Home › Forums › Decaffeinated Coffee › Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch and the IDF (Israeli Army) › Reply To: Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch and the IDF (Israeli Army)
NP > Full time Torah Learning is a Civic Contribution of the Highest Order.
We have various models for that in Judaism. One is Yissachar/Zevulun – that is a valid contract between two willing participants. There are, B’H people willing to support learning. Not when one of them forces the other to pay. Another is – live on bread and water. Another is – work and learn at night. Another – get a profession, work several hours a day and learn.
Maybe the sentiment that you present is based on (unsaid?) assumption that the Jewish state is valuable – and we expect more out of it. Then, the community should publicly acknowledge that they see other Israelis as brothers and conduct conversation accordingly.
One of the links to Jewish Action referred to a story that R Soloveichik encountered in 1935 a stalinist kibbutz with a kosher kitchen. Turns out that R kook had previously visited the kibbutz on a Shabbat, had some inspirational time with them, did not criticize any of their behaviors and before leaving said “I hope we can also eat together next time”. They kashered the kitchen next day.
