JERUSALEM – A massive Haredi prayer rally is underway at the entrance to Jerusalem to protest the arrests of yeshiva students accused of draft evasion.
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Hundreds of thousands are participating in what organizers call a “cry of prayer,” stretching from the Chords Bridge through Jaffa and Malchei Yisrael streets. The gathering, expected to last until sunset, has brought traffic across the city to a standstill, with major highways and streets sealed off to private vehicles.
Police are overseeing extensive security operations while emphasizing that the event must remain peaceful.
Watch live video of the Jerusalem rally below:
Kiddush Ha Shem
Our Chareidi brothers have been living their sheltered lives, separate from the world around them for 100’s of years. This has enabled them to retain their identity & practice of Yiddishkeit as they understand it. Joining the Tzahal is seen as a major intrusion & risk to centuries-long ways of Orthodox life. The Israeli government cannot dictate to this large group of citizens to change their understanding of how to practice their religion. Even if it seems unfair for them not to share in the toll of defending the land, they still cannot be forced to give up their religion.
Upon seeing an assembly of 600,000 Jewish men, a special brocha is said.
No one said life is fair. Why is one Jew born in a Torah observant family & one in a secular family? Is that fair? We don’t know why Hashem made what appears to us as an unfair world. Have’s & have not’s, the healthy & the sick, the rich & the poor.
Hashem decided that Chareidi Jews cannot join Tzahal because of the spiritual risks involved, & the are therefore avoiding the high toll of militiary service. This seems unfair to those fighting, & that’s understandable. The appearance of unfairness doesn’t obligate Chareidi Jews to be less religious according to their understanding.
Rambam end of hilchot Shabbos 2nd Perek follows gmara that we fight the enemies even on Shabbos, “Afilu al iskei tevven v’kash”. And that when it comes to doing pekuach nefesh on Shabbos, the task is given *specifically* to Talmidei Chachamim rather than to Amei Haaretz. Furthermore, according to historical reports, the old yishuv (Meah Shearim, and other towns) had a standby militia consisting of yirei shomayim, including Lomdei Torah to fight off the raiding arabs. The issue today seems to be problems with secular run IDF rather than with questions of possible Bittul Torah caused by fighting the Sonei Yisrael.
(A) An often quoted Rambam end of hilchot Shabbos 2nd Perek follows gmara that we fight the enemies even on Shabbos, “Afilu al iskei tevven v’kash”. (B) And that when it comes to doing pekuach nefesh on Shabbos, the task is given *specifically* to Talmidei Chachamim rather than to Amei Haaretz. (C) Furthermore, according to historical reports, the old yishuv (Meah Shearim, and other towns) had a standby militia consisting of yirei shomayim- including Lomdei Torah- to fight off the raiding arabs. The issue today seems to be problems with secular run IDF rather than with questions of possible Bittul Torah caused by fighting the Sonei Yisrael.
The Frayeh will have no choice. In the very near future, they will have to give over the entire Government to the Orthodox Yidden. The entire Judicial System, the Army, the Navy and the Airforce. Also the Legislative body. The Chareidim, which are becoming so strong, will run everything.
It saddens that in over 2 years of war and bloodletting, such a large yom tefila wasn’t done. A real cheshbon hanefesh of priorities is in order.
Rav Moshe ztz”l is quoted telling story of how as a young man Rav Moshe got a Brocha from Chafetz Chaim ztz”l to avoid getting drafted into Russian army. Chafetz Chaim tested rav Moshe to determine if Rav Moshe was worthy of such a bracho. (In a way rav Moshe was asking for something almost miraculous). Rav Moshe said (in Yiddish) “when he saw that I knew, he placed his holy hand on my head and gave his brocha”. This story strongly supports that only exceptionally advanced learners deserve the brocha to be exempt from the draft. In Kisvei Chafetz Chaim on Pirkei Avos: the Mishna says whomever accepts the “yoke” of Torah , the yoke of worldly obligations is removed from him:. Chafetz Chaim notes that in order to be exempt from the yoke of worldly obligations, the yoke of Torah which the man accepts (and bears) in its place must be just as “heavy” as the yoke of worldly obligations he will become exempt from. Based on that, if the Yeshiva students want to be exempt from the IDF draft, then their learning must be at least as rigorous and with the same serious commitment as IDF military training and duty.
The men sitting and LEGITIMATELY learning should sign a shtar promising to learn for the exact same period of time they would be spending in the physical army. This way we would have a spiritual army and a physical army (the latter being necessary because HKB”H does things b’derech ha’teva whenever possible).
It is foolish to think that we can survive in Eretz Yisrael without both.
The first point mention by the declaration quotes the “halacha” from time of Gmara. A T”ch is exempt from paying for the security guard. because the Torah of the T”Ch protects him without need of security protection. That Din does not apply to time of Achronim. Not even the Talmid chacham as big as [insert name of the super Gadol you respect].
It’s ww2 all over again.
The Nazis are coming. How did the holy Madison in yeshivos do in ww2
Ninety five percent killed, only Mir survived because they ran.
Shouldn’t the yeshivas do more to protect themselves, besides practicing the bracha of Al Kidush Hashem?
Liberal news outlets reporting: only a few hundred people showed up at the rally
Torah learning is as important as fighting in the IDF, but it’s also a lot more comfortable and less risky.