“For you are a Nation of Priests, a People holy to the Lord Your G-d.”- Exodus 19:6
“Bamidbar” is the Parashah that opens
the fourth book of the Torah. Moshe is embarking on the important task of preparing
Am Yisrael, the newly molded People, to living as a safe, productive, and
independent nation in its own land.
It is not an easy undertaking. To try
and instruct a People that has only recently gained its freedom, after
centuries of slavery, to live an autonomous life is a major challenge. Most of
them are illiterate, submissive and rely on Moshe to guide, lead, and decide
for them.
As we recall, thus far, Moshe has been
setting the ethical and ground rules for preparing Am Yisrael to live its G-d
given destiny as a “Holy nation.” We were given the Torah which rabbi Sacks
ZT”L correctly and succinctly defines as “our constitution of liberty under the
sovereignty of G-d.”
The Covenant entered between G-d and
Am Yisrael was unanimously and unconditionally accepted at Mount Sinai. We,
their descendants, are bound by it. Both the Book of Shemot (Exodus) and
Vayikra (Leviticus) outline the duties of this meaningful and important
vocational role. G-d, as we are reminded time and again, is the common
denominator that connects them all.
As part of our calling, the Priests
and the Levites have been assigned their tasks. The protocol for running their
sacred, very important and not always easy work has been outlined. A “priest in
the service of the Jewish People,” states Rabbi Berel Wein, “was someone who
served the public and private needs of Jews. The Priest was a social worker,”
continues, Wein, “the peace maker, the cement that binds a community together
and gives it its necessary sense of unity and cohesion.” Above all, the Priests
were the guardians of our national as well as our Spiritual well-being.
However, to live in safety and for
physical survival, it is also essential to build a strong army.
Towards that end, G‑d directs
Moshe to conduct a census of Am Yisrael. Moshe needs the count of people
who could be of military age, who could fight, ones who could defend the
nation.
There are 603,550 men of
draftable age (20 to 60 years) who will be trained in warfare. The Levite
circle, with its 22,331 or 3.7% of the total, are exempted from that duty.
The Levites had an alternative role,
not just to be holy as some have interpreted it, but as mentioned by Rabbi Wein
above, to also be the educators, counselors and, the ones responsible for
teaching the masses of people how to shell the slaves' mindset and start thinking like free and responsible
people. That, too, was being part of the strength and defense of the nation.
They were simply soldiers of a different kind.
Fast forward to the 20th century
modern day state of Yisrael. Many members of the Hareidi segment of the Jewish population
dedicates many hours of the day to studying Torah and, like the Levites and the
Priests dedicate their lives to serving G-d. Like the Levites, they are exempt
from enlisting to the army. This, naturally, causes some resentment among other
Jewish sectors in the Yisraeli society.
Learning and studying Torah, as we all know, is highly important in our Jewish
tradition. “And you should contemplate it [The Torah] day and night,” Moshe commands
Yehoshoa (Yehoshua 1:8). It is important to note that Yehoshua was the Chief of
Staff of Moshe’s army.
This decree by Moshe to Yehoshua,
however, is not a reason to pass the responsibility of self-defense to others,
or any responsibilities to others in favor of something just for oneself. It
was not a deal that if one sits and studies, that one should be exempt from the
responsibility of defending one’s family and people from aggression.
On the other hand, there are those who
want to deny the importance of Torah learning, those who want to tear Torah
scholars away from what they dedicate themselves to be doing. Neither are right.
Our sages have understood this issue
very well and debated it at length. They quote Devarim (Deuteronomy 11:14) which
states, “You shall gather your grain, your new wine and your olive oil.” At the
same time, they remind us of Moshe’s decree to Yehoshua regarding the
importance of studying the Torah. Many have acted in accordance with Rabbi
Yishmael and combined working for a living and learning Torah. (Berakhot
35b:4-10)
Consider an idea for today. Hareidim, as the new Levites in the role
Moshe Rabbeinu designed 3400 years ago for those who would serve the people,
not as combatants but as educators and social workers, and maybe even helping
with the harvests in season, out in the smaller communities from the Lebanon
border to the tip of Eilat, to every area in Judea and Samaria.
It is not really a new idea. Religious girls have been doing it for some
time as a substitute for regular military service. It would mean adding a
program for Hareidi men between 18 and 21 in addition to those already voluntarily
enlisting in percentages equal to some other sectors of the population. It
would mean that everyone is required to comply with their responsibilities to
the nation for 2-3 years of their lives, either in combat roles or in other
ways.
And there should be a bonus. For every individual serving, regardless of role,
there should be post-service educational benefits and reduced mortgages to buy
a home, in some proportion to years of service. Before someone asks about
Miluim (reserve service), that could also be accomplished both in military readiness
and service to small communities in other ways.
It is time that Medinat Yisrael employ
ideas that bring all segments of the Jewish community together to improve the
quality of life for all, just as Moshe Rabbeinu insisted that everyone
participates - in building the
Tabernacle, in defending the nation, and
in serving the welfare of the people.
This article was written jointly by Roger Froikin and Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks
