Should Yeshiva Students Serve in the IDF? The Torah Case for Saying Yes, with Rabbi Menachem Copperman (296)
About this episode
Rabbi Menachem Copperman presents a Torah-based argument for why yeshiva students should serve in the IDF, contrasting with the previous episode's perspective on draft deferments.
Check out Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/ - and members get this and other episodes of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast ad-free and with early access and additional bonus content! Last week on the podcast, Rav Shaya Karlinsky presented the case for broad draft deferments for full-time yeshiva students. This week, we continue that conversation by hearing a very different perspective. My guest is Rav Menachem Copperman, who argues that military service is not merely a civic responsibility or a practical necessity - although it is certainly those, as well. He believes it is a religious obligation rooted in halachah, Jewish morality, and the Torah's demand that we take responsibility for one another. In our conversation, we discuss whether Torah study can ever justify exemptions from military service, whether the IDF has done enough to accommodate religious soldiers, the relationship between Torah learning and national responsibility, the meaning of leadership and religious authority in this debate, and what both the Religious Zionist and Haredi communities can learn from one another. Whether you agree…
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