Friday, August 23, 2024

The Mitzvah of Military Service versus Torah Study

 https://en.yhb.org.il/revivim1043/

In military service, two great mitzvot are fulfilled that are equivalent to the entire Torah – saving Israel from its enemies, and settlement of the Land * Torah study is crucial for the existence of the nation of Israel, and must be assigned regular and serious frameworks, but it does not override the mitzvah of military service * Nevertheless, in a situation where there is no security necessity to mobilize all yeshiva students, a handful of elites should be allowed to continue studying, so they can grow to become rabbis and public leaders

6 comments:

  1. Need a critical mass of talmidim to keep learning.
    Also, the industrialization of yeshivas, having thousands of students, has failed to produce gedolim. It used to be a gadol would be 40-50 years old when they write their masterpiece, teshuvot etc. today, nobody at that age is world famous. Even at 75 years we have few if any gedolim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One upon a time you had to earn "gadlus". Today it's provided by a frum publisher who decides to publish a hagiography about you.

      Delete
    2. Once upon a time, gedolim stood out and made a name because of their greatness, their exemplary middos and chesed, their scholarship.
      We don't really hear about these things anymore. I've actively searched for who are the gedolim today, not got any clear answer.

      Delete
    3. Politics has ruined everything.
      When Rav Moshe, zt", and Rav Henkin, zt"l, were in their glory, politics in the Jewish community was much simpler. There was no money or political power to be thrown around like there is today. They because the leaders because their scholarship was the greatest.
      Today, political power comes with leadership. Rav Chaim, z"l, wasn't just the "Prince of Torah!" and "The Greatest Torah scholar of the generation!" but also the de facto political leader of his community, something he was never trained for, nor was it a position he ever (publicly at least) desired.
      So today we get "Gedolim" for political reasons and through power plays and money grabs.

      Delete
    4. It's true to some extent, but there were political and sectoral problems at the time as well.
      I think it's difficult to expect a humble scholar to suddenly be crowned the prince and then be treated like one. That's not the way of the scholar, and bribes can even swear the righteous as it says in the Torah.

      Delete
  2. One way to win an argument is to make an absurd claim that your opponent never articulated and then make it a fight about that. You win because your opponent can't defend the absurdity.
    "They want to empty out all the yeshivos and end Torah study in Israel!"
    Well no, no one ever said that. Even if every 18-26 year old goes to the army, there will still be tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands, maybe?) learning full time. The yeshivos will still have plenty of guys in them and the Torah will continue to be studied. So their whole claim is fradulent but it wins the debate because of its hysteria.

    ReplyDelete

ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NOT BE POSTED!
please use either your real name or a pseudonym.