Alone in the front: 17-year-old yeshiva student produced a pamphlet: "slackers"

Yitzchak Yishai Benon, a yeshiva student who has not yet reached the age of 18, recently issued "slackers," a pamphlet he wrote, in which he details the main view on the question of recruiting haredi yeshiva students in the IDF.

Many of you are probably wondering how a young yeshiva student can be a shofar for the entire sector.

Benon explains that for two weeks he collected the material, wrote the words and then sent it to rabbis, teachers and public officials so they can express their opinions. "My goal was to explain why we, the haredi public, do not enlist. Anyone who reads it might not get it, but surely realize that there is a different approach from that prejudice against the Haredi sector."

The booklet contains 46 pages, and is engaged among other questions, why yeshiva students do not combine Torah study with military as in the Hesder Yeshivas? If in the past, only scholars went to war, why is today different? What about those who do not learn at all?

In the first chapter Benon refers to a number of points that arise in public discourse these days. The first point that he rejected with a reasoned and detailed explanation is: "The Haredim do not enlist because they do not recognize the country and oppose to its very existence."

To this he answers: "This is untrue, the haredim are not against the state. The majority of haredim who chose to reside in the State of Israel (besides for Satmar and Neturei Karta), recognize the country, pay taxes and behave as citizens. Whether they are for or against the state? It is like asking a person if he is for a particular car or against a particular car. A car is a means of transportation to travel from place to place, but the car can also run over people. Also a country, is a social association of people, and can be used in the country, to create positive things; it is equally possible to successfully reach the negative things. It is possible to establish here a nation which will be an example to all nations in terms of ethical and moral, but there is another way. Is every soldier necessarily for the country, for example, about social protest in housing it is clear to every sensible person that a soldier can oppose the state on certain issues, and still serve it and give his life for it? Thus saying, "the ultra-Orthodox are against the state and therefore do not serve" is not relevant ".

We are the volunteers

The claim that the Haredim do not serve because they are 'shirkers', 'parasites', and accustomed to live at the expense of others, he writes: "Is it possible to claim such a claim against a population that "ואהבת לרעך כמוך" is the main rule and main teachings? Does it make sense that all Gedolei Yisrael as one decide precisely on such a sensitive subject and go out of their way to give up one pillar of Jewish morality and suddenly order their students, whom they educate to carry their friends burden, with his friend: "Do not be moral! We are parasites! "Does it seem reasonable?

"And it is known to all how far the social volunteer reaches in the Haredi society, and how much we are giving it to all of Israel with no difference between the various sectors. The quantity of volunteers in the three largest charity organizations alone has more than 10,000 volunteers. Volunteers are working 24 hours a day throughout the year and do not receive payment of wages for their volunteerism. Can such a community be called 'slackers' or 'parasites'?

In the booklet itself Benon brings quotes from prime ministers, defense ministers and senior military officials who spoke in praise of the Torah learned in Israel. For example, a quoting appears in the booklet on behalf of former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir: " a single hair will not fall from the head of a yeshiva student whose Torah is his craft." the same quote from Lt. Col. reserve Noah Hertz, an Air Force pilot who was captured by Syria and lost his leg, "Torah scholars are military weapons system, thanks to whom the IDF wins and will win wars, and hopefully there never will be. Without Torah there is no future. "

Later, he also brings a long line of quotes of the religious Zionist rabbis, including Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Kook, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlap, Rav Avraham Shapira and more - all dealing with the importance of Torah study.

In the booklet Benon brings data on education in Israel, the crime and culture budgets which totals more than 700 million shekels a year, "ultra-Orthodox have no part in this budget. Since the Haredi public is not watching TV and movies, nor sports games and rock and jazz bands. They have no street performances and concerts. Then why can't they get a budget that could benefit from a culture of health and leisure generally accepted in their circles? "He says. At the end of the booklet Benon presents whole episode of "Know what to respond", a series of questions including, "if you are a haredi man you certainly needed dozens of times in your life to answer questions between Orthodox and secular issues, particularly the issue of recruitment.

He answers the questions at length, showing sources of hope, "that this will change the mind of the secular Israeli towards the Haredi man who is only asking to fulfill his designation by sitting and giving his soul to the Torah."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!