At two major gatherings—one in Ashdod marking the start of bein hazmanim and another at the Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos Conference in Ashkelon—HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, addressed pressing issues facing Torah Jewry, including the complex and sensitive matter of yeshiva students’ status regarding military conscription.
Rav Hirsch called on bnei Torah to maintain the nobility and standards of the yeshiva world, especially during the bein hazmanim break. In his address, he offered a rare glimpse into the discreet, behind-the-scenes efforts led by roshei yeshiva and members of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in dealing with the current crisis surrounding the draft.
“Sometimes the bochurim feel that things aren’t being addressed,” he said. “I can tell you, the matters are being handled properly by the roshei yeshiva and the Knesset members,” Rav Hirsch emphasized. “But the way to act is only through quiet. What is not done quietly is ineffective!”
Rav Hirsch stressed that loud, confrontational tactics would only backfire. “The path forward is not to provoke them unnecessarily. That too is harmful—it causes opposition. But we’re constantly working. Every rosh yeshiva is thinking, trying to prevent harm from coming to anyone. And if something, G-d forbid, happens, we act immediately to nullify it.
“We know that we are in a situation where they are fighting against us from every direction. They want to dismantle the yeshiva world, G-d forbid,” he said. “They don’t understand that their very existence—everything that exists in Eretz Yisroel, any group of Jews able to live here—is only because there is Torah in Eretz Yisroel!
“If, G-d forbid, there is no Torah in Eretz Yisroel, there is nothing! And they don’t realize that they are sawing off the very branch they sit on. They don’t understand. But we must remain strong. We know the truth!
“The only reason people are able to live as they do is because of Torah!” Rav Hirsch declared. “And yes, we will face difficult moments. But every yeshiva bochur should know: people are working for them. The roshei yeshiva, the Knesset members—they are doing everything possible on your behalf!”
Rav Hirsch also spoke at length about how bnei Torah should approach bein hazmanim. “My rebbi, Rav Aharon Kotler, once asked: how is bein hazmanim allowed? Isn’t it bitul Torah? And the answer was: the only reason it’s permitted is because it strengthens the next zman. So that’s how bein hazmanim must be used.”
He then defined what it means to be a ben Torah. “A ben Torah is someone who understands the purpose of life and lives according to that goal. That’s what Klal Yisroel meant when they said Na’aseh v’nishma. Like a sick person who follows instructions without question, knowing it’s for his survival, so too, when we understand that the ultimate purpose is Olam Haba, we’re ready to accept whatever it takes to reach it.”
“Someone once asked me: who qualifies as a ben Torah? Must one be in yeshiva? What about someone who works? I answered: of course he can be a ben Torah. Because a ben Torah is someone who lives with the awareness that his goal is deveikus baHashem. If he must work, then he works, but he always knows that the real goal is to be close to Hashem.”
He concluded with a strong plea to all bochurim: “Especially during bein hazmanim, it’s critically important not to fall from the level of a ben Torah. That level must remain at 100%. You can take a break from learning, but not from who you are. The menuchah should also be for the sake of that ultimate purpose.
“But someone who, G-d forbid, uses bein hazmanim as a time to break away—to dress differently, to act in ways not fitting for a ben Torah—that completely contradicts the entire concept of bein hazmanim.”
{Matzav.com Israel}