The Unfair Standards Held Against Haredim

Often times, I am at a Shabbat meal or another gathering and I hear people around me complaining that the Haredi population here in Israel generally do not serve in the IDF.  The most frequent gripe? That many in the Haredi world insist their Torah study and prayers are their contribution to national defense—that through their spiritual efforts, the IDF and the broader Israeli population are protected. In a Times of Israel article titled “IDF army service is a Halachic obligation” by Rabbi Yitzhak Aharon Korff, the comment section is riddled with criticisms and attacks against the Israeli Haredi population, stating their obligation from Jewish Law to serve in the IDF, yet they fail to mention the obligation of Jews in every other country, who have the same obligation to serve. These comments are in line with many articles and conversations that I have read or heard. 

The Rambam, in his famous work, Mishna Torah (Laws of Kings and Wars 5:1), when defining an obligatory war, does not differentiate between Jews living in the Land of Israel and Jews residing in the Diaspora. Additionally, the Rambam (Mishna Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars 7:3) lists the people that are exempt from going out to war. Once again, he does not differentiate between Jews in the Land of Israel and Jews in the Diaspora. To single out a single group while not mentioning others lacks consistency and is not in accordance with Jewish Law. 

In Numbers 32:6, Moshe says to the tribes of Reuven and Gad “Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” Moshe rebukes these tribes for wanting to settle comfortably while the other tribes go out to war. Many are quick to condemn the Haredim for not serving in the IDF, but ignore the much larger Jewish population in the Diaspora. 

Let me be clear: I want the Haredim to draft into the IDF, but I also believe in fairness. I do not believe that the Haredim should be held to a certain standard while not applying the same standards to others. The obligation from Jewish Law should be applied evenly, and the Law is clear: every able-bodied Jewish male that is 20 years old or older must sign up to draft, regardless of where he lives. The discriminatory rebukes directed only at Haredim are both inconsistent and unfair.