Torah and Army: The Big Index

An list of posts on this crucial topic

While some have criticized my posts about charedim and army service as being divisive, many others have applauded them, and some have even described them as the most important posts that I have ever written. And what I noticed is that, by and large, the people who criticize my posts live in the United States, or are charedi. Whereas, by and large, the people who greatly appreciate my posts live in Israel and/or have children in the IDF.

It is, of course, easy and desirable for people to talk about the importance of (superficial) unity when they don’t really care about how the gigantic and growing charedi population avoids army service. But for those of us in communities where everyone is drafted, it’s clear that there is no unity with the charedi sector.

In non-charedi Israel, for the past ten months, millions of Jews are living in families where the men and boys (and sometimes the women and girls) have been sacrificing their Torah studies and/or their careers and their family life and their health and sometimes their very lives. And the demands on our communities are steadily increasing. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the over one million people in the charedi community are simply not experiencing this. This is not unity.

And if there is no drastic change in charedi society, then a few years down the line, Israel could well be in serious trouble that will make the current appalling situation look mild by comparison. How would we defend ourselves in a multi-front war, against not just Hamas, but also Hezbollah and Iran and a third Intifada and an uprising among Israeli Arabs, if a third or half the population is in yeshivah and kollel? (And this is aside from the catastrophic effect that such yeshivah numbers would have on the economy, and the consequences of that for the IDF.)

In the Hebrew-speaking world, there is no shortage of books and articles from dati-leumi rabbis explaining the importance of army service and why the charedi exemption is deeply religiously problematic. However, in the English-speaking world, there is a dearth of resources. This is despite the crucial importance of this topic, upon which the very existence of the country may depend.

Furthermore, while most religious Israelis fall squarely into either the charedi or dati-leumi camps and have received an education accordingly, many Anglos do not fully understand the issues, and/or are “caught between worlds.” I recently met an Anglo couple in Ramat Beit Shemesh who told me how anguished they are that when they made aliyah twenty years ago as Torah idealists and joined the charedi community by default, nobody taught them about what the charedi world actually involves and about the existence of the non-charedi Torani community.

Accordingly, I finally decided to compile all my posts on this topic into a book. However, it will take a long time to develop and edit all this material properly (if anyone would like to assist with research, editing, and/or material support, please be in touch). In the meanwhile, I’ve decided to provide a list of links to my posts on this topic. (If you have comments on specific posts, please post them on that specific post, not here.)

Agendas and Motivations

The Irrelevance of Zionism - Why “Zionism” has nothing at all to do with the importance of serving in the IDF

“Haters of Torah” - On accusations regarding the motivations of those who criticize charedim for not serving

The Charedi Approach to the War - What is it, and is it anti-achdus to criticize it?

The Letter of the Mothers - A group of mothers of soldiers makes a public plea

My Sons’ Lives and Learning - A mother of yeshiva students and soldiers speaks up

Sources and Theology

The Yeshiva King - Is King David a model for army exemption for Torah students?

“Torah Protects” - Who, and from What? - An actual analysis of the sources

Rescuing Rambam from Revisionism - Did Rambam really say that those who learn Torah are Levites who should be exempt from national defense?

How Many Yeshiva Students Are Needed? - On the Midrash which allegedly claims that one third of fighting-age men were learning Torah

Eviscerating Torah - Is fairness a Torah value? On Moshe Rabbeinu’s statement

My IDF Plan, The Netziv - The Netziv’s view of Torah students and army service

More Important Than Learning Torah - A surprising Chasam Sofer on mitzvos that take precedence over learning Torah

Rav Zevin: Is This Daas Torah? - A prominent rabbinic authority on Torah and army service

The Soldiers Are Really Doing Stuff - Is hishtadlus just a charade?

Chareidi Society and Army Service

IDF Exemptions: The Crucial Distinction - The difference between individuals and communities

The Importance of Torah Study - Is this the reason why Charedim don’t serve?

The Real Reasons why Charedim Don’t Serve - Behind the propaganda

The Eighty Unmentionable Yeshivos - Why the charedi world avoids acknowledging the existence of the eighty hesder yeshivot

If Only It Were A Lie - The claim that the IDF doesn’t need or want charedim and turned away those who tried to join

One People, Two Torahs - How the phenomenon of charedim avoiding army service during an existential war came to exist

Two Different Torahs - How charedim and dati’im have totally different conceptions of what Torah is

When Torah is Poison - The values of those who serve vs. those who don’t

The Reform of Agudah - Agudas Yisrael once told its constituents that it’s more important to bear arms in war than to learn Torah. What changed?

Ask your Local Charedi Rabbi - Do charedi rabbinic leaders believe that non-charedi yeshiva students should also not serve in the IDF?

Hamas+Hezbollah+Iran=Vacation! - The IDF does not take vacations. What about the yeshivos who claim to be providing the real defense?

When Charedim Leave Yeshivah To Fight - The circumstances in which charedim agree that learning Torah doesn’t help and it’s necessary to leave yeshiva to fight

Charedim Are Forcing Yeshiva Students Into The Army - The charedi community is forcing thousands of non-charedi yeshiva students to leave yeshiva and join the IDF

The Growing Divide - As the IDF manpower shortage grows, yeshiva students and others pay a greater price - unless they are charedi

Cities of Torah Warriors - Do the cities that house Torah scholars need defending?

Deception and Deflection - How to identify manipulation of the issues

The Definition of Mesiras Nefesh - How charedim use the term vs. how others use the term

The Religious Risks of IDF service - Are they a reason not to enlist?

Who is Providing Zechusim for Whom? - Do the soldiers need your mitzvos, or do you need theirs?

Hysteria vs. Hashem - The charedi response to the expiration of their exemption

A Charedi Exodus - Will Charedim leave Israel rather than join the IDF?

How Do You Solve Charedim and the IDF - Is there anything that can be done?

Chessed and Prayer

Tzaddik or Mazzik? - Rav Dov Landau condemns Shai Graucher for his chessed initiative

“What’s it got to do with us?” - A prominent rabbi says the quiet part out loud

He’s Not an Aberration - Why many charedim do not davven for soldiers

The Complex Reality - To what extent is the charedi community helping soldiers and praying for them?

The Objection to Connection - Why charedim avoid acknowledging the sacrifice of soldiers

The “Great Ones” - The "Torah Giants" who won't tell you to davven for soldiers

Polemics and Rejoinders

Miracles instead of Effort - R. Yitzchak Berkowitz in Mishpacha magazine defends the charedi refusal to draft

An Erev Tisha B’Av disgrace - A response to R. Neugroschel’s lecture in Ramat Beit Shemesh

The Exodus Disgrace Called Out - The Sephardic Chief Rabbi says that charedim would leave Israel rather than draft

Just Plain Incoherency - Mishpacha magazine attacks those who allegedly go against Daas Torah

Rav Brudny’s Accusation - Is the High Court ruling a secular attack on Torah?

Theodicy or Idiocy? - Rabbi Moshe Meiselman explains why Oct 7 happened and what we need to do

Yes, We Needed Israel - A response to the argument that charedim shouldn’t have to fight for something they didn’t want

Two Different Universes - Charedi vs. Dati Leumi ideas about being Jewish

Half a Yeshiva Student plus Half a Soldier equals Zero Achdus - On the viral video of cute kids in Purim costumes

The “Antisemitic” Cartoon - Hateful antisemitic slander, or a true and necessary critique?

Mission: Impossible - An OU leader calls for “achdus”

Miscellaneous

If Your Brothers Go To War - A powerful video by Rav Tamir Granot (English subtitles)

A Declaration - A statement regarding suitable Torah institutions to support

What Charedim Need to Understand About Religious Zionists - How to avoid rifts

This Is Not How I Grew Up - Reflections on raising children in Israel

Effective Tzedaka - How to help Israel

The Delusion About Datiim - What many Anglo-charedim don’t realize about their dati neighbors and relatives

The Dati Community is Furious - What the Dati community feels about charedim

What Should Trapped Charedim Do? - If army is not an option, there are still other things.

And What About American Jews? - Do Jews outside of Israel need to draft?

This list will be updated on an ongoing basis.