Without an army there is no state, without a secure state there is no yeshiva study. Torah-observant Jews cannot pursue study dependent upon a life of parasitic schnorring.

Study a single book for 18 hours a day :-) the vast majority 95+% of people cannot do that, it's a deliberate distortion of the facts! The reason they study Torah is because that's all they know and any useful skill to the economy in the future is lost because of their previous 12 years of only religion at school. Rabbi's should get a select few student s a year who can study for 18 hours a day and have a quota like university. Those can be paid for and thats it. The others should go to the army and then get paid for by us for 3 years = to service. But then the rest should get 3 years of university or courses paid for too with living expenses too. No more free ride for a select group. Thx, Mat

Dating back to the days of the bible, there was 20% of the Jewish nation who studied Torah instead of physically going to war. A believing Jew understands that the miracle of the State of Israel is not only dependent on its physical might (which was zero during the Gulf war) but also due to its spiritual might. The problem is 2-fold: 1. A secular Jew can never understand the above and therefore anyone who is not defending the State of Israel physically is a parasite; 2. A yeshiva student who is not pulling his weight spiritually is a descretation of Gd's name, and should be in the physical army. Each camp is vital to Israel's existence and a way has to be found for keeping the two strong and powerful.

None of us who go study at university gets free of charge study time! Doctors, scientist, engineers, teachers and all pay for it!!! Only one or two have grants but they are exceptional students. I and my family don't want to pay for yeshivas because they are no different than us who actually do contribute to the society! I also don't want to pay for their extra children. Us chilonim can afford 2-3 children to raise with good education why should I for out for charedims??? For overpopulation??? For living on benefits???

Since when asceticism is Jewish???

...also dedicate themselves to a spartan life to pursue studies. That personal choice does not prevent them from doing their national service first. If the 90% of pretend Torah scholars (malingerers) will heretofore be forced to do national service, this will be a worthy accomplishment.

sadly this group emulates many non-Jewish habits. Their clothing copies the dress of mid European aristocracy, their monk like concept of religious study has nothing to do with Judaism etc. etc. The list is lengthy but the moral is clear. They are a denial of jewish values and standards and their behaviour and demands are a perversion of the Jewish religion. They have become more 'Christian' than the 'Christians.

Did you go to the army?i am in yeshiva and my has family has served in the army and god willing when I get to the age I will to.its not all the religious people that skip the army it's some that have for half valid reasons.the way some people talk about another Jew is sickening..the liberals don't want to accommodate the Haredim they want them to disappear and change.thats not happening..everyone needs to put an effort and change.btw some of the best soldiers are religious but it doesn't matter b.c am yisrael chai

Don't waste your time at yeshiva. You're too satoom to profit from it.

all the prophets and kings of bni israil were working israil himselfe and his 12 son were working and trading to earn their living david selemon were military leaders had souldiers worked in iron manufacturing moses was a sheperd has a stik for that work and was the leader as a military leader so i think you can study torah live an any interested life but work and be in military body

does it look like the yeshiva students value such time wasted? Their own words. If they feel that way then they should go to university and get a profession, and then "waste" another three years of mandatory military service, as most Israelis do, though they do not see it as a waste

I am sorry, but this article is an insult to all the young men and women in the IDF!!! How can you compare the soldiers who risk everything for this country, to these "students" who do nothing more than live off the welfare state, in some fanatical world not different than that of the Wahabis or Salafists that Israel claims that its better than.

... that doesn't mean we should be paying for them. That's the big difference. My children got monthly soldiers pay that is a fraction of what these students get. This is what we cannot admire. If exceptional students want to study, there should be a way to let them do so. But those who aren't exceptional, should go into the army or at least do national service and receive NOT ONE AGURA MORE than what soldiers get. Period!

There are plenty of academic qualifications that would be considered by some to serve no purpose at all. When I was at university in the UK I was sharing an apartment with somebody and although I have forgotten now what the subject was to me it seemed totally pointless and not something that was going to help them get a good job and was just a degree for the sake of having a degree. To you yashiva is irrelevant and pointless but the people who want to go to yeshiva do not see it that way. All depends on your personal point of view and how religious you are.

No reason these young people can't serve the country they live in and that supports them. Then they can study!!!!

It's good to hear directly from a former yeshivah student instead of from a politician. We need to negotiate a new status quo that allows all young men and women to serve their country in one way or another. For genuine b'nai Torah full-time study is a service to the Jewish nation, but that doesn't need to exclude military and vocational training as well.

And a Slap in the face to real Israelis who serve in the IDF. "the yeshiva student has a commander too, his inner heart to get out of bed" what a pathetic comparison and excuse to skip IDF service, you should all go to brooklyn.

In absolutely non-violent, law-abiding manner, we have to dissolve the fundamentalist cults of the haredi world. I think, some branches of the haredi world may survive, if they are based on mutual freedom, and liberal principles. The rest is an organized cult world.

One day every one will know that the success of the IDF against our sworn enemies depends on our boys studying the Torah in Yeshiva. If only every Jew would study and keep our Holy Torah we would not need an Army because Hashem would desroy all our Enemies with out us having to lift a finger. Even now its due to Hashems protection that most missiles coming from Gaza miss their target.

You are full of s...t. “In the day of the Bible” they were mostly illiterate (like the rest of the Middle East population at that time), and couldn’t read or write. The Torah was read to them on special occasions and in designated places only. Where are you taking the 20% from? The people that could read were mostly the Cohanim, and they also needed special scribes to do any writing. Were you “educated” in a Yeshiva?

god must be asleep some time and where was he during the holocaust love when people make proclamation when there is not way they can proof it

Before you go quoting without looking into it. Look at the Megilat Esther (the commentator not the book) were tou are quoting from in Sefer Hamitzvot and you will understand what the are arguing about.

You are so sure? Go learn some secular history dating back til then. And it was not kohanim that mostly read. Please do research before you post your drivel.

That Ynet would post a proper article that is pro haredi? The took an article written by a half baked haredi guy in hebrew then translated in english. Yeah, this is real fair media we have. It would be nice if Ynet would post a REAL haredi voice and not a foot in mouth yeshiva washout who thinks with his rear. This article is some what blind to reality and has nothing to do with the real reason why harediim don't serve. P.S. I've seen some posts about King David fighting in wars and the torah commanding to make an army. The army that the torah talks about is made up of rightous people picked by the generals, not what we have today, huh?

if you think the Haredi are the biggest problem of the country.The Haredi are the roots of this country,and roots are essential for long term Jewish survival in Israel.

Defending the Jewish people is not a "waste of time." It is a mitzvah. The world we live in is governed by "teva" or the natural order as ordained by HASHEM. The world HE has created requires that we defend ourselves. We need Torah scholars but we also need soldiers and it is evident to anyone who has spent time in a Yeshiva that many Haredi men could make a better contribution to the Jewish people with a rifle rather than a sefer. Both are valid choices and reflect Hashem's will.