Philosophical and Cultural Aspects of the Debate over Enlisting Yeshiva Students

Abstract

This article explores various traditional Jewish arguments for exempting religious scholars from military duty. In contemporary Israeli society Torah scholars have lost their elite status that once granted them exemption from monetary taxation and physical labor for defense purposes. Excluding extreme cases of immediate existential danger, such as the 1948 War of Independence, this privilege continues. I propose reforming the current form of exemption by adopting ‘cultural excellence’ as a basic principle. Granting exemption to a very limited group of outstanding religious scholars could significantly reduce the antagonism between Orthodox Jews and the majority of Israeli citizens. Mutual ill-will could further diminish if the same guidelines also applied to young Israelis of exceptional talent in ‘secular’ fields such as science, arts, or sports.