Rabbis sign hesder yeshiva support petition
Dozens of rabbis, educators sign petition in support of Har Bracha Yeshiva Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, say 'loyalty to God comes above all other loyalties, be it to military or government'
Dozens of rabbis serving as educators in hesder yeshivas across the country signed a document expressing their support of Har Bracha Yeshiva Rabbi Eliezer Melamed.
In their petition, the rabbis declare that faith in God and accepting the mitzvoth are at the basis of cooperation in the State of Israel and that "this loyalty to God, is above all other loyalties, be it to the military or the government."
On Wednesday it was reported that Melamed wrote in his weekly column in the Besheva newspaper, that he would agree to support a joint statement by the Hesder Yeshiva Association declaring that it is wrong to protest in the military as this may harm unity, if such a statement is made.
'Educational message'
The initiators of the rabbis' document plan to teach it to their 12th-grade students in yeshivas across the country as an "educational message" ahead of their military recruitment. So far, dozens of rabbis have signed the document, and more are expected to join.The rabbis that signed the document are not yeshiva heads, and most of them teach in institutes within the green line and do not identify with the firm line taken by rabbi Melamed.
The rabbis explain in their document that the State of Israel has in recent years been using the army "for purposes that are not related to Israel's defense, and contradict God's will, which is expressed in the sacred Torah. This situation puts IDF soldiers in a reality where there is a contraction between God's mitzvoth and the commanders' orders."
A commander must be faithful to God
On the question of who the commander in the military is, the rabbis write that while there is only one commander in the military, this commander must be faithful to God, the laws of the Torah and the mitzvoth. Such a commander, they write, will glorify the military and lead it to real awareness: "Soldiers are not made on their own, but it is God who gives us the power to be soldiers."In support of their words, the authors mention the Talmud in which they learn that it is a mistake to declare loyalty to a king of flesh and blood, without declaring commitment to God's words.
In sum, the rabbis write, "We educate our students of the hesder yeshivas, to integrate into the army and be excellent and loyal soldiers while staying committed to God's words. We trust that God is the one who instills fear in our enemies, and helps our soldiers prosper and receive the crown of victory."
A hesder yeshiva source told Ynet following the publication of the document: "We warned, we protested and we cried out all along that the war Ehud Barak is waging against Rabbi Melamed would only deepen insubordination, and cause the moderate rabbis to side with him. And here is the proof. An end must be put to this madness."
