To Enlist or Not Enlist?
By HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook
[To HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, of blessed memory, former head of the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, it was absolutely clear that serving in the Israel Defense Forces was a mitzvah from the Torah.]
“The situation is clear in Israel today. We are fighting a ‘Milchemet Mitzvah’, a compulsory war. This is true in the mitzvah’s two meanings. Firstly, this is a compulsory war as defined by the Rambam, who states that a ‘Milchemet Mitzvah’ is a war to save Israel from the hand of an enemy, (Rambam, Laws of Kings, 5:1). Our army is called the Israel Defense Forces. Thank God, this is a very successful name. It would be wonderful if we didn’t require military engagement, but for the time being it is forced upon us.
“The second fundamental definition of a compulsory war is added by the Ramban, in the Torah obligation to conquer Eretz Yisrael in every generation (Ramban, Supplement to “Sefer HaMitzvot of the Rambam, Mitzvah #4). Among all of the precepts of the Torah is this military command. It does not enter our minds to choose which precept to do and which to ignore. This is a commandment of the Torah!
“The Ramban clearly determines that conquering Eretz Yisrael to ensure Jewish sovereignty here is the ‘Milchemet Mitzvah’ of the Torah. This is a precept of the Torah and there is no way of getting around it. There is no nation without a land, and the concrete, living, here-and-now Israel is compelled to hold on to its Land. This precept applies in every generation, and the Ramban emphasizes this three times. The mitzvah includes possessing the Land and dwelling here. Possession of the Land means conquest, and from this the mitzvah of living in the Land is made possible, so that the Land will not lie in desolation.
“The danger of being killed (pekuach nefesh) exists in all wars. This is also the case in the Milchemet Mitzvah of keeping all of Eretz Yisrael in our hands. We enter into war knowing that lives will be endangered. This is the only precept of the Torah that demands this. With every other precept of the Torah which states: ‘Allow yourself to be killed rather than transgress,’ there is absolutely no justification to stand at the outset in the face of certain danger and be killed. If it is possible to escape, one escapes. But the precept to conquer the Land of Israel and rule over it, comes even at the risk of one’s life. As the Minchat Chinuch states, danger is not a factor in this mitzvah” (Minchat Chinuch, 425).
“To the extent that there is a need for yeshiva students to fight in a war, the same obligation rests on them as on everyone else. Within this general understanding there is room to make a truthful assessment of how essential their participation is. The Gemara in Megilla (3A) and Rashi explain that if there is not a situation of immediate combat there is no permission to neglect Torah learning. To the extent that the situation demands, a yeshiva student has to enlist. But with this, an intelligent weighing and judgment is required and a DEFERRAL (not an exemption) can be granted since Torah learning has a spiritual importance which is also needed. However, this does not nullify the necessity of military service.
“In truth, there are some yeshivot which are opposed to the State in principle. This is not the case with us, G-d forbid. First, a student has to learn several years in yeshiva to deepen one’s Torah knowledge and fear of Heaven, and afterward one can go into the army. This is not a general program but an individual determination according to each student’s personal situation. There are two mitzvot here: the precept to learn Torah and the precept to defend the Nation. Each individual must examine how far he can progress in Torah and decide in accordance with that. Obviously, one’s ambition should be to grow in Torah knowledge and become a Talmid Chacham. An abundance of Torah scholars is of critical importance to our Nation today.
“Here we have two great commandments. Military people are indispensable to the Nation and people filled with Torah are no less vital. However, extremism isn’t called for. Heaven forbid that every yeshiva student go into the army! And Heaven forbid that none of them go! HaRav Tannenbaum, the righteous Secretary of the Council of Yeshivot in Israel, told me in the name of the Gaon Rabbi Issar Zalman Meltzer, of blessed memory, that there is no Halachic source to exempt a yeshiva student from the army, and that the reliance on the Rambam at the end of the Laws of Shmitta and Yovel (13: 12-13) is falsehood in the name of Torah. On the other hand, it is impossible to close every yeshiva and to send every student to war. This is not a small detail of Halacha – this is an issue affecting Clal Yisrael. The heads of yeshivot are obligated to stand guard over the growth of Torah in Israel. And with that, there is no contradiction between the yeshiva and the army. On the contrary, there is harmony in the recognition and appreciation of one for the other. Yeshivot are obligated to stress the importance of the army to their students. Extremism has no justification and we must look upon these matters in all of their wholeness.”
“Regarding those who maintain that yeshiva deferments are a Chillul Hashem in the eyes of non-religious people, one must explain to them with great persuasiveness and vigor the value of building numerous Talmidei Chachamim who are filled with Torah on behalf of the Nation. The truth is the opposite of what these people say – the neglect of Torah learning is a desecration of Hashem. The sanctification of Hashem comes with the magnification of Torah. Valor is required to explain to the secular community how vital it is that there be men of true Jewish culture in Israel. From a strengthening of Torah learning the power of explanation will be found.”
