1.
Righteous anger has not historically led us to good places, even when the justifications may have been understandable. First, above any debate, Torah study in Israel must be recognized as a national value. The proposed law does not deal only with the military and national service of young ultra-Orthodox men. It also sets a framework for Torah study, reflecting the understanding of its central role in the life of the nation and in anchoring the Jewish people in their land.
The legislation arrives after decades of political foot-dragging, arguably since the founding of the state. The ambiguity served various political parties well. The recent war accelerated the need for a fundamental correction. What is being proposed is a correction whose implications are revolutionary. And like any revolution, care must be taken not to break things to the point that the process cannot move forward. This is a generational repair.
2.
The primary challenge is the psychological barrier, or more precisely, a barrier within consciousness, the sense of emotional and cultural alienation from military service. The reasons are varied: ideological, cultural and social. The ultra-Orthodox are not the national-religious community; their concern is safeguarding their identity. Military service has not historically been an easy place to preserve that religious identity. Therefore, before broad change can take root, the mental barrier must be overcome.
We are an eternal people, which means we must also analyze current events through a historical lens.
3.
I recall two figures: Moses and Herzl. Moses grew up in a foreign environment and as a young man questioned his identity: Hebrew or Egyptian. When he stepped outside his immediate surroundings and saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, he chose a side. Herzl, grappling with his own questions of identity, was sent to cover the Dreyfus trial. There he witnessed a French officer persecuting a fellow Jew, and he too chose a side.
But before taking the Hebrews out of slavery or the Jews out of exile, both leaders had to shatter the psychological barrier of the enslaved Hebrews and of diaspora Jews. One act that broke the mental chains in Egypt was the Passover sacrifice: the Hebrews slaughtered what was considered a deity in Egypt and displayed the blood on their doorposts. After that, there was no path back. For Herzl the task was even harder, because the people were scattered across the world. Yet the Zionist movement managed to shift Jewish consciousness, convincing Jews that their future could be secured only through the renewal of their independent state.
Even the founding of Petach Tikva (1878) was a breakthrough in challenging the exile mentality. Its pioneers demonstrated to the entire nation that it was possible to live from the labor of one's own hands rather than relying on communal stipends. After that, the wave of new agricultural settlements only intensified.
4.
Breaking a psychological barrier is the first crack through which living waters begin to flow until the crack widens and changes history. The ultra-Orthodox community has already been experiencing tectonic shifts in its relationship with the state and with Israeli society. As is typical of ultra-conservative communities, the changes unfold slowly. But once a shift does occur, it tends to become permanent and more stable than one that happens rapidly. This is evolution, not revolution.
The ultra-Orthodox are spread across the country and do not live in a sealed bubble any more. They are exposed to public criticism and debate. Naturally, we hear the loudest opponents, but the quiet majority wants the issue resolved. The expansion of media access inside the community is also a factor. A prominent ultra-Orthodox Torah scholar once told me he watches me on television. I was surprised and asked how. He smiled and replied: "I have a screen that is less than the halachic minimum size..."
Add to that the sharp rise in university degrees among ultra-Orthodox men and women, and the magnitude of the change becomes clear.
5.
It is worth reading the proposed law before forming an opinion. It includes a number of sanctions and fines that are intended to ensure a viable enforcement mechanism, and it will presumably undergo adjustments. Ultra-Orthodox leaders have given their consent. Once the law is enacted, a welcome process of enlistment will begin among their followers who are eligible for service.
The breaking of the psychological barrier, combined with the social, cultural and economic changes underway in ultra-Orthodox society, will create legitimacy for military service. Over the coming years this will normalize the phenomenon. With the next generation, we can hope the issue will no longer require public dispute.
A few more thousand IDF uniforms hanging on laundry lines in the streets of Bnei Brak, Jerusalem and Beitar Illit, and residents will grow accustomed to the sight. Footsteps of redemption will be heard. What we need now is patience. And faith.
