One of the most divisive issues in Israeli society today is the question of why many yeshiva students do not serve in the army. Critics argue that they are not sharing the burden. From the perspective of Orthodox Jewry, however, nothing could be further from the truth.
We believe that Torah study is not an escape from service, but a form of service. It is a different type of service, one that has sustained the Jewish people for thousands of years and continues to provide spiritual protection to the nation.
In every army, only a minority of soldiers are actually on the front line. In the Israeli army today, approximately 25–30% of personnel serve in combat positions. The remaining 70–75% serve in support roles. No one asks why the military cook is not fighting on the front line. No one complains that the truck driver transporting weapons, the mechanic repairing tanks, the intelligence analyst, or the clerk processing paperwork are not carrying rifles in battle. Everyone understands that an army requires many different functions and that each person contributes according to his role.
Orthodox Jews believe that intensive Torah study constitutes another essential support role, perhaps the highest one. The yeshiva student who begins his day at seven in the morning and often studies until ten-thirty at night or later is engaged in what we view as the spiritual defense of the Jewish people. This is not a casual occupation or part-time endeavor. It is a life dedicated to the preservation and protection of the Jewish nation.
Our tradition teaches that Torah study protects and sustains the world. The Talmud states in Sotah 21a, “Torah protects and saves” (תורה מגנא ומצלא). In Makkot 10a, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi teaches that the victories of Israel are attributed to the Torah scholars studying in Jerusalem. Shabbat 119b teaches that the world exists because of the Torah learning of children. Avot 1:2 states that the world stands upon three things: Torah, Divine service, and acts of kindness.
Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, in Nefesh HaChaim, explains that Torah study sustains all worlds and preserves creation itself. The Zohar repeatedly teaches that Torah learning brings Divine protection to Israel. Great Torah leaders throughout the generations, including the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, all emphasized that Torah learning provides spiritual protection for the Jewish people.
The benefits of Torah learning extend beyond spiritual protection.
Torah study preserves Jewish identity and continuity. It transmits values and morality from generation to generation. It strengthens families and communities. It creates discipline, self-control, and commitment. It inspires acts of kindness and communal responsibility. It provides moral and ethical guidance to society. It maintains the covenant that has sustained the Jewish people through exile, persecution, and countless attempts at destruction.
The Jewish nation has often been compared to a sheep surrounded by seventy wolves. Our survival throughout history has never been explainable solely through military strength. We believe that Divine protection, brought about through Torah and mitzvot, has always been a central part of that survival.
For this reason, many within Orthodox Jewry view Torah study as national service of the highest order. Just as the State recognizes that different soldiers contribute in different ways, we believe that there should be legal recognition that full-time Torah study constitutes a form of service to the Jewish people.
This belief does not diminish the tremendous sacrifice made by those who serve in combat or in support units. On the contrary, we deeply appreciate and value their contribution. Physical defense and spiritual defense are not contradictory; they complement one another.
A Jewish army needs soldiers. A Jewish nation also needs Torah. We believe that both are essential. One protects the body of the nation, and the other protects its soul. Together they have enabled the Jewish people to survive against all odds and continue their remarkable story.
Mordechai Ovadia, RBS Aleph. Beit Shemesh
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