Yeshiva Student Explains Torah Study Role Amid Israel's Military Conflicts

A video circulating on social media shows a secular driver transporting several ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. During the ride, the driver raises the contentious issue of yeshiva students' military conscription and asks one student how he would respond to a mother whose son is currently fighting in Gaza or Lebanon.

The yeshiva student reframes the question sharply, acknowledging its emotional weight: he contrasts the sleepless nights of mothers worried about their sons in combat with his own mother’s peaceful sleep, knowing he is studying Torah. He emphasizes that not all soldiers face direct danger, citing various military roles with differing risks, and stresses that everyone has their unique mission.

The driver agrees that every role is important within the larger system. The student elaborates that those destined by God to study Torah are fortunate, explaining that the Jewish people’s identity was forged at Mount Sinai through receiving the Torah, not just at the modern founding of Israel. He quotes the first of the Ten Commandments and highlights the commandment to meditate on the Torah day and night, a commitment fulfilled primarily by yeshiva students.

He concludes by asserting that Torah scholars are the heart and soul of the Jewish nation, essential beyond the practical needs for soldiers, doctors, architects, and infrastructure workers. The student insists that while all roles are necessary, Torah study is the spiritual foundation of the people.