First and foremost – there is no real reason to fight over sharing of our collective burden and calling for others to draft. The chance that a war of sources or laws to force a draft will change things – is very slim, and because of this – it is best that instead of attacking others we will engage in bettering ourselves. We will present an organized doctrine and our Torah obligation to do so, and those who wish to walk in the path of God faithfully will choose his path in light of this.
What Will the Army Do with the Ultra-Orthodox?
Therefore, for many years I have not taken any part on the attack on the rulings of ultra-orthodox Judaism and its approach to the issue of drafting. Alongside this, we have an obligation to remember the basic principles with a cursory look at the halachic and torah-based position that not only requires participation in war, but also sees this as a merit in itself:
These are the principles of our doctrine regarding the obligation to participate in wartime:
-The general moral principle that the Torah writes explicitly is “will your brothers go to war and you will stay here??!!”. When others are protecting us, we are obligated to be part of those defending others. The Torah teaches us this obligation in the most clear and simple fashion, even before dealing with a specific mitzvah. Those who walk in the path of God are not able to live in a way where others risk their lives to save them, while they as a distinguished group do not participate.
-Halacha determines that for a Milchemet Mitzvah, a groom departs from his home and bride from her wedding canopy. We are in a fight for our lives, and this is considered ‘saving Israel from the hands of an enemy’, which completely encompasses our situation saving Israel from an enemy’s hands. There is thus a halachic obligation to draft into the army and serve, based on the mitzvah and the merit to protect Am Yisrael.
-“Do not stand idly by your friend’s blood” is not just a mitzvah for the individual, but a general mitzvah, teaching us that it is prohibited to view one’s brother in distress and not give themselves over to save him.
-The mitzvah to settle the Land of Israel and conquer it has been determined by many authorities. This is a mitzvah for all of Israel and requires the mobilization so that we aren’t left to fend for ourselves amongst the nations.
-Tanach as a whole teaches about war that occurs on the battlefield, the general mobilization of forces and who participates in it, and the criticism of those who do not come to support God as heroes. Jewish tradition teaches the supreme status of those who genuinely give their lives for the nation, and those who were killed in Lod – no creature can stand in their midst.
-The State of Israel has the halachic status, granted in a limited capacity, of a kingdom. Involvement in the State of Israel includes within it the responsibilities of state citizens, as we learn in many places in Shas, and primarily in Mesechet Bava Batra.
-It is a tremendous merit for the State of Israel to allocate a group of those eligible for draft to learn Torah. The Midrash teaches about the influence of the beit midrash on the war camps, as well as the fact that the general structure of the nation includes a tribe that does not go to war. This is very significant, even nowadays when the division of the tribes is meaningless. This small group is obligated to give themselves over entirely to Torah learning and to give up different material matters – “and he thrust from his neck the yoke of many reckonings which people seek”, foregoing on certain rights, as the Rambam writes regarding inheriting the land. One cannot play both sides.
-We stand true to our way of life and we will never relent – to learn Torah with full force and fight with full force. The last war taught us once again the importance of the Hesder yeshiva boys, and of course the mechina and yeshivot of higher learning as well etc., in the army’s ranks. Alongside this, the flourishing of Torah has been powerful in the last decades. This too is a product of this path. This is walking with integrity in the path of God.
