Question

I was thinking to myself: why are there no Torah-based discussions nowadays between leading Torah scholars from the different camps regarding disputed issues? I’m sure there are many honest sages for whom truth matters, so how is it possible that they aren’t willing to discuss things? It occurred to me that this very much resembles the controversy over your arguments that took place a few years ago when you published the trilogy. I too, along with many others, read what you write and don’t necessarily know how to point out flaws in many of the arguments, but the very fact that it changes the generally accepted outlook prevents us from accepting your words. (I include myself in this too: even though there are arguments that often sound good, in the overall picture it’s hard for me to accept an outlook that deviates so much from what is accepted.)

Basically, that’s what is happening here today. It’s not necessary to say that there is dishonesty here; rather, from the standpoint of certain camps, the fact that yeshiva students do not enlist has become an article of faith in every sense. In light of that, even if they feel uncomfortable with the level of the arguments used to justify exempting yeshiva students, in the overall picture it feels to them that it simply cannot be true. We need to think about how to get honest leading Torah scholars to discuss the issue on its merits.