DaasYochid — I can certainly drop the sarcasm, but the anger is harder to put down. Controlling feelings is much harder than controlling actions, and I don’t think I can just drop it any more than you can decide to arbitrarily like or not like someone. I believe that the resentment which the chareidi tzibbur creates is genuine and very understandable. In a subsequent post I attempted to portray my point of view and why I resent particular sentiments in the chareidi world.
Comments such as those of american_yerushalmi are also very upsetting, and create more resentment. Of course learning Torah is important and of course every person in battle plays a different role. However, who decided that this means that every bochur should be learning for ten years? Did every bochur tell Dovid Hamelech, no thank you, we’re learning Torah. Was all fighting left to non-chareidim? When the Torah tells us that a man ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? or ??? ??? ??? ???? or ??? ??? ???? ???? are pturim from fighting — why didn’t the Torah tell us someone who is sitting and learning? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??????.
american_yerushalmi, please do not say silly things like “only about 25% or so of the soldiers are actually “exposed to danger.”” Does that mean 25% of people that were shot at? 25% that fight in Gaza? Every single person that wears bidgei milchama is risking his or her life to fulfill their responsibility towards HKB”H and his nation, to protect them and be ready for the unfortunate realities and possibilities of violence. Nowhere do we find in the chumash or nach or midrashim or gemarose or poskim an idea that every young man learning Torah is patur from going to the army. Please do not make things up in the name of Torah.