I try hard not to dismiss anyone- but it doesn’t always work. What “health” has been writing umpteen times is so far out of the realm of reality that it is quite safe to ignore him. HINT: Look at your syrian neighbour to realize what happens if you give free rein to the murderous hordes.
lebidi yankel: Please read the post by jewishfeminist02, quoting Shimon Gutfreund , and you will find plenty of “mareh mekomos’ about the chiyuv of defending and protecting Jewish lives.Although it does not directly deal with our argument about “milchemes mitzvah”, it is enlightening to see how Poskim dealt with war and dangers for jews.
I do not agree at all with your saying that -once one is “osek bemitzva”-you do not stop to wage war. It has nothing to do with what you are doing now. It has everything to do with what the war is about.
You seem to have read the sugya- so you will know that everyone agrees that certain wars are either 1) milchemes mitzvah according to rabbonon or 2) milchemes chova according to R”jehuda.
These are milchemes shivas ammemim, amolek and the Rambam adds- to save Jewish lives. In those circumstances, everyone-EVERYONE- stops what they are doing and wage war. (gemoro and Rambam)
Certain wars according to all are milchemes horeshus- these are wars of conquest (such as Divid Hamelech and Suria) and for these you only enlist certain classes of people, exemting first year marrieds,etc.In those circumstances, you may be able to exempt learners.
Lastly, the machlokes is for a war that is “to diminish the forces of the kutim so that thwy do not attack you”-typically a pre-emptive war.On this, the rabbonon hold it is reshus, R’Jehuda holds it is mitzvah. On this,says the gemoro, the difference would be whether -if the war is considered a mitzvah-you do not have to stop to do other mitzvos but continue waging war. R’Jehuda says you continue to wage war and the rabbonon say you stop to make other mitzvas (see Rashi) There is no discussion whether you stop other mitzvas to wage that kind of war and you cannot infer anything from this.The war is being fought and the question is whether you stop to make other mitzvos.
However, all this is academic, because I do believe that Israel is under constant threat and therefore, when attacked,it is clearly a “milchemes mitzvah”. To be able to repulse the enemy, you need training and hence, everyone should be added to the army to know how to fight. How, how much,etc, can be debated but the hysterical response from some of the chareidi rabbonim makes this an impossible task.