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laker1963
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Last update - 21:34 17/12/2009
Hesder rabbis: Torah law is above the army
By Chaim Levinson, Haaretz Settlements Correspondent
Tags: hesder yeshivas, Israel news
Rabbis and teachers from Hesder yeshivas, which offer Torah studies alongside military service, released a letter to students in which they reiterated their assertion that soldiers must refuse orders if they are commanded to evacuate settlements, arguing that Torah law is above the Israel Defense Forces.
The letter emphasizes the importance of enlisting to the military, but instructs soldiers to adhere to Jewish law when it conflicts with orders handed down from superiors.
This letter comes as yeshiva heads closed ranks around Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, whose declarations in support of soldier insubordination caused Defense Minister Ehud Barak to oust his Har Bracha yeshiva from its hesder arrangement with the IDF.
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"Unfortunately, the IDF has been used for purposes unrelated to Israel's defense and directly opposed to God's wishes for quite some time," the rabbis wrote in the letter. "This situation faces IDF soldiers with a contradiction between Jewish commandments and commanders' orders."
"We are committed to teach that loyalty to the lord comes before any other loyalty, whether to the army or to the government," the rabbis went on to say.
The document concluded with the rabbis' assertion that they are guiding their students to "be loyal soldiers through their commitment to the word of God."
Earlier Thursday, Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin addressed the rift between the IDF and the hesder yeshivas, calling on Barak to devise a solution and to avoid political motives.
Comments
You have decided to respond to only certain ones which is your right.
If the Canadian content doesn't interest you but another topic does, that's great.
I will continue to post as I see fit, and if you see something you want to comment on... great. These are not MY OPINIONS, I have taken every one of them from several online new sources and have cut and pasted them or links to the original stories, and these include pro Israeli sources. I DO NOT claim to agree with any of these individual stories, but I am interested in them. I find them informative and maybe some here (you) would like to comment. If you take a moment, you will have noticed that I have not and do not intend to add anything to these stories, I will continue to let them speak for themselves and those responsible for their original opinions, which these are a reproduction of.
It's just news, period, sorry if you don't like the topics I find interesting. Please feel free to say so. Have a happy holiday season.
The Moment of Truth is completely irrelevant to this story. What is relevant is the lone poster hanging on the way in this huge room, a poster I always remember thoughout my enlistment. It read:
5 PRIORITIES OF A SAILOR
GOD
COUNTRY
FAMILY
SHIPMATE
SELF
Believe it or not, in a not so direct manner, our military teaches the same thing as Rabbi Eliezer Melamed.
At one moment during my enlistment I was called to stand in front of the Captain for disobeying a lawful order because I was standing up for my beliefs and what I believe to be right, and I simply sited the 5 Priorities of a Sailor and the Captain found that I had done nothing wrong.
Discuss with Isreal or amongst ourselves ? Are you suggesting we have the right to address with Isreal (a sovereign nation) what their military regulations should require/not require ...not trying to be a smart-ass ...just asking for clarification to understand your position.