Reply To: Would you choose army or kollel?

golfer- the difference between the question of army vs. kollel and earning a living vs. kollel is that earning living has a clear advantage over kollel- you make money. You give yourself a greater chance based on derech hateva to earn a parnassah to support your family. By learning in kollel, you are sacrificing that. Therefore, it is understandable why a person who doesn’t want to spend his life learning full time, or he doesn’t feel like he is cut out for it would choose earning a living over learning in Kollel. There are benefits and sacrifices on each side.

My question was that it doesn’t seem like there is any advantage to serving in the army over kollel. You live in worse conditions, your life is in danger, and you are doing less of a service for Klal Yisroel. Practically, even though they are both necessary, why would a person choose to go to the army over kollel? What incentives exist for him?