A lot has been written by the haredi camp about the reasons to oppose any attempt for a mass draft of young haredi men. Much of what has been written has been fairly repetitive and not very clear or well-reasoned. Yerucham Landesman wrote an editorial in the Mishpacha newspaper this past week that explained the opposition in an entirely different perspective. The editorial was unique in its approach and fairly well-reasoned, even if some points irked me and even when I disagreed with parts of it.
I like unique ideas, fresh perspectives, and with that I will therefore tell you what Landesman had to say. Landesman wrote that the truth is that haredi Jews will not join the draft because they wish to preserve and guard over the the authentic Judaism. Being drafted into the army threatens that ability in future generations, and threatens the entire purpose of having a Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael.
How so?
Landesman writes (and I am not translating the entire article, but writing the main thrust of it, with much of it being translation) that the great danger is canceling the status of "Toraso Umanuso" - the status of "torah is his profession", but even people (haredim) who are unable to learn Torah for the majority of the day should be exempt from being drafted. The reason being, because he has already been drafted into a lifestyle that is meant to guarantee the future of Judaism.
Without the haredi lifestyle, conservative and stubborn, the Jewish people has no future, and without the jewish people, there is no need for a Jewish state. Continuing this lifestyles is dependent upon spiritual independence, and we are therefore drafted into this ancient army from the age of being an infant, with the generals being the gedolim. We are constantly tested, we constantly deal with the challenges and seductions presented by the modern world, but we withstand and do not get drawn in, we protect our kids at any price from the fire of dangerous permissiveness. While we are drafted and committed to this life of Torah and Yirat Shamayim, we are unable to accept any demands or a draft of any other kind, even if it makes us look unreasonable.
And, again, this has nothing to do with people who specifically learn torah all day.
Judaim is a thankful religion, which is why throughout the generations and exiles we prayed for the host kingdom, while at the same time doing everything possible to avoid being drafted, because the spiritual draft to the ancient laws of Judaism is above any other draft.
That, in brief, is Yerucham Landesman's explanation in theory of why haredim, even those not able to learn all day long, should not be drafted. They are busy with guaranteeing the future of Judaism. Landesman goes on to explain more in detail how this works in practice.
Landesman writes that this discussion is only relevant for those people who feel taken advantage of, people who are frustrated, don't understand, why the haredim don't need to be drafted. It is not relevant to those who are interested in drafting the haredim for political reasons.
Landesman explains that the reason we need a Jewish state is to guarantee the continuation of the Jewish people. The only people drafted into this task is the haredim. A young secular man at the age of the draft has no knowledge of Judaism. For the most part he is disconnected from our past, from our faith and tradition.
The haredi youth, on the other hand, is drafted his entire life into the Jewish religion, and this is much more difficult than three years of service and a month per year of reserve duty. Being haredi means not turning even a hairsbreadth away from the laws of the Torah. There is no other religion as obligating as Judaism is, for someone who takes it seriously. The laws escort us throughout the day, and throughout our lives. davening, shabbos, kashrut, tzniyut, mitzvot, learning torah, sifting carefully the local environment (for bad influences).
And more than that - when the young secular man is being released from the army service, which is not easy, and begins to find himself, touring the world, returning and beginning to create his career, studying, testing, entertainment, and generally busy with himself, the young haredi man is immediately drafted. He is already marrying a young woman his age, a woman who also has given up a life of comfort, pleasure, friends, studies, degrees, and together they build a Jewish home. Before they have even begun to enjoy what the world has to offer young people, they have already been drafted to service the jewish nation, to make it stronger, to multiply it, to guard it, to continue it through the coming generations.
And then after a few years, when the classic young secular man is around 25 years old, and still busy with himself, with his present life and his plans for the future, a 25 year old haredi is already the parent to a few kids. And it is not easy. It takes tremendous effort. It is for the entire life, because then come the grandchildren, who are also being drafted into this ideology. And while we are busy our entire lives with this mission, the young secular people are busy finding themselves.
Landesman continues that we appreciate fully the soldiers in all the divisions of the IDF. We daven for them and look at them as faithful messengers of Hashem to guard over His people in Zion.
Haredi Judaism will fight for its independence, because we see every secular Jew as being a person of the moment, without consideration for eternity. We will deal with our own internal problems. A young man who cannot sit and learn all day, we will find him an alternative within our camp. We won't send him to be drafted, lest he should confuse his priorities. An avreich who must go to work for his livelihood, we will try to arrange it to be within our camp, so as not to cause damage to the eternal army...You are missing haredim in the army, but you are gaining that the Judaism that your ancestors gave their lives for will be eternal.
That's the bulk of what Landesman had to say in explanation of why the haredim oppose the draft. It is very different than the simple explanation (that is difficult to understand) that "our learning protects you" that has been the basis for most of the articles and explanations opposing the draft..
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sure. They are saving the world. They are saving the Jewish people. they are saving the universe. the sex part of marriage never enters their heads. The money part of kollel never interests them. . That is fine. But if they love the Jewish people so much then how is three years of serving the Jewish people going to stop that? and if love of the Jewish people is so valuable to them then i wonder why that any fry yid shows upo in their neighborhood that they use all their long list of dirty tricks to get rid of them? I suspect their love of the Jewish people is less than they expect us to accept.
ReplyDeleteQuick, where is the Pepto-Bismol?
ReplyDeleteI feel nauseous.
Once again, only the charediim are the 'real' jews. Secular jews, non-charediim, we are their servants to be bullet blockers and pay taxes with no connection or affiliation or understanding of Judaism.
ReplyDeleteWhat form of judaism is he protecting? is it even judaism or is it a cult so heavily influenced by dark age christianity that were it not for circumcision and shema, would be totally unrecognizable.
nobody is anybody's servant. just doing different jobs. he thinks his is harder.
DeleteI don't fall for this pretense that he is dong a job. Our young men and women are doing a job while he is shirking his obligatoons to society and claiming that we ought to feel grateful.
DeleteI like the part where he says that charedim have no friends only a spouse.
DeleteWhat an egocentric pile of crap!
ReplyDeleteWithout putting too fine a point on it, this is unadulterated rubbish.
ReplyDeleteHis romantic description of the Haredi young people forsaking the pleasures of the world for the high ideal of perpetuating the Jewish people is empty rhetoric that covers the miserable hopeless existence that the writer and his type are condemning them to.
His self-centered and self-satisfied air of superiority that he and his sect are preserving the Jewish people while the rest of us are just living our meaningless existences is deeply insulting. Fortunately I believe that the Haredi lifestyle will disappear along with all other aberrations that have become mere history and authentic living will prevail.
If they really showed appreciation for the soldiers in the IDF it would be something. However, the fact is that most don't. What Charedi shul makes a mi shebeirach for the soldiers? None that I know of.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I wondered what he was referring to with the prayer thing. I figure he probably means in times of war the shuls pray for the soldiers, or maybe on a personal level some do.
DeleteDoesn't Beit Tefilla make a mi shebeirach for the soldiers?
Deleteyes, but they are the exception, not the rule
DeleteMost charadim don't stand (and reflect) for the soldiers who have fallen on yom hazikaron. Most Israelis knows someone or knows someone who knows someone who life was taken in a milchemet mitzvah. The least the charadim can do is stand still in silence or say tehillim or do something at the same time for Achdut and respect for the soliders who gave up their lives that allowed some of the charadim to sit and learn.
DeleteI'm sorry but this is not a "new perspective", this is trash and Lashon hara and should not be repeated. Anyone who thinks this way is in my book put in cherem. If you agree with a single sentence this person wrote, I call you a non-Jew.
ReplyDeleteIf following Pagan superstitions, inventing new rules, and in general using power hungry psychopathic, children endangering methods is Judaism... Then I'm the pope.
That Mishpacha magazine could print this hate filled, anti-Torah nonsense, is doubly wrong.
Fine words, no doubt, but why don't you stand by them by identifying yourself with at least a screen name? Somehow, "anonymous" comments come across as less credible than they otherwise could be.
DeleteSee http://www.haaretz.com/the-myth-of-haredi-moral-authority.premium-1.450670 - it is written by Shahar Ilan (known to be very anti-Charedi), but even he makes a good point...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start calling Charedi mouth pieces Meraglim. They are nothing but the source of all our troubles, our lack of a beit Hamikdash. Every criticism ever written in Tanach, or the Talmud was written directly at them. They refuse to see it, and it's the worst chilul hashem in the world.
ReplyDeleteJudaism is not a religion. Judaism is the belief system of the Jewish people. We are a nation, an Am Kadosh, and it is a Torah mitzvah for every Jew who is capable to join the Army.
If you don't want to join the army, get the hell out!
Do you actually believe in what you have written? If so, why didn't you take the trouble to sign it instead of cowering behind the all-inclusive "Anonymous"??
DeleteWhat is really insulting is that he is assuming that he and his sect have some kind of noble existence that we mere Zionists don't. For his information my son who is being drafted to the army in less than two weeks from now has excelled from a young age in the army of God more than any of his glorious avreichim. And I will safely say the same for thousands of other young men and women who are living a real life of real Torah and also supporting and defending this bunch of smug ingrates who think that they are the ones ensuring the future of our people.
ReplyDeleteThe article lives up to its title; whether or not any of it makes sense or is disingenuous, self-serving fantasy, it does describe why the Haredim will always oppose the draft.
ReplyDeleteRafi G
ReplyDeletehe absolutely is calling secular jews his servants... he has appointed himself zevulen and has appointed seculars as his ysachar. He did not apply for his job, he chose it of his own will and is appointing secular and non charedi jews as those who must support him, be it through taxes or through serving in the army at no choice while he chooses a different option. And his job is more important, and he is a better, more true jew.
*I don't want to you can't make me NENER NENER NENER*
ReplyDeleteThis is an argument I expect from a 9 year old not a (theoretical) adult, but that was the basic argument he was making
at least he is honest about one of the elephants in the room. he doesn't care if guys are in yeshiva, he just doesn't want them in the army. this type of mindset explains why many rabbanim/askanim oppose schools for guys wanting to learn programming or law or whatver
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the solution will be multi-pronged. The state has to slowly lessen Charedi dependency. Once that is in full swing, the Charedi people themselves will "revolt" against their leaders that preach self-imposed poverty (which will become grinding poverty without external support). A second prong, the state should create a system such that those who serve receive certain benefits, and those who don't do not receive any benefits. This will encourage more and more of the youngsters to "revolt" against their leaders that preach against service as a yeharog-ve'al-yaavor. Finally, the state will not provide anymore mass housing projects for Charedim at substantial discounts, instead, like every other lower-income Israeli, they will have to scrounge for a place they can afford that may not necessarily be in the neighborhoods they prefer, and their children may not necessarily attend the schools they would prefer. This will result in their children receiving more education and more exposure to non-Charedim. And over the generations, will improve overall tolerance.
Delete#1 (lessen dependency) started with bibi as treasury minister. there is more to do. if it were up to me i would get rid of the child allowance and transform it into a reduction in mas chanassa. #2 needs to be done. #3 is problem; as long as shas is there, they will still provide these projects, at least to some extent.
ReplyDeleteit is interesting. i have a book on the growth of jerusalem in the 1800s and the "old yishuv" here was interested in the exact same issues: cheap housing, the chaluqa, and staying away from modern influences (hence the ban on learning hebrew)
The Zohar describes 5 versons of Amalek. The 3rd are the rabbis who use torah for power and glory.
ReplyDeleteTHIS PLANET MUST CEASE TURNING ON ITS AXIS TO ACCOMODATE THE HARDEDIM. THEIR GRANDFATHERS
ReplyDeleteDID NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH SUCH THINGS AS MOSLEM FANATICISM OR A RACIST AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN
ANTI-SEMITISM. THESE ARE THE REALITIES OF 2012, NOT 1812. IF THEY WANT TO DEAL WITH THE
WORLD OF 1812, BY ALL MEANS LET THEM GO BACK THERE. THIS LEAVES MY SORT TO DEAL WITH THE
WORLD AS IT IS, AND TO DEAL WITH IT ON ITS OWN TERMS, AND NO OTHER. THIS MEANS PUTTING
PRAYERBOOKS IN STORAGE, THE BETTER TO MEET FORCE WITH FORCE, THE LANGUAGE OF THE BULLY