It's absurd that ultra-Orthodox Israelis should receive an IDF exemption.
According to Jewish law, yeshiva students should not be exempted en masse from military service.
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This is a guest essay written by Scott Kahn, host of the “Orthodox Conundrum” podcast and co-host of the “Intimate Judaism” podcast.
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Sometimes, too much scholarship can be a detriment to determining the right thing to do.
The concept of natural morality — that is, that people intuitively know certain basic moral concepts — is debated by Jewish and non-Jewish philosophers alike.
One of the most famous examples of a Jewish scholar championing natural morality is the Ramban1 in his commentary to Vayikra 19:2. He explained that the biblical directive to “be holy” prohibits actions which are not otherwise proscribed by the Torah, but which would allow someone to act in a despicable manner without technically violating any written prohibition.
Many assume that we know which prohibitions are included in this mitzvah (commandment) through natural morality. This is in line with the Ramban’s explanation of why the people of Noah’s generation were punished for hamas, meaning stealing and exploitation: “Because this is a logical mitzvah, without need for a prophetic warning.”
Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook took this idea even farther. He argued that natural morality is implanted in us as an aspect of our divinely apportioned souls, and that, perhaps shockingly, the masses may have greater access to this form of divine revelation than Talmudic scholars.
As professor Marc Shaprio notes in his new book, Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New: The Unique Vision of Rabbi Kook, “There is an element of natural Jewish morality among the masses that can no longer be found among scholars, and that scholars ignore this to their own detriment.”
Shapiro then cites Rabbi Kook’s own words:
“The natural people who are not learned have many advantages over the learned ones, as their natural intellect and inherent morality have not been corrupted by the mistakes that arise from [Talmudic] learning, and through the weakening of strength and anger that comes together with the yoke of [Talmudic] learning…”
“The learned ones must always acquire for themselves, as much as possible, the natural talent of the masses, whether it be regarding an outlook on life or being aware of natural morality, and then they will be able to develop their intellect more and more.”
Shapiro importantly notes that the masses Rabbi Kook had in mind were less learned than the average Orthodox Jew in 2025, who typically has attended yeshiva high school and often spends a year in yeshiva or seminary before going to college: “Had the masses in Rabbi Kook’s day had any serious learning, he could not have said what he did, because his point is precisely that learning ‘spoils’ some of the Jew’s natural morality.”
This issue comes to mind because of the confluence of two parallel occurrences in the news: first, the massive callup of reservists by the IDF in preparation for the next stage of the war against Hamas; and second, the decision by the ultra-Orthodox political parties in Israel to boycott coalition votes because the government has not yet enshrined draft exemptions for yeshiva students into law.
I have argued before that if the military applies special status to unusually talented musicians, dancers, and athletes, giving them a simplified and shortened service so that they can further improve their skills, it certainly should do so for outstanding Torah scholars of draft age.
That, however, is not what the United Torah Judaism2 and Shas3 political parties are demanding; they want sweeping exemptions that apply to any student registered in a yeshiva. Moreover, much of the ultra-Orthodox religious leadership has gone further, arguing that no ultra-Orthodox individual should join the IDF, regardless of whether he is studying in a yeshiva.
The ultra-Orthodox concerns about the spiritual dangers of army service are not unfounded; the IDF was once an institution that actively tried to assimilate its soldiers into Israeli secular society. However, the IDF of today is quite different from the Israeli military in 1950; the huge number of religious Zionist hesder4 soldiers can attest to this.
Moreover, the IDF has shown willingness to adapt to the needs of the ultra-Orthodox population. As reported by The Times of Israel, “The IDF has been opening new units, as well as considering building a separate induction center, for ultra-Orthodox troops, to meet the army’s needs of at least 10,000 additional troops per year.”5
(In fact, while the IDF needs approximately 10,000 new soldiers, it can only accommodate 3,000 ultra-Orthodox soldiers annually because of the IDF’s desire to accommodate their lifestyle.)
Yet, despite these efforts, only a tiny percentage of ultra-Orthodox who received draft notices actually enlisted in the army — and ultra-Orthodox religious and political leaders have applauded the efforts of those who discourage responding to the military call-up.
All of which brings us back to the question of natural morality.
I have argued consistently — and, I hope, convincingly — that the idea that yeshiva students should be exempted en masse from military service is dubious according to Jewish law. The sources that are cited in defense of the ultra-Orthodox position are, I believe, more than unconvincing, while the sources to the contrary are compelling.
(The idea that anyone ultra-Orthodox, regardless of his yeshiva status, should receive an exemption is absurd according to Jewish law.)
Still, I want to suggest something that may sound radical but which, I think, is absolutely fundamental — and in line with what Rabbi Kook said about the moral wisdom of the masses.
Let’s leave aside all Jewish law arguments about exempting yeshiva students. Instead, let’s step back and ask ourselves honestly: Is there any moral justification for an entire segment of the Jewish population to ignore its responsibilities to the larger Jewish People?
Is there any moral justification for an entire segment of the Jewish population, when others are dedicating years of their lives to defending the Jewish People, to refuse to share even a small part of the burden?
Is there any moral justification for an entire segment of the Jewish population to watch passively as others sacrifice their lives to defend the Jewish People, or to even celebrate their refusal to help, when the army is forced to call up soldiers who have already been in combat for hundreds of days?
Is there any moral justification for an entire segment of the Jewish population to live in the Land of Israel as enemies of the Jewish People actively try to kill every Jewish person who lives there, and do absolutely nothing to assist in the war effort?
In my opinion, anyone who maintains a smidgen of moral sense will realize that something has gone seriously awry, that something is amiss, that a religious and political leadership which encourages such behavior either ignores its moral sense, or has lost it entirely.
Perhaps Rabbi Kook was right. Perhaps, as professor Marc Shapiro suggests, “The natural, healthy feelings of the simple, uneducated Jew are to be preferred to the feelings of the scholar that have been entirely formed by his Talmudic study… [Rabbi Kook] was well aware of the ability of Talmudic scholars to find all sorts of legalistic justifications for behavior that at the end of the day is immoral.”
I wish Rabbi Kook was incorrect, that ultra-Orthodox leadership followed basic moral instincts, acknowledged that the IDF of today is not the IDF of yesteryear, and worked with the government and the military in order to find solutions to the IDF’s manpower shortage, instead of digging in its heels and refusing to consider any solutions short of blanket exemptions.
Unfortunately, Rabbi Kook was right. And we, the rest of the Jewish People, reap the sad benefits of this outrageous moral cowardice.
Moses ben Nachman, commonly known as Nachmanides, and also referred to by the acronym Ramban, was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.
An ultra-Orthodox conservative political alliance in Israel
An ultra-Orthodox political party in Israel
In a hesder yeshiva, service lasts six years, of which 24 months are army service. Almost all hesder yeshiva students serve in the army as combat soldiers.
“First 50 ultra-Orthodox soldiers drafted to IDF’s new Haredi brigade.” The Times of Israel.
The Tanakh is full of holy forefathers who were soldiers, and apparently their fighting for their country did not disturb their own Torah Dome.
The Haredi should be mindful of Hillel’s admonition: “If I’m only for myself…”