Gafni: If Seculars Study Torah, Chareidim Will Join Army

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gafniKnesset Member Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said Sunday that he is in favor of drafting charedim into the Israel Defense Forces, as long as each student leaving his yeshiva will be replaced by a young secular studying Torah from morning to night.

Speaking at the Caesarea Economic Forum in Rishon Lezion, Gafni said, “I’m in favor of young charedim enlisting in the IDF. I am in favor of an 18-year-old student from Ponovezh Yeshiva halting his studies, taking a kit bag, traveling to the recruit center and joining a combat unit.

“But the people of Israel have always been divided between those who worked and fought and those who studied Torah. The Torah and the Mishna both talk about such a division. So if charedi students enlist in the IDF, an equal number of young people from north Tel Aviv, young seculars, should study Torah.”

 According to Gafni, the young seculars will have to study Torah all day and all night, “just like charedi students do.” He wondered whether anyone would be willing to do such a thing.

Asked by Ynet whether it would be okay for the seculars to study Torah from a non-Orthodox angle, Gafni responded: “They can study from whichever angle they want, as long as it’s from morning to night.”

The Finance Committee chairman noted that Torah studies were essential, adding that “the Torah is the justification for our existence here. Otherwise, what are we doing here on Arab land? After all, the Hashomer Hatzair kibbutzim are also located on Arab land, not just the settlements in the territories.

“We are all occupiers. Our only right to be here is that God Almighty handed out countries, and gave us this small piece of land to safeguard the Torah.”  

The conference, attended by Israel’s economy leaders, was dedicated to the employment of charedim and Arabs. According to Gafni, the State must recognize charedi education as education for all intents and purposes, and force employers to hire people based on their Torah education.

 “Charedi workers, the few people who do get hired, are usually better employees than regular workers due to the learning tools they receive at the yeshiva,” he argued.

Surprisingly, Gafni was supported by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who said: “In principle, I agree with MK Gafni. I am in favor of professional training for charedim, and the government is acting on this.

“I am in favor of core studies, like English and mathematics, and in any case – charedi studies are studies for all intents and purposes and we must recognize that, because they train people to learn.”

Former MK Chaim Oron (Meretz) and Steinitz’s former advisor, Omer Moav, expressed their strong objection to the proposal.

According to Oron, “The core studies are the only way for all sectors, especially the charedi sector, to integrate into the labor market. If that doesn’t happen – all figures show that the more the population which does not study the core subject grows, we’ll deteriorate.”

{Ynet/Matzav.com Newscenter}


3 COMMENTS

  1. Interesting. Regardless of the merits of this idea, I strongly disagree that it would be acceptable for the secular Jews to study Torah “from a non-Orthodox angle.” There is no merit in Torah study that is, in effect, heresy.

  2. To Daniel,

    You realize that your very statement is heresy. Worse case scenario, people learn pshuto shel mikroh. Is that terrible? Worse case scenario people will have a basic understanding and attatchment.
    So please keep your heretical ideas to yourself.

  3. a non-Orthodox angle doesn’t mean pshuto shel mikroh or a basic understanding. It means learning Torah in a heretical way. Learning heresy is not learning Torah. It’s not so hard being dan l’chaf zechus. Daniel was just commenting on the illegitimate nature of learning Torah with a kfira twist. I think to call Daniel a heretic for his statement is unfair and a lack of v’ahavta l’reaiacha kamocha. I think he deserves an apology.

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