The Israel Supreme Court recently struck down the law that effectively exempted most ḥaredi (“ultra-Orthodox”) yeshiva students from serving in the country’s military (Tzahal). The legal issues are complex (Hebrew readers: see here for the full decision or here for a summary), but the central question of the case  carries deep social and moral implications. We are talking, after all, about whether a significant segment of Israel’s population will be exempted from shivayon banetel, from sharing equally the burden of national defense. Like many (most? almost all?) social and moral issues, it is also a question of halakhah. And that brings to mind the memory of our colleague and teacher, Rabbi Moshe Zemer, zikhrono liv’rakhah. Continue reading Army Service for All: In Memory of Rabbi Moshe Zemer, ז”ל →