I have a lot of thoughts about this, far too much to put into a comment here, but Rabbi Slifkin is definitely doing a huge disservice to the religious zionist world. Firstly, anyone who reads him and is unfamiliar with the religious zionist world would get the impression that religious zionists are neither religious nor zionist. Not only does he deny the idea that it is only on the merit of the Torah that we win wars, but he also attacked those who want to resettle Gaza. Wouldn't a zionist support yishuv haaretz?
Of course, the differences in philosophy between the haredi and religious zionist worlds should not be overlooked. The religious zionists such as myself indeed view the State of Israel as the beginning of the redemption. Yet not a single religious zionist rabbi would argue that serving in the army is more important than learning Torah and keeping the mitzvos. Of course, we believe that army service is part of keeping the Torah, but the supremacy of Torah learning is reflected in the hesder framework: traditionally 3.5 years in Yeshiva, and 1.5 years in the army. If the army is so important, why should these hesder students get any leeway? 1.5 years used to be only half the regular service! It is indeed puzzling why Rabbi Slifkin is proud of his son for going to hesder. Perhaps that itself should give us some hope that he's not as anti Torah as some of his statements would suggest.
The Rosh Yeshiva shlit"a in which I learn (in our Yeshiva all the avrechim learn in the same beit medrash with the bachurim) made the exact same point in his שיעור כללי a few days ago.
(He himself is very pro army, went to the army years ago as a combat soldier, and has a son in law who was in מילואים in עזה for quite a few months. His sons are too young)
Not to quibble, but I think Slifkin was leaning more on RAL's quasi halachic view that there is a communal social obligation to serve even w/o milchemes mitzvah and pikuach nefesh and this overrides the sakana involved. Granted, the same argument of not forcing everyone else to accept that view would apply...
Just remember that the beginning of the end of that the layman knows better than the gedolim, and there is no such thing as a gadol anyways. In two ways everyone is an expert: hashkafa and choshen mishpat.
Side note, personally, I think Mr. Scott Kahn is way more respectful and even more open to listening than Rabbi Doctor Slifkin and we should make this distinction.
I have a lot of thoughts about this, far too much to put into a comment here, but Rabbi Slifkin is definitely doing a huge disservice to the religious zionist world. Firstly, anyone who reads him and is unfamiliar with the religious zionist world would get the impression that religious zionists are neither religious nor zionist. Not only does he deny the idea that it is only on the merit of the Torah that we win wars, but he also attacked those who want to resettle Gaza. Wouldn't a zionist support yishuv haaretz?
Of course, the differences in philosophy between the haredi and religious zionist worlds should not be overlooked. The religious zionists such as myself indeed view the State of Israel as the beginning of the redemption. Yet not a single religious zionist rabbi would argue that serving in the army is more important than learning Torah and keeping the mitzvos. Of course, we believe that army service is part of keeping the Torah, but the supremacy of Torah learning is reflected in the hesder framework: traditionally 3.5 years in Yeshiva, and 1.5 years in the army. If the army is so important, why should these hesder students get any leeway? 1.5 years used to be only half the regular service! It is indeed puzzling why Rabbi Slifkin is proud of his son for going to hesder. Perhaps that itself should give us some hope that he's not as anti Torah as some of his statements would suggest.
ייש"כ!
The Rosh Yeshiva shlit"a in which I learn (in our Yeshiva all the avrechim learn in the same beit medrash with the bachurim) made the exact same point in his שיעור כללי a few days ago.
(He himself is very pro army, went to the army years ago as a combat soldier, and has a son in law who was in מילואים in עזה for quite a few months. His sons are too young)
This post misses the most basic obvious difference between our situation and theirs. And everyone here seems to be totally oblivious to it.
Not to quibble, but I think Slifkin was leaning more on RAL's quasi halachic view that there is a communal social obligation to serve even w/o milchemes mitzvah and pikuach nefesh and this overrides the sakana involved. Granted, the same argument of not forcing everyone else to accept that view would apply...
https://vinnews.com/2024/04/08/read-18-top-sefardi-rabbanim-sign-letter-rejecting-compromise-on-draft/
Just remember that the beginning of the end of that the layman knows better than the gedolim, and there is no such thing as a gadol anyways. In two ways everyone is an expert: hashkafa and choshen mishpat.
Side note, personally, I think Mr. Scott Kahn is way more respectful and even more open to listening than Rabbi Doctor Slifkin and we should make this distinction.