Techina: “I cannot understand the concept of those engaged in Torah learning being disengaged from the world around them, quite the contrary the brave souls form Nahal Haredi, or volunteer in Zaka are closely connected to all of Klal Yisrael. The stigma of how does it look haunts so many haredi communities, breaking away from social expectations and doing the right thing is the action of the brave. Fear of breaking away with traditions which are in themselves only recent minhagim dominate the charedi rabbonim, who politically are busy using imagined slights against Gadolim to canvass opinion against the State as well as each other.”
What you don’t understand is that the Gedolim are basing their opinions on the Torah. It’s the MO community that has broken away from the Torah teachings from Time Immemorial. So it’s the Zionists, including the Frum ones, who have disengaged from the Jewish people, not the other way around. The Torah and the Jews are One!
“in Israel it is important for the morale of the state for all to show themselves willing to make a contribution.”
And the Frumme in Kollel are doing more than their fair share!
“Israel is a young new country and needs all hands on deck to make things work. I have been in Jerusalem when the call up was sent out for reservists, seen orthodox men take their seats on the army buses and charedi neighbours watch them go by, can you not understand the resentment and sense of insjustice people feel. The men I saw being called up had all been to yeshivas for some time, including my own sons.”
The only reason you resent this is because you don’t have a Frum upbringing, only a MO one. You don’t believe that Torah learning protects the Jews in Israel. But it does, probably even more so than the army. A guy once told me after a war, that during a war he was shot and got discharged. When he got out of the hospital he went straight to R’ Schach zt’l, while still in uniform. He told him his story and R’ Schach zt’l responded -“You think the war is fought on one front, it’s actually fought on two fronts -the front and the Bais Medrash!”