Tikun Leil Shavuot: Source Materials on Ultra-Orthodox IDF Service and Military Exemptions

Ahead of the Shavuot holiday, the Israel Democracy Institute is releasing a series of source materials for study during the "tikkun leil Shavuot" (the traditional Shavuot eve study session).

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Ahead of the Shavuot holiday, the Israel Democracy Institute is releasing a series of source materials for study during the "tikkun leil Shavuot" (the traditional Shavuot eve study session). The source sheets aim to delve deeply into the issue of military service—at a time when ultra-Orthodox enlistment to the IDF is a topic at the forefront of Israel's political and legal discourse—through halachic discussions and rabbinical interpretations from Jewish text and culture.

The document examines the obligation to serve in the military, as outlined in the Torah and commentaries, presenting various references to exemption from military service, such as those for new homeowners, vineyard planters, the betrothed, and the fearful, drawing from Deuteronomy 20:5-8.

Special attention is given to considering the scope of the exemption of the Levites (the Tribe of Levi), rooted in their unique religious duties, and the debated exemption of Torah scholars under the principle in which one is "engaged in one mitzvah; exempt from another mitzvah." The document also touches on broader civic responsibilities, such as the exemption of Torah scholars from municipal taxes.

The sources address a tension between the value of Torah study and the commandment of saving lives, presenting various rabbinical opinions on the times in which one might take precedence over the other. These materials provide a nuanced view of these issues, aiming to ground contemporary debates in Israeli society in Jewish legal and ethical traditions.

Overall, the document serves as a resource for understanding the obligations and exemptions of military service from a Jewish perspective, offering historical texts and interpretations to inform and guide discussions on these critical issues.

To read, print, and study the materials in Hebrew, click here.