Above All

Are there schemes and hostilities directed against Torah learners? Absolutely not - and those who say otherwise are not telling the truth.

Are there schemes and hostilities directed at Torah learners in Israel? And if so, are these the biggest problems facing the Jewish people today?

To answer this question, let’s look at the legal background to the current attempt to legislate IDF exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

The vast majority of the Chareidi population in Israel does not join the IDF; and for years, at least regarding young men studying in yeshiva, this was legal. In June, 2023, however, the law exempting yeshiva students expired. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet then implemented Decision 682, which determined that no yeshiva students would be drafted until March 31st, 2024; the hope was that by then, new legislation would have passed which legalized draft exemptions for those men who were enrolled as yeshiva students.

As it turned out, no new legislation on this matter was passed during that interval, largely due to public pressure because of Israel’s war against Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Regardless, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on June 25th that Decision 682 was illegal, and therefore the government had been acting unlawfully by not drafting yeshiva students since the expiration of the legal exemption last June. The only way to legalize these exemptions was through Knesset legislation, rather than via governmental fiat without a legislative vote.

Moreover, the Supreme Court had earlier determined that after Decision 682 expired on April 1st, the government could no longer transfer money to yeshivot where potential draftees in the Chareidi world were enrolled. In the words of The Israel Democracy Institute, “the justices unequivocally state that there is a connection between the issue of draft exemptions and the criteria for support based on which the budget is transferred to yeshivas: if there is no normative framework for a draft exemption, then it is not possible to continue transferring funds to yeshivas and Torah study institutions for students who did not receive an exemption, or whose service has not been deferred according to the law.”

For these reasons, the Chareidi political parties have been advancing legislation that would again legalize draft exemptions for yeshiva students en masse. Despite the government’s having a majority of 68 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, the outcry from all non-Chareidi sectors of Israel’s Jewish population has forced the legislation to be temporarily tabled. Another attempt at an end run to avoid conscription - the so-called Daycare Law - was also pulled before it came to a vote, when it became clear that it would not pass.

Are these schemes and hostilities directed at Torah learners? Of course not. They are instead the typical maneuvers that take place in a democracy, along with eminently reasonable decisions by Israel’s Supreme Court. Disagree with it all you want, but there is nothing nefarious or anti-Torah taking place. What has actually occurred is a popular backlash against tens of thousands being given deferments while others spend months on end in the army without any respite. Calling this “schemes and hostilities directed at Torah learners” is not a twisting of the truth. It is a lie.

On Sunday, November 10th, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America - the rabbinic leadership of Agudath Israel of America - issued a “kol koreh,” or a public pronouncement, calling for a day of prayer on Monday, November 11th. The first paragraph reads as follows:

“In these days, as the troubles of Klal Yisroel multiply in every corner and encampment, and it has been more than a year that the residents of our Holy Land are beset with anguish and distress, in exile and captivity, and the blood of our precious brethren is being spilled like water, r”l, our ears recoil from hearing of the severe decrees imposed both spiritually and physically upon the nation of Hashem in Eretz Yisroel and in the Diaspora. The hatred of Eisav toward Yaakov grows in the world, and the enemies of Yisroel seek to destroy the remaining survivors. Above all, there are schemes and hostilities directed at Torah learners, wherever they may be, and the eyes of Yisroel are raised Heavenward, for salvation is in Hashem’s Hands.”

There is no joy in calling out a rabbinic body composed of eminent scholars. Nevertheless, it is outrageous that the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America can state something which is so brazenly false. Even more troubling, however, is the claim that these “schemes” are somehow the worst thing that has happened of late - that this nonexistent scheme against Torah learners is, in fact, the “above all” that exceeds the tragedy of innocents murdered by terrorists, soldiers killed on the battlefield, hostages imprisoned by the enemies of the Jews, millions cowering in bomb shelters, and families terrified and distraught every day because their children, spouses, and parents are fighting in Gaza and Lebanon against a foe who would rather die than to allow Jews to live.

Can anyone - even the most ardent defender of the status quo - claim that Torah is under attack, while maintaining a smidgen of integrity? Can anyone - even the most ardent defender of the status quo - claim that the supposed war against Torah is the “above all” that overshadows the pain that Am Yisrael experiences every day from the real-life tragedies and dangers that are taking place daily in the holy land?

I have no interest in criticizing great talmidei chachamim. I also know that this kol koreh - whoever its actual author is (and I am going to assume for my own peace of mind that it was issued without the unanimous consent of the members of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America) - perverts the truth, and then claims that this scheme against Torah (which doesn’t exist) is unbelievably the greatest problem facing the Jewish people.

Several months ago, I was a guest on Zev Brenner’s Talkline program. During our conversation, Rabbi Avi Shafran, the director of public affairs and spokesman for Agudath Israel of America, neatly summarized his understanding of the Chareidi community’s attitude toward its leaders, the Gedolim:

“If those Gedolim feel that there is no grounds for compromise and that things need to continue exactly the way that they are currently for the good of klal Yisrael, that’s the position that Chareidim, myself included, will take - simply because this is the sine qua non of the Chareidi community, that we consider not sources, and not experiences, and not anecdotes, but the guidance of the einei haeida - the eyes of the congregation - the luminaries to whom we ascribe the greatest honors because of their selfless devotion to Torah, their brilliance, and their Torah attitudes… The buck has to stop there.”

I accept that this is the Chareidi position. When the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America issues a decision that is both false and ridiculously offensive, however, it calls into question whether well-meaning Chareidi individuals should continue to defend themselves using this line of reasoning. Perhaps they would be better served by looking at Torah sources, and using their sechel hayashar - normal human logical thinking - in conjunction with consulting with the Gedolim. Today, at least, it seems like the emperor has no clothes.