העורך Editor

Reprinted with permission.

Excerpts from a great article on the Myrtle Rising blog:

At a base hosting 300 servicepeople, one girl was in charge of Culture & Recreation.

She sat in her office all the livelong day watching movies and texting on her cell phone while dressed in official IDF uniform.

Only once, during the 6 months my son was there, did she fulfill her duty: She showed them an American movie.

Yet in Israeli society and according to some of the more befuddled leaders, this is considered military service and she is commended for upholding her “share of the burden.”

…

Another IDF serviceman sat in his office all day in some kind of human resources position. Apparently, if one of servicepeople had a problem with something, they could turn to him.

How often do you think a group of only 300 people who went home every week or two needed his services?

Right. Hardly ever.

… there is something in the IDF called shavua-shavua (week-week).

​This means that for 1 week, you are on an army base, then the next week you work at a pizza parlor or waiting tables in a restaurant, then the next week you are on base again, then the week after that, you’re back to pizza and waiting tables.

And this continues until you are officially discharged from the IDF.

Now, why would the IDF institute something like shavua-shavua?

​Because there are way too many people for certain jobs.

…

Years ago, a young woman told me of her IDF service, which consisted of her & 4 other girls gazing at the same radar screen on the off-chance that they might spot something suspicious. (Occasionally they did, but it was almost always a false alarm.)

​She was embittered about it because it had been clear to her that while you might need 2 radar-gazers, you certainly do not need 5 per screen.

​And so she spent her service doing this useless busy-work while subjected to standard military discipline if she didn’t do her useless busy-work according to protocol. (Plus, I think there was also lots of coffee-bringing involved.)

See the rest here.

We have written about the IDF”s poorly-hidden Hidden Unemployment problem in this definitive article.

Simple. He instructed “Fera Zera” to counsel vulnerable young women (against halacha)…

The facts, as recorded and admitted by “rabbis” Eliezer Berland and Ofer Erez (his apologist) yemach shemam themselves:

The original video was since removed, but here is a substitute:

From YouTube, here.

Note: For more on Eliezer Berland, search for this and this.

Rambam (Hilchos Shegagos, end of chapter twelve):

במה דברים אמורים שבית דין חייבין ואלו העושים על פיהם פטורין מן הקרבן כשהיו המורים בית דין הגדול של שבעים ואחד ויהיה ראש ישיבה עמהן בהוראה ויהיו כולן ראויין להוראה ויטעו כולן או רובן בדבר זה שהורו בו ויורו בפירוש ויאמרו לעם מותרין אתם לעשות וכן אלו ששמעו מפי בית דין אם אמרו לאחרים מותרים אתם לעשות ויעשו כל הקהל או רובו על פיהם ויהיו העושים שוגגים על פיהם ומדמים שהדבר שהורו בו כדת הורו ויורו לבטל מקצת ולקיים מקצת לא שיעקרו כל הגוף וכשיודע להם ידעו גופו של דבר שהורו בו בשגגה בכל אלו המאורעים הוא שהיו בית דין חייבין בקרבן והעושה על פיהם פטור אבל אם חסר אחת מכל אלו הדרכים הרי בית דין פטורין מן הקרבן וכל מי ששגג ועשה מעשה מביא חטאת קבועה על שגגתו.

When does the concept that the court is liable for a sacrifice and those who act upon their ruling are exempt apply? When the following conditions are met:

a) when those who deliver the ruling are the High Court of 71 judges;

b) when the head of the academy, participates in the ruling with them;

c) when they are all fit to deliver rulings;

d) when all – or the majority – of them err in the ruling they delivered;

e) that they rule explicitly and tell the people: “You are permitted to do this”; similarly those who heard from the court must have told others: “You are permitted to do this”; and the majority of the people or all of them must act because of their ruling;

f) those who commit the transgression must act in error because of them, thinking that the court ruled according to law;

g) they must rule to negate part of a commandment, but to preserve part of it, but not to displace the entire commandment;

h) when they become aware of their error, they must know the precise matter concerning which they ruled erroneously.

When all of these conditions are met, the court is liable to bring a sacrifice and those who act upon their rulings are exempt. If, however, one of these conditions is not met, the court is exempt from the sacrifice and anyone who unknowingly performed a transgression must bring a fixed sin-offering for his inadvertent transgression.

Bottom line, modern Da’as Torah is not the High Court of 71 judges!

(Source of translation.)

מתוך לוח “המעוררים”:

תחקיר העלה כי הרוב המכריע של הבגדים המשומשים המוכנסים למיכלי המיחזור ברחובות הערים מגיעים למדינות אפריקה או שנמכרים כסמרטוטים לפי משקל.

החפץ שתרומתו תגיע לידי משפחות מעוטי יכולת, יקפיד להעביר את הבדים לארגוני החסד העוסקים בכך.