Jerusalem – In a fiery speech given yesterday during Shalosh Seudos, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe Rabbi Yisroel Hager, called the repeal of the Tal Law “a very difficult and frightening edict” and he exhorted all yeshiva bochurim, not only his followers, to ignore any draft notices they might receive, even if doing so will result in their arrest.
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According to reports on Israeli news site Kikar Shabat, the Rebbe said that while in the past he had dealt with draft issues on a case by case basis, stories that he has heard recently about the goings on in the Israeli army have changed his stance on the matter.
“I have a responsibility for all of klal yisroel, not just the chasidim of Vizhnitz and I am instructing you to make my words known, in my name,” said the Rebbe.
“Any bochur who refuses to serve in the army should explain that he is following the ruling of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe. I take full responsibility and if they come to put me in jail I am ready to go to jail in your place. We are not afraid of being imprisoned and if we need to go we will do so accompanied by drums and dancing.”
The Rebbe also spoke about the power of Israel’s chareidi community in the upcoming elections and urged everyone to do their part to ensure a positive outcome in the election which is just thirty days away.
“Yeshiva bochurim should dedicate their learning to this cause,” explained the Rebbe. “Avreicheim can devote time during bein hasedarim and even those who are not Israeli citizens and don’t have the right to vote can still do everything in their power to ensure that this election turns out favorably for the chareidi community.”
They won’t learn in the army and they won’t learn in jail. I am not questioning the rabbi’s advice, just wondering about the logic.
SUre they want others to fight and die for them why not they are the masters and everyone else is a slave to them,so their thinking goes
I have no problem with it, but i would also request that when he marries of a grand child, he should forbid the Buchirim to come to the wedding and force them to sit and learn.
My son was in the Nahal Chareidi and he came out of the army more frum than when he went in. The IDF is making more Nahal Chareidi units! The soldiers have regular shiurim and they are serving Hashem both by learning and by protecting Yidden.
Agree with #6 . The bachurim, who are chassidim, appear to have no problem taking off time from learning for the Rebbishe Zachen. Also, the litvish bachurim seem to have no problem taking time off to attend the chasunahs of their friends (which seem to number in the hundreds).
As usual this room is full with religious rebels and negative comments concerning anything a Rav byisroel, Rosh yeshivah, or a Frum organization speak about.
This Rabbi is gaining the respect of the real frum establishment. He is as outspoken as people expect from leaders. The Chareidi community wants to raise their kids the same they were raised and follow the path since Matan torah
No, they don’t wan to serve in an army that punishes for not participating while female soldiers are singing. Nor do they want to serve a country that has a 24/7 mission to abolish its own jewish religion. A country that has a history of religious genocide (Yemen, Morocco, etc), a nation that has destroyed numerous holy grave sites over the years. A country that stands for chillel shobbes and nevieles I’treifes.
This is no jewish state for religious people, its a secular country with an anti religion policy hard to find worldwide.
Let the rebbe and other leaders stand up for what is right.
When Rabbi Shlomo Goren zt”l became Chief Rabbi of the newly established Israeli Army, he had charedi soldiers interspersed with regular soldiers. He felt that this way every soldier will eat kosher and that not-yet-frum soldiers will get to know and admire the religious soldiers. That’s the way it was in the beginning years and it worked amazingly. Rabbi Goren was a giant of Torah. He was the greatest expert, in his time, of Talmud Yerushalmi. The then Gedolim, such Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, zt”l, et. al., all stood up when Rabbi Goren walked into a room. Sadly, Rabbi Goren’s character was impeached when he became Chief Rabbi of Israel (a political position) and got entangled in a Mamzer case. The then Vishnitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager, zt”l, (grandfather of today’s Rebbe), as well as then then Sereter Rebbe, Rabbi Boruch Hager, zt”l, agreed with Rabbi Goren. In fact, today’s Sereter Rebbe of Haifa, Rabbi Eliezer Hager, to his great credit, was a Palmach soldier in the Israeli Army. Kein Yirbu. Please see:
Sereter Rebbe ?-1948 ???? ??? ????”?
The rebbe is quoted as saying “I have a responsibility to all of Klal Yisroel…”…if he felt a responsibility for all Jews he would be thinking about how the country needs to protect itself and wouldn’t be telling the frumme to avoid doing their duty.
Don’t worry, Hashem agrees with the rabbi. It is better for our children to assume they have no place in society and realize that they might only be a superman in heaven than to try to help to make Israel a better place. I get it now.
It’s very simple.
Me New Rebbe.
Must flex muscles.
Be more extreme than previous Rebbe.
Me big boss Rebbe.
Start writing my biography.
With no disrespect to C’K ADMU’R SHLIT’A or with anyone asserting that bochurim/avraichim selfless dedication to Torah Study is Israel’s true defense infrastructure. But wouldn’t the whole face of Zahal change with an influx of thousands of Bene Torah? Why aren’t we confident that individuals could remain faithful in their observance? How is this wrong?
interested in any opinions–thanks
The Torah specifies certain categories that are exempt from military service. Newlyweds, someone who just took over a farm, and the “fearful and soft of heart” (Yareh v’rach levav). The Torah makes no mention of guys who are learning, or listening to their Rebbes. Was the author less frum than today’s Charedim?
Does it make sense that a bochur who has only learned torah tug und nacht since he was old enough to go to cheder, no TV, no internet, no newspapers, no radio, no news magazines, no comic books, not even a math or science book, only learning, should become OTD just from mixing in combat training with chilonim?
What did the medina accomplish with all the support they give to yeshivos and kollellim if after fifteen years of learning torah and yiras shomayim the talmidim go OTD so easily?
Maybe the government should re-evaluate the concept of the country supporting limud hatorah if the system is producing such weak people.
This whole idea of sheltering yourself from the world was the whole underlying issue with Yosef and his sale. The brothers thought that to remain a Frum Yiddish you had to shelter yourself (by being a shepherd). The brothers ultimately had to bow down to Yosef, thus admitting that his way was right by (mixing with the world and remaining frum ). Chabad shluchim do it all the time.
Not to disagree with this Rebbe, I just would like to understand why he said this.
I’m kinda shocked to see what I’m reading here…
We’re living in a time where everyone and I mean everyone agrees that the Satmer Rebbe Zt’l Reb Yoel was a huge Tzadik, even the ones who were against him came out later to say hi was right. That being said why can’t anyone here assume he took the Satmer Rebbe approach to joining the military? After all the Satmer Rebbe was right on everything else, right?
I’m kinda shocked to see what I’m reading here…
We’re living in a time where everyone and I mean everyone agrees that the Satmer Rebbe Zt’l Reb Yoel was a huge Tzadik, even the ones who were against him came out later to say hi was right. That being said why can’t anyone here assume he took the Satmer Rebbe approach to joining the military? After all the Satmer Rebbe was right on everything else, right?
(Yawn) All this hatred against bnei hAyeshiva is history repeating itself. There were always yidden out to destroy the yeshivos e.g. The Communist Yevsektzia, the Maskilim etc. Eventually they all get relegated to the dustbin of history while the yeshivos will dance to greet moshiach.
Am wondering what if the Israeli army would stop protecting Israel for one day what would happen, I’m sure the chareidim will hide in bunkers and pray really hard that hashem should save them from the Arabs so what is the hypocrisy here , I’m sure the rabbi wil be devastated to learn that not only the chareidim tool his advise but also the chilonim.
Isnt this the same rebbe who refused to go to the siyum hashas because the zionists were there? o please, this guy thinks so much of himself. if he cared about Klal Yisroel, he would take the famous advice of R; Yisroel Salanter ztl, who said
“Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people’s souls, when we all ought to be worried abut our own souls, and other people’s bellies”
Now those are the words of a true Torah leader.
“I take full responsibility and if they come to put me in jail I am ready to go to jail in your place.”
Apparently he thinks he’s living in the middle ages where they didn’t care who they put in jail because they just wanted to abuse Jews.
Rebbe, if you don’t start sending bochurim to serve in the army, there won’t be any army left when the country has no more seculars to serve for you.
Reply to #45 . You obviously don’t know who the vishninitzer Rebbe is. Me personally, I don’t agree, but he probably knows some things that I don’t. He is a man that is far from koved, and is not lnto making headlines like his brother in law from satmar. He is a man of his word and respected everywhere.
There are some people here who are just not believing in toras moshe,they are still between us they like some parts of the heimisher cloture,so they are not leaving are community,but it keeps bothering you people why are we not the same as all other nations,this is what I see in the comments here.
Why are we against gay ?
Why are we not feeling a part of a land of Jews That are not believing in the Torah that hashem gave us ?
Why are we helping someone that is called a rapist,without any evidence ?
Why are we not one with all Jews who are not believing in the Torah ?
My answer is to you ,
We are basing are life on toras moshe,this is the old way that we got from our fathers and mothers,this is what we got killed on all the years.
You people if you don’t believe in this,just leave are community,go serve in the army,marry of you’re children gay,and to whatever you want,
I teach my children that there is some people in are community that are just not believing in things that is very clear in the Torah.
u want to sit and learn,,,, great but dont bite and bash the hand that feeds u
and please dont revise history not every yeshiva bochur expected to b supported all his life. in fact most frum jews didnt even get to stay in yeshiva or cheder for any length of time. a few exceptional were chosen not like todays sense of entitlement for all.
the real shanda is no hakoras hatov for the fellow jew often shomer torah and mitzvahs putting his life on the line while protecting u. that isnt torah.
just narrow minded bigotry
if rockets fall towards kiryat vishnets let them fall…if there are terrorist going to kiryas vishnetz let them in….it works both ways if your so holy and dont send your boys then you get no protection….i also think you should get grabage pickups either…..i dont understand hislogic….charadim should be setting the example of menchlichket or yosher why always causing sinah and im-menschlichkeit?
two years later…. the rabbis opinion changed…