Q&A: Military Service
Military Service
Question
Hello Rabbi, I want to ask a question that goes beyond the topics and style of the site, but since you’re a wise person and usually open my eyes to things I hadn’t thought of, I’ll try to ask it anyway.
I am serving in the army in full service, and I’m nearing the end of the training for an infantry combat soldier. After this stage I have the option of continuing with my team for another half year of training as a commando reconnaissance fighter, or leaving the team and joining one of the regular battalions and taking up a line posting.
The considerations are these: continuing the training is especially difficult and requires total concentration on it and neglecting everything else in life (in short, it requires really becoming a fighter, and that scares me a bit). There are high-level Krav Maga combat trainings that don’t suit me psychologically.
In addition, I hope to get married in the middle of my service, and staying in the commando unit will make life harder. On the other hand, if I’m in the battalions in the meantime, then when I get married I’ll be able to leave combat service and things will be more manageable (whereas if I’m in the commando unit, then if I make it that far it would be foolish to leave).
On the other hand, maybe one should give significant weight to the consideration of the greater contribution in the commando unit. In addition, maybe I’ll live with a constant feeling that I went easy on myself and could have done more (is that a reason to take into account? Maybe that’s just self-torment and not a rational consideration?). Also, service in the battalions is much more wearing, with static guard duty and no special activity for long periods, and the quality of the people is lower than what there is in the commando unit.
I tried hard to frame this as a question that can be answered. I’d be very glad if it can.
Answer
It’s hard for me to answer a question like that. It’s a matter for your own decision. If you’re not suited for it, then don’t go. There’s no dilemma. If you are suited for it and are only unsure what’s right, then you have to decide for yourself. There isn’t a right and wrong here. By the way, if you know that you’re going to leave combat service, it would be proper to share that with your commanders, because it’s not certain they would send you to the commando unit (and perhaps not even to the battalions) with that in mind.
Discussion on Answer
I wrote that there is. Not deception (there’s no such category in Jewish law. There is overcharging law in sales), but simply a matter of honesty.
Is there a need to tell the commanders from a halakhic standpoint? Deception or something like that?