JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A soldier from the Gur chasidic group sent a letter to his rav, Rabbi Daniel Chaim Alter, the head of the Pnei Menachem yeshiva, complaining that “There is no time to daven and learn and when there is time it is hard to find peace of mind and Shabbos I almost certainly need to desecrate.”
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The soldier added that “I know in my mind that this is my role and what Hashem wants of me but I can’t accept it in my heart.”
Rav Daniel, the son of the Pnei Menachem and a prominent Talmid Chacham in his own right, responded to his disciple, stating that he had been very touched by the letter. “Your merits are very big. I am jealous of your Shabbos, I wish that it could be observed but if you have to do work for Pikuach Nefesh of the Jewish nation, then this is not desecration of Shabbos but rather sanctification of Shabbos, the Torah and the lives of the people of Israel.”
Rabbi Alter concluded “Let us be strong for our nation and the cities of our G-d, guard us and look after yourself and come home soon in peace and health”, adding added that he “longs and hopes to see” his disciple.
Rabbi Alter’s letter to the soldier
Wow! That’s such a gorgeous response
Kol haKavod for an answer like this – and Kol haKavod for the young man for doing the Avodas haKodesh of defending Klal Yisrael.
Very nice. Some sanity
Not surprised at all. There is no real divide between Charedim and the secular in Israel when it comes to the state of Israel. In fact the Charedim are more Zionistic than the secular. Off course there are thousands of Charedim who follow the Eidah Hachradis who are ant-Zionism anti a Jewish state before the coming of Moshicah.
Magnificent.
Just to be accurate, he concluded the letter ‘ “Let us be strong for our nation and the cities of our G-d, guard us בה”י (- B’ezras Hashem Yisbarach) etc.
One of the problems I haven with joining the idf is that if one day someone comes let’s call him Ben David together with a prophet let’s say his name is elijahu and they demand that Israel should become theocracy and be ruled by the laws of tora will the idf and the current government relant or will they fight them?