RZ perspective, the creation of the State of Israel
is a seminal event! Seen by some as the ‘first
flowering of our redemption’ from exile. And by others at least as the historic restoration of Jewish
sovereignty over the land promised to us by God. As such, they believe every Jew
living in Israel has a moral and ethical responsibility to help protect its citizens, including
through military service.
Charedim, on the other hand, attribute no religious
significance at all to the establishment of the state. Making matters worse, they say,
is that the founders of the state were at best secular. And, at worst,
hostile to religion. Charedim cite ample historical evidence of attempts by
early Israeli leadership to secularize religious immigrants from Middle Eastern
countries, with considerable success. This was particularly evident, they argue,
in the military, where religious recruits were often stripped of their
observant practices. A phenomenon they claim still exists today.
As a result, they have chosen to avoid army service entirely
in what they perceive to be a secular, anti-religious institution. Furthermore,
they see themselves as the true guardians of the Jewish people through their
full-time Torah study. They believe this is the real source of
protection for the nation. Hence, they fight tooth and nail against any threat
to diminish that mission, even slightly.
Their commitment to Torah study also means that they do not
work while in yeshiva or kollel, instead relying on their wives’
income and government stipends. Charedi political participation is almost
exclusively for the purpose of securing their community’s religious and
economic needs.
The point is that both groups are acting out of
deeply held religious convictions—and both resent the other for the
consequences of those beliefs.
The practical effect of this dispute is that RZs are doing all the fighting, dying, and sacrificing - spending
months away from their families and jobs while battling an enemy determined to
annihilate the Jewish people.
Charedim, meanwhile, are implacable in their refusal to
allow their youth to undergo military service. Believing, first, that it would
compromise their religious identity, and second, that it would diminish the one
thing they believe actually protects Israel: full-time Torah study.
That, in a nutshell, is why two deeply observant communities
are practically at war with each other.
I understand the views of both sides. And I certainly
understand why emotions are running so high. Especially during wartime.
What I cannot understand is the intransigence of the Charedi side in refusing to offer any compromise, especially in light of the fact that one of their original objections to military service has proven to be overstated. Religious recruits do not automatically become less observant when they serve. Which is demonstrated by the huge number of RZ students that serve and remain religious after service. Do they not see that the alleged rampant disabuse of observance in the army is not rampant at all?
Despite this, Charedi representatives in the Knesset
continue to push legislation to permanently exempt all yeshiva students
from army service. I cannot imagine how those currently risking their lives
must feel about it - or how their families feel. But I’m sure they are not
happy, to say the least.
That intransigence was once again on full display during a
recent meeting of Charedi gedolim, as reported on Matzav:
The political future of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s government hangs in the balance this week, as Gedolei Yisroel issue a firm ultimatum: substantial progress must be made by Shavuos on the legislation of a new draft law and the formal recognition of yeshiva students’ status—or the coalition risks unraveling…
The emergency meeting took place at the home of Rav Dov Landau and was attended by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and other leading roshei yeshiva.
I understand where these Gedolim are
coming from. But I cannot understand how they fail to see the injustice
of their demands.
They may sincerely believe that Torah - not the army - is what protects us. But how can they not appreciate what the IDF contributes? It can't be that they think the army should stop fighting Hamas and other Islamic Jihadists; and that Jewish blood is being spilled for no reason, because it is really the Torah that protects us. Even if they truly believe that, surely, they understand that such protection may be realized through the army.
Do they not see the injustice of allowing Charedi youth who aren’t fully engaged in Torah study - some of whom are hardly engaged at all - to avoid military service simply because they occupy a seat in a Beis Medrash? Or worse, are on a list of students registered in a particular Yeshiva but don’t bother attending?
Even if one is 100% convinced that full-time Torah study trumps everything else, surely they must admit that not every single Charedi youth is capable of that level of learning or commitment. They may be a small percentage of the tens of thousands of Charedim in the Yeshiva world. But they are surely not an insignificant number.
Why not allow for some kind of compromise that eases the IDF’s manpower shortage? A shortage currently being filled by longer, riskier tours of duty for citizen-soldiers? Would it not be worth having some kind of reproachment with their RZ counterparts if if they did that? Why not give a peaceful and sensible resolution to this crisis a chance instead of exacerbating and perpetuating enmity?
Instead, Charedim cling to their "Hell no, we won’t
go" stance on military service.
The Prime Minister knows that passing their proposed law
would collapse his coalition. But so too would be a refusal to pass it. So he keeps kicking
that can down the road, making promises to Charedi politicians he knows he
cannot keep. Promises that would be irrelevant in a future government less
friendly to Charedi interests.
At the end of the day, Charedi threats to bring down the government are likely empty, because doing so would be counterproductive. But why they won’t compromise remains a mystery to me. I simply do not understand their intransigence.