Sharing The Burden

I came to Israel and settled for ideological reasons. Not for Zionistic reasons because I am not a Zionist. I am also a fervent Zionist. It all depends on how you define "Zionism"..... [I am also Modern Orthodox and not Modern Orthodox, it all depends on how you define "Modern Orthodox." I am not a big "labels" fan. They mean nothing and lead to shallow thinking.]

I have this really-really-really popular book [called by some goyim the "Khumash"] which constantly emphasizes the centrality of the land. I quote one such passage in the name of Moses: "See that I have taught you the statutes and laws as Hashem commanded me, to keep in the Land that you are going to inherit [i.e. Israel]" - Va-eschanan 4/5. Wowwwwww  - tefillin, tzitzis, shabbos, taharas hamishpocho, learning Torah, eating matza on Pesach, drinking wine on Yom Tov and eating cholent on Shabbos, were all given as mitzvos to be performed in the Land of Israel. Passages like this one do a "number" on me and make me just want to be here....

That leads me to my point. In this country there is a heated debate about army service for yeshiva boys. There is a powerful party in the Knesset [including a renegade "rabbi" who is the darling of many modern people and communities in chutz la-aretz because he so outspokenly tries to erode the foundations of charedi society - with a large black velvet yarmulke on his head:-)] that is doing everything they can to close down just about every yeshiva in the country. The secular and many religious as well say "It's NOT FAIR! Why should our children serve and risk their lives while you charedim sit in the comfort of your yeshivas."

On the surface this is a very convincing claim and appeals to our sense of morality and fairness. I have to deal with the question myself as my son quickly approaches draft age. It is not right that he should be exempted while others aren't!

Let me preface by saying that everybody who serves in the army is doing a great mitzva and is greatly appreciated and valued by me. If they'd let and want - when I saw chayalim I'd hug and kiss them all. They deserve it. They sacrifice the best years of their youth in order to defend me so that I can live safely. They are heroes. I have an even more special place in my heart for religious soldiers who have to sacrifice even more [sleep, comfort etc.] in order to serve. Instead of sitting around the shabbos table with their families they instead sit in some far off base surrounded by nothingness. Every soldier a star and recipient of endless gratitude and appreciation. No question.

So why not my Shmuli [followed by his two little brothers]? Is his blood redder?

The answer is that it is not. Nobody keeps their son out of the army because he wants to protect him at the expense of others [at least I hope not]. If we had to die for Hashem we would do it. There is a greater value than life and that is fulfilling the will of Hashem. If I had to choose between having a child of mine either transgress one of the three cardinal sins or die, there is no question what I would choose. I love my children, however they are not mine but a Divine gift given conditionally.

I spent 13 years in a yeshiva where the students combined army service and yeshiva study. It was presented as an ideal. On me it had the opposite effect. It helped me decide to do whatever I can to keep my children out of the army.

????

The army is a very secular framework guided by very secular people who have no or limited respect for what we deem most holy and sacrosanct. I have heard time and again from soldiers about their difficulty in keeping mitzvos in the army. I have numerous relatives who are no longer religious and the yarmulke "flew" during their army service.

Someone once asked the Chazon Ish: If I go to the army, I will remain religious but my spiritual passion will cool off. Should I still go? The Chazon Ish answered "A cooling of spiritual passion is יהרג ואל יעבור!!" Since there are great spiritual dangers in the army, thousands of young men don't serve. Period. On top of that is the issue that in order to develop into talmidei chachomim they need to devote these years to Torah study.

I don't feel guilty in the slightest [despite my natural predilections to feel quite guilty about things] for encouraging my children not to serve and sending them to like minded institutions. I am merely following just about every gadol bi-yisrael since the birth of the State. Why should one feel guilty when he follows dvar Hashem as understood by the tzadikim??

The problem is that everything I wrote is complete nonsense in the eyes of many secular minded people. I was once in a yeshiva which brought one of the highest ranked ['religious'] members of the army brass who proclaimed [in a Beis Medrash with a yarmulke on his head!!] that if there is a conflict between democracy and Torah - then democracy must prevail. Nobody protested these words of blasphemy [I wasn't present but I fear that I wouldn't have protested either because it might have cost me my job and I really like it when I can buy food for my children] but it shows the mindset of the army. Religion is OK as long as everybody understands that the army comes first. That is an attitude that a religious solider can never accept and thus can't allow himself to be subject to their authority.

Rav Shteinman Shlita agreed to send boys to the Nachal Charedi, I hear people saying now as they read. Are you more frum than Rav Shteinman???

No I am certainly not. But the facts are that Rav Shteinman said to send boys who were yeshiva dropouts to the army to get them off the streets and into a life of productivity. Sending them to the army was an attempt to preserve their religiosity [the army is better than the street if the army creates a special framwork for charedi boys, as they promised to do]. Also, the sad facts are that many of the soldiers in the Nachal Charedi aren't even religious [I watched a promotional video of theirs and, unbelievably, they highlighted this fact] and many of those who are religious, are very far from being Charedi. Sending a devout and pious boy to such an environment where the language, behavior and attitudes are so foreign to the way he was raised will place him in great spiritual peril.

If this didn't convince you - we remain friends:-). I don't need people to accept my viewpoint [most peoples minds are made up already] but to respect those who think differently.