The Sephardi Torah world on Tuesday morning 7 Shevat, became increasingly vocal regarding ongoing efforts to induct women into the IDF. Prominent rabbonim signed a kol korei against women serving in the military, citing there is absolutely no heter whatsoever and the matter is one of “יהרג ואל יעבור”. The kol korei states clearly there is no heter for any female or any seminary to appear at an induction center.
The kol korei was distributed in communities on Tuesday, citing that Gedolei Yisrael were opposed to this at all costs, adding the battle was led by the Chazon Ish, who cited it is a matter of “יהרג ואל יעבור” for women not to enter the military.
The Igud Bnei Torah HaSephardim is behind this process, which over the years worked with military authorities regarding many matters and it enjoys the backing of roshei yeshivos and rabbonim from the Sephardi tzibur.
The rabbonim write:
“זלעפה אחזתנו וירעד לבבנו, בהגיע השמועה הקשה כי דרך אויב בשער בת ציון לשלוח יד בבנות ישראל הכשרות, לפרוץ יסודו של עולם, להתגייס לצבא ושירות לאומי”
The kol korei is signed by:
הגאון רבי משה צדקה ר”י פורת יוסף, הגאון רבי יהודה כהן ר”י יקירי ירושלים, הגאון רבי יצחק ברכה ר”י עטרת יצחק, הגאון רבי ציון בוארון חבר ביה”ד הגדול, הגאון רבי אליהו טופיק ר”י באר יהודה, הגאון רבי בן ציון מוצפי ר”י בני ציון, הגאון רבי שלמה בן שמעון רב וראב”ד רמת דוד, הגאון רבי ראובן אלבז ר”י אור החיים, הגאון רבי יעקב תופיק רק ואב”ד העיר בית”ר, הגאון רבי שלמה מחפוד אב”ד בד”ץ יורה דעה, הגאון המקובל רבי דוד בצרי ר”י ישיבת השלום, הגאון רבי בניהו שמואלי ר”י נהר שלום, הגאון רבי בצלאל טולידנו ר”י זוהר התורה, הגאון רבי שלמה זעפרני אב”ד בד”ץ כתר תורה, הגאון רבי אמנון סבאג ר”י תפארת משה, הגאון רבי אברהם טופיק מחכמי ורבני ישיבת פורת יוסף, הגאון רבי דוד פנירי רב העיר עמנואל, הגאון רבי אהרון ירחי רב שכונת מקור ברוך, הגאון רבי יעקב שכנזי רב שכונת בית ישראל, הגאון רבי יעקב זכריה ר”י לב אליהו, הגאון רבי מכלוף פחימה רב ק”ק יוצאי צפון אפריקה, הגאון רבי יורם מימון ר”י תורת משה, הגאון רבי יחזקאל סיטון ר”י משכן חיים, הגאון רבי יהודה הראל מרבני ישיבת קול יעקב, הגאון רבי יעקב חי עדס ר”י מעלות יוסף, הגאון רבי יעקב ישראל לוגסי ראש כולל כתר שלמה ומגיד מישרים, הגאון רבי נריה חובארה רב תפארת תימן ב”ש, הגאון רבי מאיר בן שושן מראשי ישיבת שערי תבונה, הגאון רבי מנשה שוע מחשובי מורי ההוראה בירושלים, הגאון רבי יעקב שילוני מחשובי מורי ההוראה בירושלים, הגאון רבי מרדכי פרחים מחשובי מורי ההוראה בירושלים.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Good thing my family isn’t Sfardi.
I guess Lieberman will have to ban all these Sephardic rabbis from having anything to do with the IDF ,since they took a stand for Torah.
The a=Agudah / degel hatorah do allow it?
Amazing, rav shalom cohen, R’Ba’adani , rav mazuz , and the entire Yossef family don’t exist
The funny thing here is that most of these people signing are very unhappy with even young men joining the army. Anyway, here is a mishna:
במה דברים אמורים, במלחמת הרשות.
אבל במלחמת מצוה, הכל יוצאין, אפלו חתן מחדרו וכלה מחפתה.
אמר רבי יהודה, במה דברים אמורים, במלחמת מצוה.
אבל במלחמת חובה, הכל יוצאין, אפלו חתן מחדרו וכלה מחפתה.
Of course it would be best if women wouldn’t fight in the army. It would be best if no one had to fight in the army. But what is clear is that under some circumstances, OF COURSE women would also fight, including a newly married kallah!! And it is reasonable if someone said look, we live in a dangerous place, and we need to be prepared for war. Because we never know when the next war will break out, it is important to be prepared, and we count on women too.
Some will respond saying that the army doesn’t need so many people. In times of peace of course you’re right. But who knows what tomorrow will bring. Fine, don’t send your daughters, at least send your young men. Or don’t send anyone, and let’s just daven that the blood of the Jewish people will not be on your hands.
@M
So what you’re saying is that you, with your interpretation of a mishnah know better than: The Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav, Rav Issur Zalman Meltzer, Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Moshe Feinstien, Rav Avrohom Kalmanovitz, the Steipler, Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky… I probably missed a lot, but I think it’s safe to assume that they knew that mishnah, yet ruled that it’s יהרג ואל יעבור for a girl to go to the army or national service (שירות לאומי) anyway.
Another point that seems to have eluded some in the comments above, girls never had to go to the Lishkat Hagiyus. They were always afforded the option to send in their application by mail. In recent months, many girls were informed that they had to come down in person. That is what the Sefardi Gedolim are referring to. They’re not saying not to register at all, just do it by mail.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita put out a similar ruling today.
M- most D”L rabbis are also opposed to girls serving in the IDF at this time for reasons of tznuit and generally direct D”L girls to serve in Sherut Leumi instead (although most would not call service in the IDF ‘יהרג ואל יעבור’).
Ayeshivishguy – for someone who supposedly has spent some years learning in yeshiva, my sense is that you did not internalize what you learned. In learning, we don’t say, “Oh, how can you say that?! Are you big enough to be cholek on Rashi?! Are you great enough to disagree with the Beis Yosef or Levush?! Are you such a lamdan that you can be cholek on the ketzose or nesivose or r’ chaim?!” In learning we focus on the substance, that has been the yeshivish way in learning myamim yamima. So, for example, it would be great if you could say something like “The Chazon Ish, Brisker Rav, etc understand that mishna/halacha pesukah to be referring to xyz, but it’s not nogea to this situation b/c of ….” This is how bnei yeshiva talk.
Yagel Libi – of course if we can avoid women in the army, such as have them focus on sherut leumi or other non-combat roles in the army, while men take the combat roles, that would be much better. Given that many of these people signing, though, discourage ALL people from going to the army, I guess that many people in the army and government don’t believe that they have a good understanding of the security needs of the country, and probably don’t hold highly of what they say about this.
@M
Ein hacha nami, of course. You have the right to your own shita. My point was that it’s the Chazon Ish, the Brisker Rav etc vs M.
I’ll leave it to the public to decide who they would rather follow.
Another thing, that mishnah is referring to a מלחמת מצוה. Find me a Rav (from lithuanian background not mizrachi) that will categorize Operation Protective Edge, or any other war that the IDF has engaged in to be a מלחמת מצוה.
The aforementioned Gedolim ruled that it isn’t a מלחמת מצוה, in which case that mishnah doesn’t apply.