Interview with R Moshe Meiselman Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Moshe, Yerushalayim - "Our society demands that we be more than observant secularists."

«In what way was the army to impact the culture and atmosphere of the country?

The army served the purpose of allowing Ben Gurion and the Zionists to impose their anti-Torah lifestyle, philosophy and ideology on the thousands who would serve in Tzahal. One must understand that being in the army means that soldiers must totally subjugate themselves to the rules and orders of their superiors. This enables those running the army to create a new social identity.

This was the reason that the gedolim leading the chareidi community insisted very strongly that bnei hayeshivos not go to the Israeli army. They rejected the new social identity that the Zionists were trying to impose on the residents of the country.

Was this the reason that the gedolim felt that joining the army at the time was "yeihoreig ve'al yaavor"?

Indeed. We can now understand the famous story of the Brisker Rov zt"l refusing to sign a statement that sheirut leumi was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor. The Brisker Rov said that if he would sign it, it would sound like only army service/sheirut leumi for women was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor, but not army service for men. --> "In fact, the Brisker Rov felt that even for men to go to the Israeli army was yeihoreig ve'al yaavor. We can now appreciate why this is so, as the Israeli army was meant to create a new social identity to replace any commitment to Torah life, and it would therefore be yeihoreig ve'al yaavor.

How effective was Ben Gurion's plan?

It is important to realize that Ben Gurion's plan was, in fact, successful to a large extent. Thousands of previously religious immigrants were successfully indoctrinated with Zionism through the army and ultimately lost their commitment to Torah. Even those who remained shomer mitzvos were given a new identity that was antithetical to true Torah values and a true Torah lifestyle. Our society demands that we be more than observant secularists. Torah is also a whole outlook on life that encompasses the whole personality.»

Yated Newspaper - "The Identity of the Israeli People is at Stake" - Understanding the Current Situation in Eretz Yisroel


Best Regards,
RRW