The rosh yeshiva of the Har Bracha yeshiva, Rav Eliezer Melamed, responded tyoday to defense Minister Ehud Barak’s decision to cancel his school’s accord with the IDF due to his support of insubordination in the army.
“Unfortunately I have become a focus of the press’ interest and the defense minister’s malicious act. This is libel against us and our holy Torah, which says just and good things,” Rav Melamed claimed in a speech he gave at a Bat Yam shul.
“They are inciting the public to think that the rabbis are endangering the army, but senior defense officials, who allow the army to be dragged into political debates, are the ones truly endangering the army.”
Rav Melamed called Barak’s accusations “a blood libel which may promote him politically but is destroying the IDF, destroying our unity, and tearing apart the state’s democratic foundations.”
“All of the arguments with the defense minister are about issues totally unrelated to security operations but rather have to do with commanding soldiers to act against their own people,” he said.
In his defense, Rav Melamed said he had encouraged his talmidim to participate in the Second Lebanon War, telling them it was a halachic duty, despite his belief that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert “busied himself for almost two years with the task of evicting Jews”, and for this reason could not obtain victory.
“Across generations, rabbonimwere required to tell the truth and were even commanded to do so by the Torah,” Melamed said.
“Can a rov not think and speak honestly even in the democratic State of Israel? Should his students be disqualified from army service because he expresses his opinion according to his halachic conscience? Is this the defense minister’s responsibility?”
Earlier the Prime Minister’s Office published a statement saying that Binyamin Netanyahu would not intervene between Rav Melamed and Barak.
“The prime minister’s staunch stance against insubordination is known to all,” the statement said. “The prime minister will not intervene in the issue of the Har Bracha yeshiva, and supports Barak’s decision. However he hopes that the matter will eventually be solved with understanding.”
However, efforts to resolve the conflict in a peaceful manner continue. Coalition chairman MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) met with Rav Chaim Druckman, of the heads of the Union of Hesder Yeshivos, at Rav Melamed’s home.
Elkin suggested Netanyahu meet with the rabbonim who head the yeshivas in order to find a solution, and assumed that the prime minister would agree to intervene despite the statement published today.
On Sunday, Barak decided to remove the Har Bracha yeshiva from its arrangement with the army.
Harsh criticism from the Right was immediately forthcoming. Right-wing activist Baruch Marzel said that “the Barak and the Netanyahu government has declared a war on God, his Torah and his land.”
He added that “the gloves must be taken off and a war must be launched against this hostile regime, because we are all Har Bracha. Barak will dismantle the IDF.”
{Ynet/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
The current fighting between the “religious zionists and the non-religious zionists clearly demonstrates the contradictions inherent between zionism and the Torah.
Attention Chaim:
The current disagreements between Ashkenazim and Sefradim…..clearly demonstrates.
The current disagreements between the olem Hatorah and Netarei Kart …..clearly demonstrates.
I am actually surprised that it took so long for this fight to come to the fore.
It can be pasted over maybe this time again. Eventually though it will boil down to be :”Mi Lashem Elai …”.
And all the Barak Chassidimlach will run away to Nepal & San Francisco.
Say Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut? Celebrate the creation of this state? Insanity!
#4 Sort of like the kohanim that brought korbanos that were with a moom, and certain judges that looked to destroy talmidei chachamim and torah learning.
Hakaros Hatov is a necesity to thank for the good, if u see no good then PLEASE do not give appreciation on those days.
to #4 and $5 — Hakaras Hatov for Israel being the biggest center of Torah in the world once again. For having more Yeshivot, Kolelim, Beit Midrashim that at any moment in the last 2000 years?
For one being able to do many of the mitzvot that can be done only in Eretz Israel?
or do you think Monsey and Boroughpark is Hashem’s given land??
Today’s Israel is still not our ideal. But it is thousands of times better than wat we has in the last 2000 years. So BARUCH HASHEM. Thank ‘G-d!! and pray that this is just the beggining of our redemption. The tip of the iceberg of our future Beracha!!