Baruch Hashem, Israel’s Supreme Court recently issued an order barring the world’s only Jewish state from funding Torah students who have not received a deferral from the army. Without getting into why they decided to do this now - when Israel is in the middle of fighting a battle for her life - let me present a 3-step response that highlights why they’re wrong, why they’re right, and what we can do about it.
THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN TORAH STUDY AND THE IDF.
King David did it. Queen Esther did it. And, in this video, the Lubavitcher Rebbe lays out the crucial reason there MUST be a partnership between the brave women & men of the IDF and the women & men who study Torah, in their merit.
ALL HANDS ON DECK!
During this crisis, I believe everyone has to get involved to make sure the Israeli people, and the brave women & men of the IDF, are not alone. That doesn’t just include ALL of Israeli society but also ALL Jewish people around the world. Therefore, in response to this supreme cry of angst, let us double our collective efforts in support of the Jewish people, starting with Torah study!
You can choose whatever Torah study excites you. But if you need some resources, check out Chabad.org, Aish.com, YUTorah Online, TorahMates, and even our own Monday night class, FREE and open to people of all backgrounds.
FURTHERMORE, if the Supreme Court wants to make it mandatory for young Yeshivah students to proudly defend their land and people, perhaps they can also make it mandatory for 2 older/retired Israelis to “fill the seat” in the Yeshivah. This way, all able-bodied Israelis will serve in the military and TWICE as much Torah study will be deployed in their merit.
GIVE TZEDOKAH!
One thing we all can do about this is to give more Tzedokah. I’m gonna do it after I finish drafting this message to you. It doesn’t matter where you give, only that you give. For “charity saves from death,” (Talmud, 156B). But for those of you who want suggestions, here are some ideas:
May our extra deeds of goodness tip the scales towards Moshiach when the entire human family can serve Hashem in harmony & unity! Amen!!!