Without intending to, the High Court's decision to draft the haredim has laid the groundwork to change the IDF into a more obviously Jewish army. In biblical times there was no question of conscription. Men over twenty were counted and in times of war it was taken for granted that they would be available, together with rules of war which were specified in detail within our biblical sources and oral law. There were exemptions only for voluntary wars, for those who were afraid, those who had just built a house and those who had just been betrothed. In wars commanded by the Torah as well as wars of existential nature, there were no exemptions at all. Redemption of hostages and how and whether to redeem them are also part of our lexicon and sadly, part of our history (read the story of the Maharam of Rotenberg. ) Enabling a successful integration into the IDF of the haredi sector has already happened to some extent with some entirely religious battalions. They are now fighting successfully in the current war and have not had to compromise their lifestyle, being a shining example of how future mass conscription of this sector can be a reality. However the glass ceiling has not been shattered, with the top brass unwilling to allow effective changes and feeling threatened by a too obviously Jewish army. Saying Shema Yisrael and prayers prior to going out to battle by a commander may be the traditional way for those brought up in yeshivot, but for those who are anti-religious and those whose lifestyle apes western ways that was too much to stomach and observant, talented officers hit the glass ceiling as soon as they made their religious beliefs clear. Brigadier General Ofer Winter is only one example of a brilliant commander, proud of his bibilical associations in battle, who was passed over for promotion as part of the IDF higher echelon's unhidden efforts to maintain the religious status quo - while complaining about the lack of haredi recruitment. At the lower end of the IDF a new soldier complained to his father that he was given a choice in the morning: either go for a run and be counted to move upwards in the ranks or spend time putting on tefillin. Sending female soldiers to serve with hesder boys is another callous disregard for the halakhic needs of religious soldiers. The almost total vacuum of the large numbers of hareidim has also contributed to creating an army with the majority of decision-makers living a secular life. The sheer numbers of the upcoming haredi recruitment will force the IDF to change facts on the ground to comply with Jewish law not only for haredi brigades. Such changes will begin to infiltrate the IDF from the bottom up as larger numbers of young men bring their values and lifestyle with them. It will take time, there will be a lot of opposition, but it will happen. The recruitment of this sector must be seen as a positive step in that direction.
