Two decades ago Maran HaRav Shach zt"l wrote,
"Recently the walls of the towers that are the holy yeshivas
have been breached and a number of talmidim (though
only a very small minority) have turned the days when regular
studies are not held in the yeshivas and whose main purpose
is to rest and gather strength for raising the level of toil
in Torah, into days for trips and similar havolim. Our
forefathers never knew or imagined such a breach could occur.
Though only a minority [engage in such pursuits] it harms the
holy spirit of the yeshivas and gives a bad taste to the
humble ways of the ben yeshiva. And most of all, it
harms the spirit of the yeshiva, the cleaving to the Torah
and the level of learning to the point of being shameful. The
terrible losses the yeshivas have borne recently as a result
of this cry out to us in a great voice, `Desist from these
ways!' and demand that each and every individual do some
thinking, cheshbon nefesh, and resolve to improve
these deeds."
Gedolei Yisroel continue to issue warnings, time after
time. In a talk given at a bein hazmanim yeshiva,
HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman explained the objective of
these days, saying, "Really there is no such thing as bein
hazmanim. Is there a nafko mino between
zman and bein hazmanim? There is no source
[indicating] such a difference exists. In the positive
mitzvah of Torah study the Torah says, `Vedibarto
bom.' Is there a distinction in this mitzvah between
zman and bein hazmanim?
"Rather there is a certain time when one must help around the
house and help the family. There are some who strain
themselves exceedingly in Torah study during the course of
the zman and they need a bit of rest. But to go on
trips during these days? Is this what they were given for?
And these trips pose a risk of sakonas nefoshos--what
heter is there for this?"
Nevertheless, every bein hazmanim, the message must be
repeated because of the way this matter is scorned. Scorn
that sometimes leads to great anguish. In the following lines
we will examine the issue from a different perspective--from
the point of view of rescue workers summoned to help hikers
caught in life- threatening situations. We will hear what
they have to say about these irresponsible trekkers who
endanger their own lives--and sometimes lose them. Beyond the
firm position taken by maranan verabonon against trips
in general, here is a glance at those who fail to heed
them.
In a newspaper interview Chief Superintendent Mano Barak,
commander of the Ein Gedi Rescue Unit, said, "There is a big
problem with students from the chareidi sector with regard to
tiyulim. Every year we encounter them in the Ein Gedi
Nature Preserve and the Judean Desert. They take along a one-
and-a-half liter bottle of water instead of ten liters,
without maps, without flashlights, without hats and they hike
in shoes [designed for urban use] rather than walking shoes
appropriate for desert trails. They are so enchanted by the
nature sites in the Judean Desert that sometimes they forget
themselves and rely on us, the rescue workers, and on
HaKodosh Boruch Hu to extricate them from a ravine if
they get lost."
The problem is more than just hiking. "There are also
families that get stuck in the nature preserve in the Judean
Desert, like this week in Nachal Dargot, when 22 hikers went
into the ravine late in the day without using their judgment
and got stuck there all night. This is simply
hefkeirus for its own sake. The average Israeli hiker
is a reckless person who endangers his life and his family
members' lives for no reason. He thinks a hike in the Judean
Desert is like going for a walk in Holland or Switzerland.
They don't take water, flashlights or maps. They hike in
inadequate shoes on unmarked trails. On more than one
occasion, this has ended in tragedy and serious physical
injury."
These rescue activities also cost a lot of money. Every year,
they cost taxpayers NIS 30-50 million. "In one incident an
air-force helicopter and a Phantom plane were brought in to
rescue dozens of hikers caught in Nachal Mishmar," recounts
Barak. "The cost of that rescue operation came to NIS one
million. This places a heavy burden on State coffers. Every
time a helicopter is taken out of the base, lands in the
field and takes the hiker to the hospital for medical
treatment, it costs the taxpayer NIS 100,000."
According to figures involved in the matter, requiring
reckless hikers to pay the cost of their rescue could reduce
the number of rescue operations.
In the same interview, the director of the Ein Gedi Nature
Preserve says, "There are ravines and nature sites where
entry is permitted after a certain time of day. Nachal Dargot
. . . is one of them. One may not enter after 10:00 am
because the route at this site takes 8-10 hours [otherwise]
hikers are liable to lose their way and get caught in the
dark. But unfortunately, on more than one occasion, they fail
to heed directions, and rescue units, with the help of air-
force helicopters, are summoned to rescue them."
He says another problem is lack of planning. "In general,
hikers do not consult with professionals regarding the place
they want to hike, do not check the weather conditions or how
much water should be taken. When they get caught out in the
field they make critical mistakes, when they continue looking
in the dark for the way out, and a number of times this has
ended with major tragedies. There are cliffs and high places
that people in very good physical condition can climb, but
there are hikers who disregard the rules and get caught in
these places without being able to move."
The problem is that some young men think all this does not
apply to them. They believe they know better than everyone
else how to make use of bein hazmanim to climb
mountains and how to handle tight straits. They feel they are
smarter than everybody else and only they know how to fill
their vacation time with "substance."
Some of them probably read the warning articles with a smirk,
but nevertheless we will continue to print them in the hopes
that even these know-it-alls sober themselves and wake up to
the reality of the dreadful tragedies that take place time
after time. May we only hear good news.
Note: The thrust of this article is directed against
individuals who go off on unsafe and unsupervised tours on
their own. It is not intended to apply to activities
organized under the supervision of responsible people.
