Plesner Ponderings

Politicians have no emuna: they attribute anything good in our country to themselves, and anything less than desirable to their opposition.

The Haredi politicians, at least, should know that everything comes from Hashem, including the termination of the Tal Law (which enables military deferments for Torah students) and the Plesner Committee, which despite being disbanded, is calling for the draft of Haredim into the army. It's not Plesner, Bibi, and Mofaz that are clamoring to draft Haredim, it's Hashem. Yet, rather than stopping and pondering what Hashem is trying to tell us by way of the calls to draft, the Haredi political parties are chasing the proverbial stick rather than looking at who is wielding it. That's befitting a cocker spaniel, but not a person with emuna.

Why the ruckus? The Mishna tells us straight out who will be drafted and who will not. "Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah says: Whoever accepts the yoke of Torah upon himself will be spared the yoke of government and worldly affairs" (Avot 3.5). That's a hard spiritual fact. If the Torah learners as a whole were really learning Torah - as a "yoke" and not as the easy way out - Hashem wouldn't be threatening them with the draft.

Of my three sons, my first two served in IDF special forces units. My third son wanted to learn Torah full-time. I agreed, on condition that he learn with the same dedication - mesirut nefesh - that his older brothers served in their dangerous units. As someone who is every bit as familiar with the inside of a halftrack or chopper as I am with the inside of a Yeshiva, I can objectively say that if a person isn't doing his part to protect our beloved homeland by learning Torah in total immersion around the clock, than he should at least be manning a duty station in the IDF around the clock. Our enemies - the Hamas, Hizbulla, and the Iranians - are super dedicated. To defeat them, we must be more dedicated than they are.

Forget about the easy life. The Gemara tells us that three things don't come easy - Torah, the world to come, and the Land of Israel. We have to sweat for all three. If a person in Israel is living an easy life, he's not doing his job. Those Yeshiva guys who really learn with emuna and with all their hearts will continue learning. But the others who are looking for an easy life can expect draft notices, unless they do heavy-weight teshuva and start learning with day and night dedication too.

Remember, the draft notices are not from Plesner or Bibi, they're from Hashem. Let's stop whining and get to work. It's no-nonsense Torah or basic training. Choose whatever you want.

Image copyright Emuna Outreach, 2012

Comments

[Jewishendofdays.wordpress.com]

Right on Rabbi Brody!

Last summer R. Shteinman stated that the missile attacks from Gaza during that time were a result of "bittul Torah."

My first reaction was, "Bittul Torah? Again?"

Then, I came to understand that the reason was bittul Torah, in this sense:

If a person or group claims they are "protecting" E"Y with their Torah learning and that's why they can't be in the IDF, fine with me.

But the second they don't take their job very seriously and bittul zman to any extent (like a soldier falling asleep on duty) they are committing a dangerous Chillul Hashem because they are hypocritically not doing what they claim they are doing, being paid to do, and being relied upon to do. In a very real sense, this is THEFT (and brazen, and arrogant).

Thus, it is readily understood how the cause of the fighting was bittul zman. (In fact, from this perspective it could be argued that this bittul zman is the fundamental problem in Klal Yisrael)

Bottom line, I am really happy to see your post - it brings sanity to an insane (and inane) discussion. Thank you.

[Frumasara Doe]

This is the most intelligent post I have seen anywhere......

With the greatest respect in the world, why isnt Reb Steinman saying this.

[Dovid Mark]

Thank you Rav Brody. That is an excellent take on the situation.

[t]

What will be with all those tamim Breslovers who are not cut out for intense learning & whose parents skimped so that they could instead send their tahor boys to the Rebbe before the age of 7. How is the army going to help their shmiras haBris which is the yesod of all Avodos HaShem. Looking forward to Reb Lazer's opinion.

[Avi Yudkowitz]

I just have to make one correction that I always stress when anyone quotes that Gemarah in Berachos as everyone forgets one important point -

Hashem gave us three GIFTS that don't come easy...

Thanks.

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkN6EH_OfvpoZo-YEO1qoHq_nkolFJy2TA]

Here are the facts of the matter...

The State of Israel has approximately 6.4 million Jews. How many Rabbis and yeshiva students should be on the payroll and how many yeshiva students should be exempted from national service ?

A Rabbi's job includes : Officiating at services for Shabbat; Holy Days; Counselling, Mentoring; Being a fixed point of reference for a community; and assisting with life cycle events like births, shidduchs, weddings, brit milahs, bar/bat mitzvahs and deaths. If one Rabbi is needed per 1,000 people then this means Israel currently needs 6,400 "Doctors of the Law". (Rabbis’ remuneration : 40 weeks p.a. at Shul; 4 weeks Training; 8 weeks Holiday. Pay them well. Pay peanuts and get...)You also need a reserve group of Rabbis to fill in when permanent Rabbis take a break from their shuls. (1,000 in number). You also need schochets, sofers and Rabbis skilled in divorce and funerals. (1,000 in number). Not all Yeshivah students go on to become Rabbis so let's say 1,000 spots could be reserved p.a. for those interested in becoming Rabbis. Some attrition would be allowed to take place as people drop out of the course. Only the best and the brightest, like with scholarship programs in the West would be accepted. No more ersatz training by pseudo "important" institutions. Lastly you need a core group of head Rabbis, i.e. A Sanhedrin of 71, plus an administrative, management group to oversee the others of say 500. Total Rabbis/Yeshiva Students needed p.a. = Approx. 10,000 (Should Diaspora Rabbis be trained in Israel first ? Interesting question which would add to this number. Funding issues arise also.) So if the State/Kingdom is to fund the education of these yeshivah students the budget for this section of the population is limited. (The private/public partnership model of funding for Rabbis and institutions also has gotten messy. Too many crossed boundaries. The Sanhedrin, Rabbis and Yeshivah Students should be true "Public Servants", not able to be or willing to be compromised.) These 1,000 Yeshivah Students would be exempted from national military service. It is all about getting the balance right. The 54,000 “exempted person’s” figure is out of kilter. The current ratio is not what Ben Gurion envisaged at the time of the founding of the state. In 64 years it has really blown out. It also is not the ratio that Moses, if he was alive today, would recommend for a modern nation state/kingdom.

A nation or kingdom needs to constantly monitor what types of jobs are necessary to keep things ticking over. The financial relationship between the taxpayer sector and the dependent sector which includes : Special Needs People; The Elderly; Homeless; Prisoners; Sick and Injured; Infants; Adolescents; and Students also needs to be monitored and managed properly so that resentment doesn’t build between different sections. People don’t mind paying their taxes or contributing “a shekel to the upkeep of the Temple” if everyone is contributing to the best of their abilities.

The key to a healthy economy and community is for everyone to contribute to the national effort in some way, shape or form. If everyone shares the load the burden becomes easier to shoulder.

Also, if the State of Israel makes the right moves in the coming days, weeks and months then the existential threats will diminish and the defence budget will be able to be trimmed. (Think the Isaiah "Swords into plowshares" dynamic kicking in.) So the Tal Law issue is connected to the larger geopolitical picture.

Adam Neira
World Peace 2050
Founded April 2000

[Bukin86]

Does Rav Arush agree with this post?

[LazerBeams]

Definitely. My hashkafa all comes from Rav Arush. In fact, the Rav has cancelled most of the "bein hazmanim", cutting the midterm break down to a mere 7 days from 3 weeks, demanding that all our students (who already are strong and dedicated Torah learners) learn much more seriously.