Who Has the Moral High Ground?

Some of the 682 IDF soldiers killed in the Gaza war (TOI)

Let me begin by saying that I have been reading Rabbi Slifkin’s posts about Charedim and army service. For the most part I have agreed with him and have said similar things myself. But his latest post highlights just how radically different the Hashkafos of Charedim are from the rest of religious Jewry. Differences  that could not be more stark.

First Rabbi Slifkin posted a message from someone I might have once identified as a moderate Charedi. He obviously received a good enough secular education to become a banker. But moderate he is not. His words reflect the attitude of the Israeli rabbinic leaders that came here to raise the $100 million they need for Charedi Yeshivos in Israel to continue to exist because they lost  government funding.

His message was predictable - in essence repeating the mantra of those rabbinic leaders. Which boils down to accusing the entirety of Israel’s Supreme Court of showing nothing but disgust for Bnei Torah and Charedim. Adding that he was honored to attend a fundraiser led by those leaders in support of those Yeshivos. Using the term ‘occupation’ to describe how Charedim feel being governed by a non Charedi Jews. 

Not a word about the war or the toll taken on the families of those serving in the IDF. Not a word  about The blood of other Jews  - religious Jews in many cases – being shed on  behalf of the rest of Israel – which of course includes Charedim. All he talked about was about the sacrifices of living in poverty so that they can study Torah full time. (Key word there: living!) The blood shed by other Jews on his community’s behalf did not seem important enough to get even a slight mention. 

That in and of itself disgusted me. But what brought home the tragedy of his comments to me was the message that followed by the parents of a son who fell in battle. Responding to someone who said that Charedi concerns about army service should be respected his mother said: 

A population whose point of view does not include a concern about the burden being placed on the serving population is a population with a point of view which I cannot and do not need to respect. 

More poignant than that, however, was what his father said: 

“It may be true that hareidim see being in the army as a spiritual threat, but I would argue that is because of the passive-aggressive (though more aggressive) attitude Gedolim have shown to army service. That was “ok” in normal times but is obviously unacceptable in our current situation. The gedolim should be crying to get their soldiers serving any way they can (not in the beit midrash) to join the effort. They should be coming with proactive ideas begging to help protect our nation, not be dragged kicking and screaming over 3000 "nonlearners."

“The truth is so obvious it hurts to even say it. The current situation is nothing short of the biggest possible chilul Hashem - not to chilonim - but to shomrei mitzvot. I will never forgive them for this (having nothing to do with our son).

“But more than anything else they should be worried over the souls of the learners in the beit midrash. Going to learn every day (and I am talking about the serious learners) while their brothers are losing life and limb around them - and they are just passively allowing it to happen without doing any part to help - is, I fear, doing irreparable damage to their souls. The only way they could justify it to themselves is to "other" their brothers away. It truly, truly boggles the mind... There are no two sides to this. I can only cry over the state of things." 

As I said. I am not in the habit of quoting extensively from other blogs. But this one got to me. It is right on target. It is a message delivered in anguish by grieving parents. Whose son died ‘Al Kiddush HaShem’. Something the Charedi leadership and their fawning young cannot seem to grasp as they focus on getting the funds needed so they can keep learning while others do the dying for them.