draft dodgers with their propaganda.

by definiton, Haredi rabbis want to disband the IDF, since it goes against the alleged 3 oaths.

experience is more apt to possess credibility amongst military personnel than those rabbis without such experience. I think the decision is a correct one in terms of hiring effective people. In time, due to the increasing enlistment of Haredi men, there will be, amongst them, future rabbis. In addition, there must be dozens of rabbis who come from the orthodox multi-coloured kippah settler population as they (zionist orthodox) are amongst our most celebrated fighters. The decision of the IDF is a sound one. If the Haredi rabbis wish to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the state, then they must contribute to national service as well as to the overall well-being of the population.

An officer needs to have military training and experience . If the Charidim want Charidi Rabbanim , they are welcome to serve in the IDF

to command troops in combat. Sorry to break it to you, but there are numerous variations to the officers' course - some of them intended entirely for technical personnel, to name one example. To exclude the best people who can handle religious concerns - which means people who have a full Yeshiva education - merely on the consideration that they did not have a full military service... I'm sorry, that's rubbish. The IDF has this thing called academic reservists - that's people who get their active service postponed, and who then go to study an academic degree, later signing up in advance for an extra three years of service. They then get a rank equivalent to an officer's *regardless of any officer's courses* - Academic Professional Officer during the first three years of service, equivalent to Lieutenant (Segen), and Senior Academic Professional Officer, equivalent to Captain (Seren). Each and every one of the above may *also* attend the standard officers' course to receive a command rank, which is often encouraged - the above ranks are purely professional, and their equivalence in ranks to standard officers' ranks is due to the importance of their professions and the strict worth of ranks within the military. But it is *not* required. There are also specialized ranks - Medical Officer, Legal Officer, and *Military Rabbi* - these three have an internal army course in addition to their previous studies and as part of their integration within the military. These courses have, in recent years, been moved away from secondary training bases which handled non-combat officer training, and have all been integrated into Baha"d 1 - now the central training base for all officers in the military. The course mentioned in the article is a specialized one for Military Rabbis. The focus remains, and must remain, on providing religious services and advice in relation to military service, not combat training. Baha"d 1 is hijacking the very purpose of the course and is trying to turn Rabbis with military experience and training, and with a focus on military matters, into yarmulkaed rubber stamps of the military institution who have, at best, a basic familiarity with the very religious matters they are set to uphold! When I turn to a Rabbi in the army, I expect him to fight tooth and nail for my rights as a religious soldier, to make sure that I am not coerced into eating food which isn't Kosher, desecrating the Shabbat for non-operational matters, and so on. So where, precisely, are the Rabbis expected to learn the Halacha? To know all their aspects and nuances? Why shouldn't a Torah scholar with basic military service serve as my Rabbi, instead of this sad new requirement of a religious soldier who is probably a very good person, but who never studied such matters beyond his own personal day-to-day application?

Yeshiva students - again, where else do you expect them to study the knowledge they need to be *Rabbis* in a comprehensive matter? So what will happen now? Will the curriculum be changed to focus on how to be a commander rather than on how to be a Rabbi, and the requirements of the course will be set in such a matter that most people with actual comprehensive Halachic knowledge will be automatically barred? Who will defend *my* rights in the army in a couple of years, and who will defend the rights of the ever-increasing Haredi soldiers? The very programs that encourage and allow for Haredi soldiers (beyond Nahal Haredi) in the IDF today are a major project of the IDF Rabbinate. Without its active encouragement, involvement, and support they wouldn't have stood a chance. Will these new Rabbis of Baha"d 1 consider the matter as so worthy of concern as the Rabbis of the past? Or will they just try to forcibly integrate them into the mainstream military service, just like the IDF has been trying and failing to do for decades past? I see some ways of thought don't go away as quickly as I could hope.

a random question for you.why are you alive?what is the reason why you were born and you will die and during your lifetime you will be like a foodprocessor.for what????why is anyone here???why was earth here why is the universe here all the millions of creatures.why??

why are you here ? for the same reason as everyone , no other reason needed .. But not because of what you believe in . Do you still believe that the creation of the earth happened less than 6000 years ago ?

Then Rabbanim .

If an army Rabbi accepts non-Kosher food at the base mess hall because that's what the base commander approves of and orders, then that army Rabbi is just there for appearances' sake. If an army Rabbi allows a commander to send a unit out for training on Shabbat or a holiday, thus forcing them do desecrate Shabbat or holiday for non-operational purposes simply because the commander in question outranks him, then that Rabbi is just there for appearances' sake. If a military Rabbi does not provide Glatt Kosher meat and Badatz food to ultra-Orthodox soldiers because the base commander wants so save a few Shekels on he budget, doesn't give religious soldiers an exemption from events that have women singing on them because the base commander wants everyone to attend together, and so on and so forth... then I'm sorry, he's no Rabbi. And there have been, and still are, plenty such "rabbis" in the army. There are bases I couldn't eat at, Charles, only two years ago, because I *knew* they didn't have proper Kashrut supervision and everyone was pretending it wasn't happening - the catering food service took care of that problem in most places, but not everywhere, and I'm not even going to bother with the kitchenettes, because they're a prime example of what happens when the Rabbi or Kashrut supervisor simply aren't *everywhere* - probably the only kitchenettes in the entire IDF that are Kosher are the ones maintained by the Rabbinate itself, the Nahal Haredi, and the newer ultra-Orthodox units. There are times that I have had arguments, even heated arguments, with officers and NCO's who thought that their orders were more important than the religious rights of their own soldiers, regardless of the fact that the General Staff Orders explicitly set those rights in stone. A religious soldier can get lost in sheer military bureaucracy and get told, for instance, that he doesn't *deserve* Glatt Kosher food and that he *has* to shave off his beard and sidelocks or else he'd get punished - and there are ultra-Orthodox Jews out there who never shaved a single a day in their lives and who maintain their sidelocks as they are traditionally kept in his community. Just imagine, for a moment, the sheer shock for him. And then the anger. As long as there is no one to uphold those rights, they're simply not there. The military is a very strict hierarchical institution - do you know *why* Rabbis in the IDF are officers? Because otherwise no one would bother listening to them. The IDF Rabbinate has a Tat-Aluf (Brigadier-General) at its very top precisely because the leverage and authority of that rank are needed. Many officers in the IDF don't know and don't care about religion in general or Judaism in particular, and some are openly hostile to it. The Military Rabbinate has to be made up of people who are both familiar with the army and the particular hardships and needs of religious soldiers within the military, and who are *real Torah scholars*. Actual Rabbis. And also, Charles, the decision of the Baha"d 1 base commander automatically disqualifies Hesder Yeshiva soldiers - their active army service (in combat units, I might remind) ranges from 16 to 24 months. Before that, they spend almost four years in Yeshiva study. This above decision has essentially disqualified almost every single Yeshiva student from becoming a military Rabbi. So who will be our Rabbis in the army now? Are we going to start hunting for Rabbis in their 40's now, who entered the Yeshiva and civilian Rabbinical role long after finishing their active military service? Most of them won't even pass the basic physical tests... I see absolutely nothing positive about this decision - it's pure nitpicking from a senior commander who is set in his ways and unwilling to act for the greater good of the IDF, especially at a time that is pivotal for ultra-Orthodox integration within the IDF.

general orders , there must be complaints at higher level . When i said that they are first of all military , it's to say that they need a military training . If a Hesder Yeshiva soldier wants to be a military Rabbi, he can add some more months of training . If there are bases where you would not eat because of Kashrut , i suppose that this is ILLEGAL to have non 100 % kosher kitchens . So measures have toi be taken against the responsible at higher echelons . Why is this not done ?

Each and every soldier in the army receives the training that is suitable for his position and stationing - and Hesder Yeshiva soldiers, for example, get more combat training than I'll ever see in my life. The only further *military* training required beyond the original one given as part of the preparation for the stationing (I.E Basic Training of the suitable content/length to the stationing, and additional training on the spot or in other training bases as needed) is the one mentioned in this very article - the training course for military Rabbis. If they're not allowed to attend the course because the base commander of Baha"d 1 won't have them, that's that. And yes, the training military Rabbis undergo in Baha"d 1 is several months' worth of training and studies, and that's before the *additional* 6-week course that completes their preparation for their role - reservist military Rabbis only take the latter, 6-week course and are called in during emergencies - like wars. But for actively serving Rabbis, you need the officers' course set for military Rabbis. http://www.hnn.co.il/old_gallery3017.html Here are the pictures from the end of final, 6-week course of actively-serving military Rabbis in 2007. Among them is my own current Rabbi at my base, who wouldn't have been here today if he had to attend Baha"d 1 - he's a Hesdernik, you see. That means he's not good enough according to the standards of this single base commander. I think you won't have trouble spotting a few Rabbis there who would have certainly been turned away from Baha"d 1, and if I were to make an estimate... half. Half of the people who finished the course in 2007 wouldn't have been here today. of those I recognize and know personally, those are brilliant and dedicated people. And here's the issue - they each needed at least 5 years' worth of dedicated study at a Yeshiva or Kollel to be considered for the course by the army Rabbinate. Not a problem if you bring in highly-motivated Yeshivat Hesder soldiers and ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students who postponed their active service for Yeshiva studies. They're not in it for the money, Charles - army pay is crap, especially if you're an officer without *any* additional benefits gained from, say, an academic degree. If they wanted money, they would have looked for a job in the civilian market, or signed up as NCO's. But no, they wanted to serve as military Rabbis, and thus give motivated religious soldiers a warm home in the army. And of course, they also handle the bodies of the fallen.

when they enter the army, or are generally completely ignorant of the army structure, their rights in the army, and who they can complain to. Commanders are usually quick to give you your duties but not your rights, and the obese bureaucratic structure that calls itself the Israeli Army is a cumbersome beast. What are a single soldier's options? If his CO is at fault, he must complain to the next person in the chain of command. But who will he go to about the higher ranks of his base - him, the little private, terrified of talking to anyone whose rank is too high for him to know what to do, what to say... A soldier can be afraid to complain about officers within his own chain of command because it might mean worse treatment for him, and you find me a soldier who will complain about his own base commander - we're talking about the big ranks now, and that can rumble as Trouble straight down to you. And yes, it is entirely illegal to have a non-Kosher kitchen, kitchenette, or any kitchen equipment like a microwave or toaster that is supplied by the army. And supposing you're not a new green soldier who managed to learn enough about the system to know what he has to do, who isn't afraid of any personal retaliation on the side of his commanders that may affect the rest of his service and even beyond, and goes all the way up by the official lines of the chain of command... and say he doesn't get an answer. So if he knows what to do *now*, he sends a complaint to the Commissionership for Soldiers' Complaint. And after *that* bureaucratic structure gets around to handling his complaint, he will likely find out that he needs to organize all the *other* religious soldiers at the base, because then the Commissionership might actually take his complaints seriously. Because, you see, when you recruit kids into the army, the system treats the soldiers like kids. The doctors focus on making absolutely sure you're not faking it, and only *then* give you medical care. Your officers don't take you seriously unless they bother to know you personally as someone serious (and that takes time, and a CO who cares in the first place), and the Commissionership might just not believe you unless you're not the only one reporting the problem, but are part of a wave of complaints. So... yeah. I'm haven't even gone into the personal authority and reputations of the highest-ranking officers in the military, and how that might affect the investigation of any such complaint... The army's not efficient, Charles. The army doesn't always have the best people at the top. And it doesn't treat the individual soldiers as someone worth listening to unless you, say, managed to get to the Air-Force or Navy. The Navy is so tiny that everyone knows everyone, and the Air-Force treats you like a human being first and foremost. And considering the horror stories I've heard from the Munitions Corps, A complaint there isn't worth squat unless you can get it out of the Corps.

Roman's comments have helped balance for me the information presented in the article. I will never understand why anyone tries to come between man and G-d. We're all just so much dust in the end. Our relationship with deity is all that really exists forever. I hope the IDF rethinks it's short-sighted policy. Who in their right mind turns away the best for a position and expects to win? Thank you, Roman.

It hasn't been printed (yet?) I'm glad yours was as I think he's a very special person and Lod is fortunate to have citizens of his calibre.

Someone who doe's not share your ideas , who is secular , and who knows the IDF better than i do .

so you admit there was creation.good start.my question was concerning everything on earth and beyond,what is the point of us being here.do you have a logical answer?

Where did i admit that there was a "creation" ? i asked you if you still [ are so backwards ] do believe if that the world was created less than 6000 years ago . There is something called evolution , try to study it . But you did'nt evoluate since thousands of years . Become first a 21 st century human , then we can talk .