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| Harav Hatzaddik Yaakov Levanon Shlita |
!לא תעמוד על דם רעך
Rabbi Yaakov Levanon, one of the rabbis of Har Hamor Yeshiva, attacked the Haredi position that Torah scholars are exempt from military service in a special lecture.
"No Torah scholar is exempt. If there is a battle involving lives, then you're exempt? How can anyone say something so horrific? Let me use the word 'horrific.' I want you to understand. Are there different opinions here? No, there are no opinions. This is a horrific opinion."
The rabbi intensified his remarks and added:
"To say that a Torah scholar is not included in a situation of saving lives, that he does not come to help? This drives me crazy. I can't say more than that, so I will stick to using the word 'horrific.' From a Torah perspective, it is horrific to say such a thing."
He went on to describe the feelings that this position arouses in him.
"It is cruelty. It is contemptible. It reflects a complete lack of basic moral character. That's what it is."
To illustrate his argument, he gave an example from everyday life:
"Let's see what happens in his own home. The kollel student from Ponevezh would run like a Golani reconnaissance soldier to shut off a leaking faucet or take a scorching-hot frying pan and carry it outside to the balcony. His wife can't do that herself. But when it comes to the Jewish people as a whole, suddenly he's exempt."
The rabbi added that his difficulty with this position stems precisely from his commitment to the honor of Torah.
"It destroys me. I feel anguish for the Torah when I hear this. This is not honoring the Torah; it is destroying the Torah. Saying that Torah scholars are exempt is not honoring the Torah. I cannot live with this idea."
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