While Israel's High Court of Justice examined petitions against legislation suspending draft enforcement for Torah students, Shas' Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah released a statement asserting that conscription of yeshivah bochurim violates Jewish law.
Issued Tuesday during the High Court proceedings, the declaration expressed the Moetzet's firm opposition to military service for those devoted full-time to Torah study, framing the position as a matter of halachah rather than policy preference.
The statement rejected the High Court's authority to decide such matters, saying the declaration was made "for the sake of making the eternal divine truth known." The Moetzet characterized the Court's lengthy involvement in draft-related disputes as a "campaign of persecution" Against Torah scholars and contended that the Court's rulings "have no validity," Including under international law.
According to the statement, drafting yeshivah bochurim engaged in full-time Torah learning is "absolutely forbidden under halacha" And constitutes "a campaign of religious coercion" That violates religious freedom and Israel's Declaration of Independence.
The Moetzet cited Talmudic sources including Maseches Nedarim and Maseches Sotah, which describe how Avraham Avinu and King Asa faced punishment for conscripting Torah scholars into warfare, even for wars fought to preserve the Jewish people. The statement drew extensively on the Rambam's teachings on Shevet Levi's exemption from military service due to its dedication to serving God and teaching Torah, extending this principle to yeshivah bochurim and kollel students.
Rejecting arguments about equitable burden-sharing, the Moetzet asserted that Torah study itself constitutes the greatest burden the Jewish nation carries and that national security depends primarily on uninterrupted Torah learning. The statement invoked scriptural verses and teachings of the Sages linking Jewish military success to Torah merit rather than military force alone, citing the nation's modern military victories as evidence of Divine Providence independent of military strength.
The declaration concluded that Torah scholars have historically preserved the Jewish people and Torah, ending with a warning about the consequences of undermining Torah scholarship within a Jewish state.