קול קורא ממועצת גדולי התורה באמריקה
IT IS A TIME OF DISTRESS FOR YAAKOV — BUT FROM IT WE SHALL BE SAVED
26 Menachem Av 5785
The situation of Acheinu Bnei Yisroel everywhere has become increasingly perilous, with rising waves of anti-Jewish hatred around the world. In our Holy Land, the danger is even greater, with the looming threat of war. Moreover, we still have precious souls who remain captive in the hands of our enemies, Rachmana litzlan, and we pray that Hashem will have mercy upon them, deliver them from their suffering and captivity, bring them from darkness to light, and from oppression to redemption.
At this time, terrible decrees have been issued against the world of Torah and the yeshivos in our sacred land. There are ominous plans, chalilah, to draft those who dedicate themselves to Torah learning, those who sit on the benches of the batei medrash. Our gedolei Torah ztvk”l have already declared unequivocally that any form of army conscription poses a profound spiritual danger. In addition, there are numerous other decrees and persecutions threatening the Torah world, both spiritually and physically. Tragically, hundreds of yeshiva bochurim have already been conscripted into the army, and several avreichim and bochurim are currently imprisoned in military jails.
Am Yisroel’s strength lies only in prayer. It is our sacred duty to plead before the Borei Kol Olamim and to arouse Divine mercy upon His people. Therefore, the Gedolei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel have proclaimed a special day of tefillah this Thursday, 27 Menachem Av, to coincide with Yom Kippur Katan, observed early this month.
We therefore call upon every Jew, wherever they may be, to join together in tefillas rabbim, a united outpouring of heartfelt prayer, beseeching Hashem for the protection of the Torah world in our Holy Land and for the salvation of every single one of our brothers and sisters wherever they are. Avinu Malkeinu, abolish from upon us all harsh and evil decrees. Throughout the Jewish world, communities are urged to gather for the recitation of Tehillim and the special tefillos of Yom Kippur Katan. In addition, praiseworthy is he who undertakes to fast (even if only for a few hours) as is the custom on Yom Kippur Katan. Whatever one offers, much or little, what matters most is that the heart be directed to Shomayim. The bnei hayeshivos are encouraged to add extra hours to their Torah learning, and we should elevate our collective tefillos on behalf of the Olam HaTorah and all of Klal Yisroel who are facing suffering and captivity.
May Hakadosh Boruch Hu have compassion upon us, redeem us from all our troubles, and grant us the merit to be written and sealed for a year of geulah and yeshuah.
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America
Can someone explain why they can not bring themselves to say the word "soldier", considering that they are putting their lives on the line 24 hours a day to protect us?
ReplyDeleteWhy should the mention the soldiers?
DeleteThe Gedolim are concerned about a specific tzara ruchni that affects the Chareidishe Olam and their way of life. It is an eis tzara of tremendous proportions, threatening the future of klal yisroel. They are focused on this great tzara, why does every time anyone mentions this gzeiras shmad do they also have to mention the soldiers?
If you want you can add whatever tfila you wish. You can daven for the OTD youth who strayed from Yiddishkeit, the many singles who are awaiting their bashert, the parnassa crisis and you can also include the soldiers who are in a matzav of sakana.
They did mention the hostages and Jews all over the world. its wasn't limited to the draft issue. They just won't mention the soldiers. I ask why?
DeleteWhat about the shmad of the Zionists to imprison us for the "crime" of learning Torah?
ReplyDeleteThe Zionists were mentioned. I'm asking why they wouldn't mention davening for the soldiers.
DeleteOh please. No one is being imprisoned for the "crime" of "learning Torah". A resident of a country is bound to its rules and laws. (Seriously, would an american judge allow you to avoid jury duty because its causing you to to miss first seder??????)
DeleteNow, you can have the argument whether or not Bnei Yeshivos are EXEMPT from army service, but those being imprisoned are stemming from the understanding that Bnei Yeshiva are NOT exempt and accordingly are obligated to serve like any other citizen and deserters and violators of the law are to be punished as per the regulations.
The Soviet Union also sent Jews to Siberia for the crime of observing Torah, did those Jews also deserve it because they broke the law?
DeleteCorrect and the the in Israel is that it’s a crime to learn Torah the whole point of Zionism was to change klal yisroel from a religion a nation that learns Torah and Mitzvos to a nation like all others one way of being able to enforce this rule is to draft yeshiva Bochurim no other country in the world drafts yeshiva students.
Delete4:40 pm
DeleteA Yeshiva student in the USA does not have to serve on a jury. He presents a paper which says he is in school, and is exempted.
6:17 - yeshiva bochurim served in WWI and WWII and korea and Vietnam. Even civil war.
DeleteThere were no US exemptions for yeshiva bochurim. (There were many fake yeshivot, but they only let you defer service. Somewhat like hesder. That won't work anymore.)
In Switzerland and Holland (I think Belgium too, Russia today for sure, but it's easy to leave Russia, never had yeshiva exemptions. Of course, Gedolim would actively work to turn over bochurim (actually 12 or so years old) to the czar, some opposed, some actively turned them over. Plenty of tshuvot both ways on the subject.)
Anon 2:19 - nobody left Yeshiva to serve in the US army during these wars. It is just not true. There were Yeshiva deferments, and everyone used them. The idea that they weren't exemptions is just demagoguery, and a deferment in Israel would be good enough, as it was for the past 77 years.
Deleteanon 4:29 Nobody left Yeshiva to serve in the US army during these wars? Really??? How about the Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisroel, Rav Kulefsky ztz'l who served in the US army during WWII. Even though he WAS a full time Talmid in Torah Vodaas he got drafted because he told the draft board that he is not 100% certain he will enter the clergy afterwards. Look at the Torah Vodaas yearbooks from the early 40s. He was far from their only Talmid drafted,
DeleteYour comment disproves your point.
DeleteClergy and divinity students were deferred from the army. An exception has nothing to do with the rule.
In Israel, currently, there are no deferments for Yeshiva bochurim. Which, if implemented, means an end to the lives we know since time immemorial.
Hesder Yeshivos are an experiment, they don't have hundreds of years of history behind them. It would extremely irresponsible to follow them until it has been proven to work over multiple generations.
7:53 -- deferment is what I said (I am 2:19). Hesder is deferment, and there are several decades of it, unlike 7:53 who calls it an experiment. It's pretty established.
DeleteAnd by the way, everyone knows about fake yeshivot that arranged deferment.
As for jury duty, judges (and lawyers) (even unzerer) don't want Jews on jury, they're too smart, and look at talmudic logic instead of legal logic (or rather look at other facts), which they don't want
People with yarmulkes are always excused from sitting on juries. They make you wait there two or three days, bring a short gemora with you.
Anon 2:19 what you said is simply false yeshivos were opening just so bochurim could get exempt . The state is Israel which is run by Zionists goal is to make klal yisroel like all other nations learning Torah is not what they care about they will give money for you to learn they care that Torah is not what make klal yisroel an am
DeleteHaGaon Rav Herschel Schachter Shlita holds that it is zechus for him that his grandchildren serve in the IDF. Am I so sure that he is wrong that I should fast tomorrow just so Israeli government shouldn't carry out his shitah? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/383321
ReplyDeleteTrivia questions:
DeleteWhich particular institution has produced the likes of Avi Weiss, Shlomo Riskin and open orthodoxy?
Which institution employed a man who dresses as a woman, of whom the president of the institution said he's proud of?
Which institution invited one of its graduates to give a shiur, and the above mentioned gaon ripped the signs down - declaring that the graduate is like a reform rabbi. Well, what do you know, the president of the institution made sure that the shiur of the reform rabbi (who claims to be fully Orthodox and speaking in the name of halacha) did take place?
Which institution is forced to support all sort of toeva clubs?
Yep, the institution of the above mentioned gaon. These little instances are but a tiny drop of many, many buckets which emanate from that institution.
We prefer to ignore the opinions of the leaders of such institutions, as they don't have the sensitivity to appreciate real and true yeshivos and kollelim.
A yachid is not the same as the tzibbur.
DeleteIf all Charedim went to the Army, there would be no more Charedish Yiddishkeit as we know it. Why should Rabbi Shechter's grandson make a difference to this?
Hesder Yiddishkeit hasn't been destroyed by being in the army. Why should Chareidi? Sounds like something missing in the chinuch.
DeleteRav Shachter is a Talmid of Rav Soloveitzik & he is following in his derech. This derech was rejected by the Gedolei Yisroel who were the contempraries of the Rav. The Chareidi world have many Gedolei Olom behind them while the Mizrachi have one or two from before they realized what it would lead to.
DeleteWhat's the attrition rate of Hesder students? How many, if given the choice, would prefer to be F16 pilots rather than to be as great as Rav Chaim Kanievsky ZT"L?
DeleteYU has more than one Gadol at its helm.
DeleteRav Rosensweig is probably the biggest lamdan alive. Rav Willig is also a world-class Talmid Chacham. From the Sefardi side, Rav Ben Chaim is a Baki b'shas u'poskim. Rav Amar from Israel testified that Rav Ben Chaim IS THE GREATEST TALMID CHACHAM IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
If you feel that bochurim should stay in Yeshiva, rather than go to the army, fine (although that is against Daas Torah of the aforementioned "greatest Gedolim in the Western Hemisphere"). But why do you have to knock them? What aren't you afraid of their coals? Why are you so closeminded that ONLY the community that YOU happened to grow up in is certainly right and everyone else is laughably wrong?
About 50 percent of hesder students go off the derech once they join the army. Almost none of the rest are learning on a high level. Even chardal does not allow those holding by learning to join the army.
Delete3:51 -- yesterday was the levayah of the father of the (stoliner) CR of Ukraine, who got smicha from that yeshiva.
DeleteWhat yeshiva did Rav Avigdor Miller, the (first) BMG Mashgiach, the RY of Telz / Cleveland, others attend before going on to Slabodka?. Half the Agudah leadership attended the same institution. Several Bais Yaakovs have programs in conjunction with the institution.
The Rav was a Daas Yochid. Rav Kook was a Daas Yochid. The overwheming majority of Manhigei Yisroel didn't agree with them. You could be a great lamdan but without a Mesorah from the accepted Gedolei Yisroel, you cannot give deos to the Klal.
Delete7:55. Rav Chaim z"l also served in Tzahal.
DeleteAs did his father in Russian army.
Rav Chaim most definitely did not serve in the Zionist army. he did a form of national service. the supreme court of today would not recognize that service.
DeleteLooks like the YU crowd is being drafted to defend the legitimacy of the Mizrachi and army service.
DeleteI think we can all agree that YU has the same legitimacy (or lack of it) as the Mizrachi and army service. Glad to see birds of a feather clumping together.
Can anyone find the teshuva quoted by some VERY VERY legitimate רשכבה"ג ופוסק הדור that one should turn over בני תורה to serve in the Czar's army?
It sounds like a misquote to me, but I would love to see it.
Can anyone find the teshuva quoted by some VERY VERY legitimate רשכבה"ג ופוסק הדור that one should NOT turn over בני תורה to serve in the Czar's army? Who writes teshuvos on such topics? But the son of the Chofetz Chaim writes that after the czar made the quota requiring one soldier for every 1,000 residents a year it was standard practice for kehilas to give 1,000 rubles to whoever would agree to be those guys. His father did not seem to have issue with it but when one of those soldiers asked him to watch the money for him while he is in the army and held none by himself to buy kosher food the CC decided to write Machne Yisroel. He did not speak against the practice or put up kol korehs against joining the czars army
DeleteIf the IDF would respond to such a Kol Korah like the czar would then this would be a legitimate comparison. One could make a weak argument that the IDF has a greater element of שמד. Anyhow can anyone provide any of these מראה מקומות. I have a genuine interest in seeing this material.
DeleteWho are the Moetzes, isn't that the Agudah? They ARE ZIONISTS and there followers in EY GO TO THE ARMY! LOL
ReplyDeleteYou really know nothing. LOL
DeleteWith all due respect, isn't this government the one that has allowed torah to flourish like never before?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the answer to why the chreidim (maybe those who are older and not learning) cannot help the effort to defend THEIR OWN FAMILIES and leave it all to those who are going crazy and losing their livelihoods over this nonstop war?
Hakaras hatov does not mean returning the favor.
DeleteYou don't sacrifice your Yiras Shomayim out of hakaras hatov. Do any of the Mizrachi express hakaras hatov to the Charedi Kollelim for protecting them with limud Hatorah?
DeleteHakaros hatov for what? For putting us all in danger no one asked for this war no one cares to take over Gaza stop the war now get the hostages back and finished. Why is Israel putting so many yiddishe neshamos at risk? For what purpose? To save yidden? Definetly not all for there own power to solve there self esteem issue and “show” the goyim that Jews fight back. Disgusting
DeleteAnonymous 5:50
DeleteThey do not believe the people who avoid the army and learn instead generate any protection. They call this a Mitzva HaBaa Baveira. Furthermore, in their view the 1000s of Hesder students Torah is considered greater, as it is Torah which brings to practice. The Dati Leumi soldiers are the ones learning in the tanks. They need someone to take a shift so they can spend Shabbos with their families, and learn a normal Seder in a Bais Medrash.
The Mizrachi have the zechus of limud Hatorah as well. They also have kollelim and benei Torah
DeleteOnly immature people need validation from their adversaries to make sure that they are doing the right thing
DeleteStop looking over your shoulder
We are taught lo sesaev mitzri because they were an achsanya Al yedei hedechak
Kol SheKen here
The right thing is to have hakaras hatov to the soldiers
who cares what other people think?
Because we wouldn't be in this situation if not for the Zionists
DeleteThe Mizrachim have yeshivos and kollelim. Why should they thank the chareidim for not joining them at war while taking huge subsidies from the government?
Delete
DeleteThe Majority of Torah leaned in E.Y. is learned by Chareidim, that's a tremendous zechus for the whole land. The Torah is also mitoch hadchak, & bikdusha, without TV & internet filled minds, & with boys & girls not mingling. A tremendous zechus for the Klal.
Do the Mizrachi appreciate that?
People rarely appreciate things done by those who are hostile to them that weren't done to benefit them directly
DeleteJudging by the comments here anytime hefkervelt mentions Aguda it is oiver on avak Loshen Horah and being marbeh machlokes b'yisroel
ReplyDeleteWho is marbeh machlokes? Agudah?
DeleteI don't understand why we are having yom tefilla, why don't we just sit at a table with the PM and have a conversation??? Isn't this a problem that it's hard to claim "torasam Umenusam" to all charaidim? Did the Chazon Ish Zatza"l have this in mind?
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with the Prime Minister. Its the Attorney General and the Supreme Court that is forcing the government to draft yeshiva bochurim. The Prime Minister would love to return to the old days when yeshiva bochurim were potur.
DeleteHgaon Reb Aaron Shechter ztl was asked if it is inappropriate to call the Israeli police, Nazi? He replied, that if one truly understood what a tzioni was, one would suffice in calling them tzionim
ReplyDeleteI knew him and don't believe it for a second. He was much too refined for such a question.
DeleteI knew him too, and that is absolutely exactly the way he'd answer. You obviously did not know him.
DeleteThis question was posed in my apartment when מורי ורבי זצ"ל was visiting ארץ ישראל. A large חבורה had gathered and one of the participants had walked past a הפגנה where some of the protesters were calling the police Nazi.
DeleteI knew him too and he definitely said things like this
DeleteIt sounds like Rav Ahron Schecter gave a very diplomatic answer. I'm as anti the kanoim as you can get but still like his answer. There would be so much less hatred for Torah in EY if the kanoim would scream "Tzioni" instead of Nazi!
DeleteThere are almost no true Zionists left. Just some lost tinokos shenishbu who never had a chance.
DeleteWhoever can call another Jew, no matter what kind of Jew, a Nazi, is abhorrently ignorant of history and is a revolting human being! In any event, most today are tinokos shenishbu.
ReplyDeleteThe individual who asked the question and certainly the Rosh Yeshiva ztl don't condone calling another kid a Nazi. The point the R'Y was making is that tzionim are very awful. They literally shmad refugees r'l
DeleteThey're also literal murderers. The sunk the Patria ship killing over 250 yidden.
DeleteDo u know the history of the patria my cousin was nifteres there . It was a boat brought by the Lechi intercepted by the English people where dying of disease and hunger the British the big tzadikim in your book where taking their Royal time sending it to Cyprus. They decided that a controlled explosion will save lives . We will never know one way or the other but you have the British to blame . Maybe you great scholar meant the Altalena but why go there as you don’t care about the facts
Delete643 -- the British sank the Patria (and the Cap Arkona outside Lubek).
DeleteYou're confusing with the Altalena, which they sunk off the beach in Tel Aviv. My mother, and the entire city, was there watching.
(By the way, my mother had a Palestinian passport. As did all other Jews in those times )
Sinking the Patria is one of the many steps of the path why today there are over 1 million charedim today in Israel
DeleteThey're also literal murderers? Even assuming the reason you believe the Patria ship was sunk is true (I'm confident it isn't...)did the entire Zionist movement collectively conspire to sink that ship? Do people who weren't even born then carry guilt? If the Zionists were such murderers you wouldn't need a story that happened over 85 years to bolster that belief.
DeleteThe sinking of the Altelena has nothing to do with today's so-called Zionists. Ideological Zionism is basically a thing of the past, kept alive by the "neturei karta" and a few die-hards in Lakewood.
Deletethe haganah sank the patria. the man who planted the bomb wrote a book about it in which he admitted his guilt and who ordered him to do it. talking down to people about not knowing history or saying that you had a cousin on the ship does not make you right.
Deletethe zionists also sunk the altalena in a separate incident.
those are facts.
11:23
DeleteNaivetè, though thoroughly typical.
Those early left/center zionists;secularists;or whatever you term you're more apt to call 'em; still rule the "commanding heights" of our national society.
Au contraire.
They are so embedded there, they could afford to keep the pretense that they don't.
Deciding between a historian and a Talmid Chacham ill go with the Talmid Chacham. And though i am sorry for judging you, you probably don't know much zionist history.
ReplyDeleteIf the historian is better informed and the Talmid Chachom is just repeating hearsay I'll go with the historian. After I became disillusioned with extreme anti-Zionism and became willing to listen to the other side of the story I realized that a lot of what I previously believed about them was either not true or missing context
Deletecalling yourself a historian does not make you an expert and does not make you intellectually honest. David Irving is also a historian, as is Pat Buchanan.
DeleteDavid Irving and Pat Buchanan have the exact same agenda and trustworthiness as the kanoim when it comes to discussing "Zionists".
ReplyDeletei think you meant to say that David Irving and Pat Buchanan have the same level of trustworthiness as the Zionists and their defenders.
Delete8/21 12:14
ReplyDeleteThat is Correct.
Worse, they weren't even bothered by it.
They also (or instigated the arabs to) blew up bombs in Sephardic neighborhoods back then -while broadcasting that it was the arabs- convincing the Jewish communities they better flee to Israel.