I still remember the moment I fell in love with Religious Zionism. As a combat medic serving alongside Hesder yeshiva students in Golani's 51st Battalion, I witnessed something extraordinary: young men who embodied both Torah and national service, who spoke of loving every Jew unconditionally, who lived Rabbi Kook's vision of seeing divine sparks in all of Israel. Their idealism captured my heart and led me to embrace religious life.
But today, I watch in pain as these same lofty ideals crumble in the face of hatred toward our Haredi brothers. The very same voices that once preached unconditional love now spew vitriol at Ultra-Orthodox communities. The same leaders who taught us to see good in every Jew now march weekly through Bnei Brak, hurling accusations of betrayal and cowardice.
Most heartbreaking is the shameless hypocrisy. When certain groups called for mass insubordination before October 7th - actions that some argue contributed to our current crisis - our leaders met with them patiently, seeking understanding. Yet when it comes to the Haredi community, where is that same patience? That same understanding?
I heard a prominent yeshiva head - a man who taught me to see God's light in secular Judaism - dismiss the entire Haredi community as a "social mutation." The words felt like a physical blow. How dare we, who pride ourselves on unity and love, speak this way about our own people? How have we become so blind to our own prejudice?
The truth cuts deeper than the military service debate. We've become servants to state institutions rather than to God's greater vision for our people. We've replaced Torah values with a hierarchy that permits us to love those in power while despising those who don't conform to our nationalist ideals.
The recent "Covenant of Servants" campaign reveals our moral bankruptcy. Under the guise of unity, we're driving wedges between Jews, fostering baseless hatred - the very sin that our sages teach destroyed our Temple. We've become so fixated on uniforms and service that we've forgotten our fundamental mission: to bring light and love to all of Israel.
Let me be clear: I fully support finding ways to increase Haredi participation in national service. But not like this. Not through hatred. Not through division. Not by betraying everything we claim to stand for.
As missiles rain down on our cities and our soldiers fight on multiple fronts, we cannot afford this luxury of internal hatred. The strength of Israel has always been our unity - not a false unity built on shared disdain for others, but a true unity that recognizes the divine spark in every Jew, even those who see the world differently than we do. (And yes, we know it's hard.)
Are we truly the idealists we claim to be? Or have we become what we once opposed - spreaders of baseless hatred, blind to our own prejudice?
The choice is ours. We can continue down this path of division and hatred, or we can return to our core values - to see good in every Jew, to build bridges rather than walls, to be a true light unto our nation.
The war outside our borders is brutal enough. Let's not wage one within our own house.
This is based on an article written by Rabbi Itai Asman from Torat Lechimah, published in Path Pavers.
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