A relentless campaign to protect the Torah institutions, the
yeshivos and kollelim, has been taking place for
decades. Ever since the State of Israel was established,
various secular circles have challenged the value of Torah
study for its own sake: the devoting of one's life to intense
Torah study.
This battle is being carried out in two spheres: First, the
practical sphere in which active political lobbying tries to
eliminate various types of harmful decrees. Second, in the
ideological sphere, trying to explain to the general public
the stand of Torah Jewry who see full-time Torah study as a
preeminent principle.
The second sphere is not secondary to the first and to a
certain degree they are inseparable. Our mussar sages
have taught us that if we truly cling to the Torah, if we
fully believe in all the principles for which we are
devotedly fighting, others will not even attempt to harm
these sacred values. When we personally reinforce our belief
in these principles, a spiritual segulah "broadcasts"
them to others.
We have witnessed during the last year a new and
sophisticated attempt to harass Torah study, to nibble away
at the splendid edifice of the Torah World founded by the
past and present gedolei Torah. Until now our enemies
have mainly attempted to taunt us by employing the argument
about our duty to serve in the armed forces and to assume
"our share" of the responsibility for our country's
security.
We have always responded by clarifying unambiguously that the
security of Am Yisroel is totally dependent upon its
spiritual condition. Yeshiva and kollel students are
the true defenders of our nation. They are the ones foiling
any threat to our physical existence and nullifying the
designs of those aspiring to destroy us.
Lately these anti-Torah groups have abandoned this worn-out
method of using the "country's security" to goad us and have
formulated a new "value" with which they try to effect
changes and open breaches in the Torah World. The new
principle is called "the need to join the working force."
Secular politicians, "intellectuals" from Leftist circles and
the "objective" media, have carried out a constant campaign
to explain to the general public the "vital need" to uproot
thousands of Torah scholars and "integrate them in the work
force."
We do not know the reason for this change of tactics, for
their swapping the previous specious arguments against the
Torah World for the new one. Perhaps it is because the
principle of the "sanctity of the army" has begun to crumble
among the general populace and therefore the old argument has
lost its powerful ring. Perhaps they realize that compulsory
drafting of yeshiva students will never succeed since Maran
the Rosh Yeshiva has declared that we must be moseir
nefesh to oppose such a plan. These anti-Torah groups
have changed their slogan with the hope that their new
approach will not face such resolute opposition.
Be that as it may, they have devised a theory proving that
there is a vital economic need to integrate thousands of
Torah scholars into the working force.
It seems that after seventy years, these critics of Torah
students are trying to resuscitate the ideas of A.D. Gordon
and other secular chalutzim who preached the "religion
of work" and saw it as a supreme value.
It is superfluous to point out that the Torah-true do not
consider that efforts toward making a living are a "value."
At best such efforts are an unfortunate necessity. We should
not forget that "in the sweat of your brow you shall eat
bread" is one of the curses given to Odom Horishon. How is it
possible to turn a keloloh into a cherished
ideology?
The truth of the matter is that the aim is but one. Neither
expanding the working force nor military service is their
real aim. Their real aim is destroying Torah institutions.
The Brisker Rav zt'l taught us that the true objective
of the Haskalah and Zionist Movements is uprooting Judaism.
Using innocent ideas such as settling Eretz Yisroel,
procuring general knowledge and intellectual concepts, are no
other than poisonous demagogic means, highly sophisticated
methods, through which they strive to gain popular support.
They want to shake our belief in the sacred values upon which
we have educated our children. Techniques have changed, but
the objective has remained the same: uprooting Judaism.
The fact is that Knesset Members and secular newspaper
reporters expressed their utmost pleasure with the proposals
presently being discussed of military service for chareidim.
According to these proposals, chareidim would be granted the
alternative of a shortened military service at even a young
age. Until now the IDF offers a shortened service for all
those drafted at older ages (such as new olim), and
the proposal currently being considered by the army is to
expand this arrangement for young chareidim.
The secular spokesmen announced that if the chareidim agree
to this arrangement, they will consider it a first-rate
achievement, a true breakthrough. Some even went so far as to
suggest full exemption from military service on the condition
that yeshiva and kollel students leave their Torah
institutions and join the work force.
What has happened to them? Have they suddenly "forgotten" all
their declarations about the need to share the burden of
military service?
The answer is clear: They are neither concerned with the
military service of the yeshiva students nor do they care
about economic demands. They are simply resentful of the
phenomenal growth of the Torah world and are prepared to do
whatever they can to erode the sacred values upon which our
children were educated in their attempt to dislodge kollel
students from their studies at the pinnacle of their
development.
We must realize with whom we are dealing. All secular parties
who display "concern" at the pitiful economic plight of the
chareidim and want to "merge them into the work force" are
those who in the past were "concerned" with our not taking
part in military service. The honest truth is they have but
one objective: we should leave the yeshivos and
kollelim.
If there is no hope of achieving this by arguing the
principle of identical military burden, they try their luck
with another principle: our economy's need to blend the
chareidim into the work force. If you do not believe in the
"sanctity of the army" perhaps you will believe in the
"religion of labor."
The attempt to secure popular acceptance of
the secular approach that a life devoted to Torah is "time
wasting," a "burden on the public," and "living at the
expense of others," constitutes an insolent initiative of
those not prepared to admit the fact that the Torah world is
flourishing. The sight of thousands of avreichim and
their families sacrificing their lives to Torah and casting
away all material aspirations annoys them terribly. Although
they realize that they cannot change this blessed reality
through external methods, they have the audacity to demand
from us "cooperation" in solving the "problem" of the
"culture of scholars" and "too many avreichim."
We must conclude that both these so-called concerns are enact
evil decrees. Jewish history teaches us that those who
enacted decrees upon us first tried to do so forcefully and
if that did not succeed they tried to convince us to agree.
Since force has been unsuccessful they are trying to persuade
us that their proposals are solely for our benefit. They want
to change the values of the chareidim and wear away the
sacred principle of devoting one's life to studying Torah by
those who are Torosom umnosom.
In his Igeres Teiman, the Rambam writes that ever
since the Torah was given to us, all those who enacted
decrees on am Yisroel initially endeavored to do so by
the sword and then they tried to entice and fool us. The
Creator promises: "No weapon that is forced against you shall
prosper and every tongue that shall rise against you in
judgment you shall condemn" (Yeshaya 54:17).
Those who have cast away the yoke of Torah undertake various
tactics with just one objective in mind: attacking Torah
institutions. They are always similar plots with altered
forms and definitions.
We will, however, proudly dismiss their proposals and not
recognize the authenticity of their arguments. These plots,
which are all basically one, are rejected by every sensitive
person who realizes the dangers of shaking the pillars of the
Torah World that were built with much toil and mesiras
nefesh by our previous gedolei Torah.
"Make me wise from my enemies" (Tehillim 119:98). We
should therefore not be duped and swayed by the smooth
arguments. We should not even for one minute believe they are
genuinely interested in our benefit. We should frustrate any
evil decrees -- both the threatening and the apparently
attractive ones -- since our entire life is only the
Torah.
Chazal (Sukkah 29) cite several
aveiros and reasons for a solar eclipse. One reason is
based on the posuk: "For he found her in the field and
the na'aroh hame'orosoh cried out but there was none
to save her" (Devorim 22:27). The Likut Chidushei
Geonim in the Ein Yaakov cites from the Beer
Rechovos that Chazal explain here with a moshol
that the result of harming Torah is a solar eclipse.
The Beer Rechovos explains at length that all the
powers of Creation are dependent upon observance of the
Torah, as is explicitly written in the parsha of
vehoyoh im shomo'a of Krias Shema. Even the
heavenly luminaries are reliant upon the enormous brilliance
of "Torah is a light" that is a "light to my path"
(Tehillim 119:105). Shlomo Hamelech, the wisest of
men, said, "I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light
excels darkness" (Koheles 2:13). The Beer
Rechovos writes:
"It is known that talmidei chachomim are the armor
bearers of the Torah since they promulgate it and increase
its observers. `A tzaddik is the foundation of the
world' (Mishlei 10:25) since he stabilizes the world
by his actions. Chazal (Bovo Basra 75a) go so far as
to compare talmidei chachomim to the hosts of the
heaven: `The face of Moshe was like the face of the sun and
the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon.'
"The posuk about the na'aroh hame'orosoh who
cried out but there was none to save her refers to the Torah
being disgraced and people neglecting to occupy themselves
with it. Chazal (Brochos 57a) write that we should
read the posuk, `Moshe commanded us Torah, the
inheritance (moroshoh) of the congregation of Yaakov'
(Devorim 33:4) not as moroshoh (an inheritance)
but me'orosoh (a betrothed woman).
"Apparently this posuk contradicts a principle Chazal
teach us in Ovos (2:12) that you should `apply
yourself to study Torah for it is not yours by
inheritance.'
"Chazal want to resolve this apparent contradiction. `But his
delight is in the Torah of Hashem and in his Torah he
meditates day and night' (Tehillim 1:2). The
gemora (Kiddushin 32b) teaches us that before
we study Torah it is the Torah of Hashem but after we labor
over it the Torah is considered our own.
"Actually the Torah is not an inheritance for any person in
the world. It does not belong to anyone. Since Am
Yisroel sincerely proclaimed, `We shall do and we shall
hear' (Shemos 24:7) they have the right to consider
the Torah as theirs when they study and satisfy their soul
with it, like an engaged couple. They are not yet married,
she is not altogether his wife, and he does not yet head
their home. Yet she is tied to him in such a way that if he
eventually marries her she will become his wife.
"The same is true with the Torah. For a Jew it is like a man
engaged to his future wife. The Torah cannot yet be called
his. Only after he marries it, after he makes a kinyan
on it, which is his laboring over it, is it completely his.
Before we labor over the Torah we have no more zechus
to it than other nations . . . only after laboring over it
constantly does the Torah becomes ours. This is what Chazal
mean when they explain the posuk, `Moshe commanded us
Torah, the inheritance (moroshoh) of the congregation
of Yaakov' (Devorim 33:4) not as an inheritance but as
a betrothed woman.
"The posuk, `For he found her in the field and the
na'aroh hame'orosoh cried out but there was none to
save her' refers to the Torah that calls out to be saved and
supported. Those who study Torah are considered by many as
alien children and even those who should rightfully support
Torah do not recognize or help the talmidei chachomim.
If the peel that guards the fruit has withered, the fruit
becomes spoiled and a sinful wind comes and uproots it. This
is the na'aroh hame'orosoh who cried out but there was
none to save her. Because of such a situation the luminaries
are damaged. Without wisdom there are no moral values and
darkness takes over. `The fool walks in darkness'
(Koheles 2:14) without any light since the heavens
have become darkened and the luminaries have shadowed."
