The senior mashgiach Rav Don Segal shared his perspective on the Supreme Court’s ruling concerning the exemption of chareidim from military conscription, contending that it is yeshiva students who authentically shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the nation.
“Indeed, the whole of Yisroel is still Yisroel, even though there are many who err, but the whole of Yisroel is one whole, and therefore it is true that everyone needs to bear and contribute to the success of the whole of Yisroel,” he said during his drasha at the Ichud Bnei Hayeshivos annual conference.
“But there is one fundamental error here: What is called equality in burden? The truth is that those who truly bear the burden are the bnei yeshiva, the holy talmidei chachomim.
“A woman from Chaifa told me a year ago, ‘I must believe that yeshiva students have something that gives them some satisfaction. Otherwise, there is no explanation for why they don’t do everything that the world does. How they can stay like this without anything? There must be something that gives them much more satisfaction.’ This was said by someone who never learned Tosafos, never said a bracha, and never had any closeness to Hashem.
“Indeed, we are the ones who truly bear the burden and the rest are results. Therefore, on the contrary, we must fortify ourselves in Torah study, in tefillah, in kedusha, and in everything. Everyone knows that if it only concerns oneself, it’s satisfactory, but if one knows that he is responsible for others like a father who knows he is responsible for a family, then he has a responsibility.
“The truth is that the dear Torah students, the keepers of the Torah and the commandments, they are the supporters of everything, of the entire Jewish nation, and of the entire situation. Equality in burden? That’s not called equality! It’s called us bearing the burden! The bearing of the burden is the strengthening in Torah and in tefillah.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
