There are - among others - two principles that characterize the Charedi philosophy. You can agree or disagree with them but these are the hallmarks of Charedi society.
1] Separation - התבדלות. Charedim don't want to integrate into general society. They want to live in their own neighborhoods and minimize as much as possible interactions with non-Charedim. It is not out of hatred ח"ו but out of a desire not to be influenced. Agree or disagree - that is an important fundamental Charedi value. General society is secular and Charedim don't want to be part of that. There are many secular and Dati-Leumi people who work VERY HARD behind the scenes to change the dynamic and integrate the Charedim. Millions of dollars are spent on this project.
2] Listening to Rabbonim and particularly Gedolim. Since it is a Torah based culture, Charedim follow the Torah experts. Different Charedim follow different Rabbonim but there is no such thing as deciding important religious issues without Rabbinic guidance.
If the Rabbonim-Gedolim would tell the men to enlist due to the war then it would be the Charedi thing to do. But not ONE has made any such statement. On the contrary. They are firmly opposed.
Now don't get me wrong. This is an emotionally charged issue. Just about every non-Charedi believes that Charedim should be serving - especially at war time. I am not making a value judgment and saying who is right and who is wrong. But it is axiomatic that part of the basic Charedi ethos is to listen to Rabbonim. The test is not when one agrees with them. The test is what one does when he doesn't agree.
So these reported 2,000 "Charedim" have simply broken with Charedi practice. They mean well and who knows - maybe there are right. It is not like there are no opinions in Jewish literature that would instruct boys to close their gemaros and enlist [like a simple reading of Tanach]. Of course there are. But "Charedi" means "Daas Torah" or "Emunas Chachomim" or call it what you want. This defying Rabbonim and deciding to enlist against their explicit directive is a serious break from Charedi custom.
Maybe there are Gedolim who are telling the boys to leave yeshiva but believe me - if there was ONE he would get limitless press.
So again - these men mean well. We are at war. It is a mitzva to defend Jewish people, called "לא תעמוד על דם רעך". It is on the surface the moral and brave thing to do.
But there is a lot of wisdom in the Charedi approach which helps preserve tradition that we are losing out on when people decide to defy the Gedolim and decide for themselves what רצון השם is at this time. The Gedolim know all the Gemaros and Rambam's about war no less than the prospective soldiers.
One of the secrets of the astounding success of the Charedi world which has been rebuilt in an unprecedented way after the Holocaust is following the guidance of the Gedolim. We are not necessarily more moral or more aligned with רצון השם than they are. They is a reason - actually many reasons - that they oppose boys enlisting in Tzahal [excluding very unique circumstances]. Even listening to them when they are wrong [Rabbonim are human too] has value.
Sefer HaChinuch 496:
שֶׁלֹּא לָסוּר מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם – שֶׁנִּמְנַעְנוּ מִלַּחְלֹק עַל בַּעֲלֵי הַקַּבָּלָה עֲלֵיהֶם הַשָּׁלוֹם וּמִלְּשַׁנּוֹת אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם וְלָצֵאת מִמִּצְוָתָם בְּכָל עִנְיְנֵי הַתּוֹרָה, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יז יא) לֹא תָסוּר מִן הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יַגִּידוּ לְךָ יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל, וְאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּסִפְרֵי (כאן), לֹא תָסוּר, זוֹ מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.
To not stray from their words: That we were prevented from disagreeing with the masters of the tradition, peace be upon them, and from changing their words and to not remove ourselves from the commandments in all matters of the Torah. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 17:11), “you shall not stray from the matter that they tell you right or left.” And they, may their memory be blessed, said in Sifrei Devarim 154, “‘You shall not stray’ — this is a negative commandment.”
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה (עי' רמב"ן עה"ת יז יא). לְפִי שֶׁדֵּעוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם חֲלוּקִין זֶה מִזֶּה, לֹא יִשְׁתַּוּוּ לְעוֹלָם הַרְבֵּה דֵּעוֹת בִּדְבָרִים, וְיָדַע אֲדוֹן הַכֹּל בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאִלּוּ תִּהְיֶה כַּוָּנַת כְּתוּבֵי הַתּוֹרָה מְסוּרָה בְּיַד כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִבְּנֵי אָדָם, אִישׁ אִישׁ כְּפִי שִׂכְלוֹ, יְפָרֵשׁ כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה כְּפִי סְבָרָתוֹ, וְיִרְבֶּה הַמַּחְלֹקֶת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַשְׁמָעוּת הַמִּצְוֹת, וְתֵעָשֶׂה הַתּוֹרָה כְּכַמָּה תּוֹרוֹת, וְכָעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי בְּמִצְוַת אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטּוֹת בְּסֵדֶר מִשְׁפָּטִים (מצוה עח). עַל כֵּן, אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁהוּא אֲדוֹן כָּל הַחָכְמוֹת הִשְׁלִים תּוֹרָתֵנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת עִם הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁצִּוָּנוּ לְהִתְנַהֵג בָּהּ עַל פִּי הַפֵּרוּשׁ הָאֲמִתִּי הַמְקֻבָּל לַחֲכָמֵינוּ הַקַּדְמוֹנִים עֲלֵיהֶם הַשָּׁלוֹם, וּבְכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר גַּם כֵּן שֶׁנִּשְׁמַע אֶל הַחֲכָמִים הַנִּמְצָאִים שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ דִּבְרֵיהֶם, וְשָׁתוּ מַיִם מִסִּפְרֵיהֶם, וְיָגְעוּ כַּמָּה יְגִיעוֹת בַּיָּמִים וּבַלֵּילוֹת לְהָבִין עֹמֶק מִלֵּיהֶם וּפְלִיאוֹת דֵּעוֹתֵיהֶם, וְעִם הַהַסְכָּמָה הַזֹּאת נְכַוֵּן אֶל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת בִּידִיעַת הַתּוֹרָה. וְזוּלַת זֶה, אִם נִתְפַּתֶּה אַחַר מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵינוּ וַעֲנִיּוּת דַּעְתֵּנוּ לֹא נִצְלַח לַכֹּל. וְעַל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת וְהַשֶּׁבַח הַגָּדוֹל בְּזֹאת הַמִּצְוָה אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ספרי כאן) לֹא תָסוּר מִמֶּנּוּ יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל, אֲפִלּוּ יֹאמְרוּ לְךָ עַל יָמִין שֶׁהוּא שְׂמֹאל לֹא תָּסוּר מִמִּצְוָתָם, כְּלוֹמַר, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ יִהְיוּ הֵם טוֹעִים בְּדָבָר אֶחָד מִן הַדְּבָרִים אֵין רָאוּי לָנוּ לַחְלֹק עֲלֵיהֶם, אֲבָל נַעֲשֶׂה כְּטָעוּתָם, וְטוֹב לִסְבֹּל טָעוּת אַחַת וְיִהְיוּ הַכֹּל מְסוּרִים תַּחַת דַּעְתָּם הַטּוֹב תָּמִיד, וְלֹא שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד כְּפִי דַּעְתּוֹ, שֶׁבָּזֶה יִהְיֶה חֻרְבַּן הַדָּת, וְחִלּוּק לֵב הָעָם, וְהֶפְסֵד הָאֻמָּה לְגַמְרֵי. וּמִפְּנֵי עִנְיָנִים אֵלֶּה, נִמְסְרָה כַּוָּנַת הַתּוֹרָה אֶל חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְנִצְטַוּוּ גַּם כֵּן שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לְעוֹלָם כַּת מוּעֶטֶת מִן הַחֲכָמִים כְּפוּפָה לְכַת הַמְרֻבִּים מִן הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ הַזֶּה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי שָׁם בְּמִצְוַת לְהַטּוֹת אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים.
It is from the root of the commandments [that it is] because (see Ramban on Deuteronomy 17:11) the opinions of people are different from one another — never will many intellects agree on things. And the Master of all, blessed be He, knew that if the intention of the verses of the Torah would be given over to the hand of each and every human being — each man, according to his intelligence — every one of them will explain the words of the Torah according to his [own] rationale; and disagreement about the meaning of the commandments would increase in Israel, and the Torah will become like several Torahs — like the matter that I wrote on the commandment of “to incline towards the many” in the Order of Mishpatim (Sefer HaChinukh 78). Hence our God, Who is the Master of all the wisdoms, made our Torah — the Torah of truth — perfect with this commandment; that we were commanded to act within [the Torah] according to the true understanding that was received by our early Sages, peace be upon them; and that we should listen to the sages present [now] that received their words, drank the words of their books, and exerted themselves with many exertions — day and night — to understand the depth of their words and the wonders of their opinions. And with this agreement, we will arrive at the true path in the knowledge of the Torah; and without it — if we are seduced after our thoughts and the poverty of our minds — we will not be successful at anything. And by way of the great truth and praise of this commandment, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifrei Devarim 154), “‘You shall not stray from [it] right or left’ — even if they say to you about right that it is left, do not stray from their commandments” — meaning to say that even if they err in one of the things, it is not fitting for us to differ with them. Rather, we should do like their mistake. And it is better to suffer one mistake, and everything be given over under their constant good opinion; and not that each and every one go according to his [own] opinion. As with [the latter], there would be destruction of the religion, dissent in the heart of the people and total loss of the nation. And because of these things, the intention of the Torah was given over to the sages of Israel. And from this root, they were also commanded that the small group of the sages is subordinate to the group of the numerous [sages], and as I wrote there about the commandment of “to incline towards the many.”
