Q&A: Girls’ military enlistment and “be killed rather than transgress”
Girls’ military enlistment and “be killed rather than transgress”
Question
How does the Rabbi understand the well-known ruling of the revered Hazon Ish—that girls’ enlistment is a case of “be killed rather than transgress”? And when he was asked where the source for this is, he said that he himself is the Torah (or something like that—not important; the main point is that) he didn’t cite any source for his ruling.
P.S. I’ll note that I saw the Rabbi write that Your Honor is a great admirer of the Hazon Ish, so incidentally I’m asking why that is, and also what exactly does “admirer” mean according to the Rabbi’s dictionary?
More power to you.
Answer
He meant to say that this is a matter of reasoning, and therefore no source is needed. I do indeed greatly appreciate the man, his personality, and his Torah scholarship. That is the meaning of “admirer,” if I used that term there (I no longer remember).
Discussion on Answer
With God’s help, 12 Shevat 5784
I do not know what the Hazon Ish’s reasoning was, but I have seen people say that there is a problem in the very presence of girls in a compulsory framework under the control of men, all the more so in situations where they are under their command 24/7, where one can easily reach a situation of “abuse of authority.” If so, perhaps this falls under “accessories” to the prohibition.
Best regards, Fish”l
As I understand it, this is not really a halakhic statement, and he did not mean that they should literally die over it. He meant to say that it is very serious and that one must fight against it.
The Hazon Ish wrote in a letter that the words of the Hafetz Hayyim are as though they emerged from the Chamber of Hewn Stone. According to that, his practical halakhic comments against the Mishnah Berurah would earn him the coveted title of a rebellious elder. There are statements that are said for rhetorical flourish, and it is not right to scrutinize them too closely.
And see “Rabbi Avraham Shapira’s view on the issue of girls’ enlistment in the IDF.”
Is the reasoning that this is included in the law of “be killed rather than transgress,” or is the reasoning that one must be killed over this independently of that law (without connection to the law)? If not, is there such a thing?