JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In the famous fable by Aesop, a cottager and his wife had “a hen that laid a golden egg every day. They supposed that the hen must contain a great lump of gold in its inside, and in order to get the gold they killed her. Having done so, they found to their surprise that the hen differed in no respect from their other hens. The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves of the gain of which they were assured day by day.”
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Aesop’s fable would seem to aptly apply both to Israel’s chareidi community and to the state itself in its relations with that community, specifically regarding the issue of the IDF draft.
For the chareidim, the 2002 Tal law should have been a wake up call to them: It is impossible to continue using the Torah as a means to exempt charedim from army service. Not everyone is cut out to immerse themselves full time in Torah daily, and those who do not must be provided both with the means of supporting themselves and perform the communal duties that obligate every Israeli.
It is no use claiming that Arabs are also exempt from IDF service; The reason for their exemption is obvious, as they hold no allegiance to the country and could indeed turn into enemies. It is also no use pointing out the IDF’s failings and lack of adaptation to charedi demands, since this could also be fixed and must be if the charedi community can continue to protect its most prized possession: The yeshiva students and kollel students.
Instead of creating a proper framework and negotiating with the IDF to employ the high standards of kashrus, purity and religious life required for charedi inductees, the community played a charade with the IDF, constantly sending OTD or practically OTD youths to a unit dubbed the “Nachal Charedi”- (which was a far cry from anything charedi) and claiming that this was its contribution to the defense effort.
The charade continued for a further two decades until, with Oct. 7th and the Swords of Iron campaign, it collapsed noisily. The charedim lost their key golden eggs – the funding for yeshivos and kollelim, and could even have lost the goose, as the state (driven by the anti-charedi courts) seems bent on forcibly conscripting 3000 charedim immediately and a larger number in the coming year. Desperate attempts by Rabbi Dovid Leibel to establish a proper charedi battalion with the right conditions may be able to save the situation, but the “golden eggs” have gone and it is unclear when if ever they will be restored.
As for the state, it has effectively united all of the charedim – even those moderates who would agree to conscription via negotiations – into a staunch opposition. The ham-handed way in which the courts have tried to ram the draft down the throat of the government has led to a huge groundswell of support for the extremist Jerusalem Faction and Eda Charedis, who uncompromisingly state that “We will die rather than enlist.”
No charedi can stand by as the state strips the yeshivos both of their funding and their legitimacy. No charedi can accept forced Cantonist-style dragging of youths to the IDF with no proper framework in place to ensure their spiritual welfare. The battle lines have been set and instead of the state attaining its goal of conscripting charedim, it finds the much maligned community in a belligerent mood and unwilling to compromise in any way to the court’s bludgeoning approach.
Both sides can only lose from the current confrontation, and during Israel’s most intractable war of survival it is an unnecessary and futile battle which could still be averted if level-headed members on both sides can reach an equitable solution.
Let’s also not forget that the issue is that true justice reform is necessary in Israel. The idea that non-elected bureaucrats can make decisions on a whim, based on their personal feelings, is utterly insane when it comes to having a properly running country. It’s been proven over and over again over there, and this is just one of the proofs.
Claiming all Nachal Charedi are OTD or near ODT is a disgusting lie. The OTD are the so called Kanaiim/zealots who would attack any religious soldier that came to daven in Bnei Brak..
The big mistake with all these “golden egg” cheshbonos is thinking that hashem needs the state to provide support for Lomdei Torah. Harbei shluchim lamakom.
This article is forgetting to mention one thing. The only reason for the hatzlocha of the IDF, the open miracles that are happening, and the relatively small amount of casualties (although even one casualty is terrible enough) is because of the Torah being learned in Israel. I’m really scared what will happen now that they’re cutting off support to the kollelim and yeshivos. I really hope I’m wrong but I’m really scared about this turn of events.
The premise that this is a Eida Hachareidis and extremist Jerusalem faction issue is false, completely idiotic and ignorant. Fact is, The large bulk of the Litvishe Roshei Yeshiva as well as Rav Yitzchak Yosef as well as a great many Sefardi Gedolim are heading the “not one inch” movement. The Hesder Yeshivas are doing their thing- but They are not the ones slamming the chareidim -because they know they’re next. You see there are plenty of discussions about the uneven handedness of “sharing the burden” of the Hesder yeshivos- not enough hours etc. All this while tens of t5hosands of non -religious citizens refuse to serve
as a person who lives in a charadi communty in Israel for many many years, I see people sitting and learning, NOT wasting time, producing many new interesting books and raising good moral loving families.
OK, for the few who leave the yeshiva, so OK, if they and the army can get on together, so go in.
BUT I was in the IDF and saw first hand the anti religious and anti charadi hatred that the top commanders have. I suffered much from them. The army has to work to accomodate the charadim and treat them as the charadim expect to be treated, time to learn, time to daven, kashrut and shabbat, etc
This is an op-ed from VIN??? The whole premise of the article is warped and krum because The State of Israel is not the Goose and doesn’t lay the golden eggs. Our parnasa comes from the Ribono ShelOlam who wants us to follow HIS laws, the Torah. If your boss asks you to do something halachically wrong do you do it thinking he pays your salary or do you say no and get fired if that is what will happen. Now if you go argue that the army is a safe spiritual place for haredim, Daat Torah disagrees with you.
And yet the media completely ignores the drugged out chiloni draft dodger littering the streets of Tel Aviv and their “clubs”.
And another thing to clarify my last post. The goose that actually does lay the golden egg IS THE TORAH that haredim learn and follow. The entire success of Israel comes from that. Chas veShalom you slaughter that, rachmana letzlan!
You’re making one mistake. There are no two sides. There will not be negotiations. Charedim will never be drafted.
So you are saying that in Israel people tend to see things in black and white and are unwilling to compromise?
That comes as a tremendous shock to me.
Sounds like an Op-Ed a leftie would write. Chareidim don’t need money from Erev Rav. They do more by learning Torah to protect Eretz Yisroel than all the bullets and bombs combined. Please, Stop with the Baba Meises of a Golden Goose that never was.
If there was someone to negotiate with maybe. But that Court represents Sodom and Gomorrah, and they work against the government constantly. The knesset majority is not even up for this monumental fight during the war that shreds all our Unity and causes unnecessary fighting. But the court and the wicked Attorney General have their own private lefty agenda to destroy religion and criminalize torah learners. I have no choice but to agree that they shouldn’t be cooperated with
we frum will NEVER serve, nothing stops us, not the false threats of jail. $ is not an issue as many gevirim have stepped up and will continue. We will NEVER serve in the IDF.
Pretty well written. in fact i remember when Harav Aron lieb Z’l was ostracized and bullied because he supported nachal charedi. The charedim are definitely at fault. However lets not forget that the secular govt has made many issues. This includes kashrus and lady signing events etc. The courts even banned a seperate seating college class. (i get thats not the army). Like how do you expect charedim to go to work if you can’t even offer that. Like when does the sillyness of the law just say use your common sense and ignore the law.
Re your arab argument, that depends how you use that argument. if your point is from a moral standpoint, then yes you have a point that charedim know whats right and wrong vs arabs. But if you look at it from a purely legal standpont, your argument hold no water. Because legally all citzens need to share the burden. The fact that the courts have a double standard when it comes to legal matters is wrong. And frankly, your mindset has to be the same. Whatever the reason is (even though we disagree) facts are charedim will never join enmasse You and I know that. And you just can’t easily force them too. Instaed of fighting that system by a law, accept it as a given just like you accept the arab argument
Any discussion must include an in-depth exploration of Israeli settlement from 1900-2024 including the yishuv hayashan and secular Zionist communities. Then, a description of how we got from there to now and what rights each side has from that history and what obligations it has from benefiting from the current secular state. Ignoring this complicated context, makes any discussion on topic ignorant and irrelevant, as is the case with this posted article. Anyone can sit on a toilet and brainstorm for 30 minutes, but lacking in depth knowledge of the history, which requires reading many long history books such as ‘The Balfour Declaration’, reading the debates between R Kook on one side and all other Gedolim on other side (and they greatly respected R Kook) will miss the target and proposed solutions will fail. The consideration of the entire 125 year period need be included to resolve a problem that has evolved over those 125 years.
Food for thought. Most Charedim have secular relatives- whether parents up the chain or kids down the chain. Vice versa with seculars- they have baalei teshuva close relatives. You might be on one side of this disagreement and your grandchild on the other side – this holds true whether you’re secular or Charedi today. So, first step is for us all to come together and see that we are all one. I do not mean conceding or compromising our Torah values to secular. I mean this has to become a debate for one family to hash out and figure out what will work best for the entire family and not compromise anyone’s core religion and values system. Not, as warring factions. For example, set up a televised debate where Charedim must argue the position of seculars and seculars the position of Charedim. I even saw a YT clip of a reporter asking in 2016 both Hillary and Donald to state something they found admirable in one another. Hillary answered Donald’s family and kids, Donald answered she’s not a quitter.
Who else love to spew beautiful emotional addresses,play the “human” card,completely disregard facts and numbers ,omit crucial points ,is oblivious to much greater and urgent problems and is extremely aggressive about his “camp” being detaining the absolute thruth?Oh,yes,the pro-palestinians.
One thing people forget, the Dati soldiers are dying in droves whilst they aren’t allowed to advance in the ranks. Furthermore, the defence leaders are pro-Palestinian and liberal so they release terrorists and go soft on ‘humanitarian’.
In order to distract the Dati community from this terrible injustice, they found a way of directing the fire against Charedim so they could continue their leftist dictatorship.
I guess that it’s just coincidence that what the Chareidim who are convinced that it’s their learning that’s protecting the State of Israel, are choosing the “safer option”, not going into battle. (It’s similarly coincidental that it’s the “transgender athletes” who are born male & wish to compete in Girls sports, and not vice-versa.) Don’t the Chareidi realize the tremendous Chilul Hashem and Sinas Chinum that they’re causing??? Do they REALLY believe that this is what the Ribono shel ZOilem wants from them? To tell both the Chiloinim and the Religious Zionists; “Us Chareidim are too Holy to risk our lives and getting our hands dirty; and besides, learning is much more IMPORTANT than what you guys do!” Really? Wow! I’m sure all this ACHDUS is what Hashem wants from us.