Rav Meir Mazuz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Kisei Rachamim, shared his thoughts on the Draft Law during a discussion on Wednesday night. He addressed the proposed legislation that would require yeshiva students, previously exempt from military service, to enlist.
Regarding the exemption of Torah learners from enlistment, during an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Rav Mazuz referenced former Prime Minister David Ben Gurion’s decision, noting, “Say that Torah learners are exempted from enlistment and that was Ben Gurion’s idea – he did it so that he would not be worse than Vespasian, who gave us ‘Yavne and her wise men.'”
Under the current system, yeshiva students dedicated to Torah study are granted exemption from military service provided they engage in full-time study. However, this arrangement has faced criticism, prompting the government to pursue a Draft Law aimed at resolving the issue satisfactorily.
On the topic of hostages and tefillos for their release, Rabbi Mazuz prescribed the recitation of specific brachos. He stated, “After a person concludes his seder, he should take a cup of wine and say, ‘May it be Your will….that You release all of the captives from pitch blackness to light, and from darkness to great light, for we are Your sons, even if we did not walk on a good path, our loving and forgiving Father.'”
Expressing his views on Israel’s response to an Iranian attack, Rav Mazuz recommended caution. He remarked, “The Americans are crazy, they help us after they already fired the rockets. Iran sent rockets and shouldn’t respond – we should be like a doll, and they’ll send rockets and we’ll say ‘yes, yes, yes,’ and not respond.”
{Matzav.com Israel}