ots@ohrtorahstone.org.il

Question:  Before picking up a hitch-hiking soldier, may I first determine whether or not he participated in the expulsion of the people from Gush Katif before allowing him into my car?  Similarly, should we still do volunteer work at the Pina Chama [where soldiers are given hot drinks and cakes] and/or serve food and drink to soldiers who took part in the expulsion?

Answer: I cannot think of a worse reaction to the tragedy that befell us this summer than failing to embrace the soldiers of our IDF who continue to put their lives at risk daily for our protection. The question of ‘Siruv Pekudah’ [refusing an order] is a fundamental halakhic issue, which is not at all clear cut. Yes, there are poskim who said that soldiers should have disobeyed orders rather than evacuate individuals from Gush Katif; but there are also poskim (at the very least of equal stature to the others) who ruled that although they disagreed with the expulsion, to refuse to carry out orders of the Israeli Defense Forces was tantamount to “rebellion against the Jewish sovereign government” (“mored bemalkhut”), which is a capital crime.

Bottom line, for some very sincerely religious soldiers, cooperating in the evacuation was an exceedingly difficult act which they felt they had to do halakhically and religiously. Our greatest challenge after this difficult summer is not to exacerbate the divisions between us in continuing to divide the religious Zionist community but rather to attempt to unify the entire nation as much as possible.  We must recognize the fact that even if we don’t agree we must remain one family - at any cost.

If you have a question for Q & A, send it to ots@ohrtorahstone.org.il . We cannot guarantee that all questions received will be answered in this column.

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