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Israelis seen walking down Mahane Yehuda market, in Jerusalem, April 9, 2026 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST)<\/p>\n\u2018How many Jews does it take to change a light bulb?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Change?!\u201d<\/p>\n
We all know that famous joke. That stubbornness, that biblical quality of stiff-neckedness has characterized our tenacity under stress and our refusal to bow to despots or despair over the centuries.<\/p>\n
However, the ability to change, to adapt to new circumstances to survive, has been the key to our longevity. As we migrated from country to country and continent to continent, we maintained that delicate balance between fitting in within new, diverse societies while still holding fast to our eternal traditions.<\/p>\n
Change can be frightening, even fatal, if carried too far \u2013 but it is a necessary component of progress and perseverance. As ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, \u201cChange is the only constant in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n
We \u2013 here in Israel, if not worldwide \u2013 are in need of change and in desperate need of healing. Our society has been torn apart at the seams, and we are hurting. The fiber of the people of Israel is stretched to its limit, and we must do something to right the wrongs and cure the ills before they become terminal.<\/p>\n
Israelis seen walking down Mahane Yehuda market, in Jerusalem, April 9, 2026 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM\/THE JERUSALEM POST)<\/p>\n
The central problem we face is the ongoing disparity between those who do National Service and those who do not. This is a uniquely modern Israeli phenomenon, unknown for 2,000 years.<\/p>\n
For centuries, we lived with risk, bound to the whims of our host countries, without an army to defend us. But the bold decision to seize our destiny and return to our own land comes with its own dangers and its own special responsibilities.<\/p>\n
This has become even more acute since Oct. 7, when war crossed our borders and every home became a target for missiles and misfortune.<\/p>\n
No more exemptions<\/p>\n
We no longer have the luxury of maintaining only a \u201cprofessional army\u201d while others sit out the conflict. We need every citizen to do his or her share in defending the nation.<\/p>\n
It is a wonderful, Fiddler on the Roof dream to sit at the eastern wall and study Torah, oblivious to the outside surroundings. But it currently is neither practical nor halachicly permissible. The Torah explicitly forbids us to \u201cstand idly by our brother\u2019s blood\u201d (Lev. 19:16) and reminds us that \u201cno one\u2019s blood is redder than another\u2019s\u201d (Yoma 82). The haredi establishment\u2019s utter refusal to defend the state is a sin against God, as well as the nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The horrific scene of thousands of arrogant yeshiva students blocking the highway and holding signs that read \u201cWe prefer to die rather than serve in the IDF\u201d is an unforgivable insult and lack of gratitude to the many thousands of soldiers who risk their lives on a daily basis, as well as their courageous wives who must manage for months without them.<\/p>\n
While there are indeed many sources stating that Torah study protects the Jewish people, other equally reliable sources (e.g., Sotah 8:7) require everyone to join the battle when existential danger is at hand \u2013 even \u201cthe bridegroom from his chamber and the bride from her wedding canopy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Torah records that during the worldwide famine, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food. Rashi comments that, in reality, Jacob had more than enough food to survive. But, he says, it would not have been appropriate for the family to enjoy its prosperity while everyone else suffered. So, too, the refusal of any segment of the population to exclude itself from the national need \u2013 particularly in war \u2013 is a failure of moral and spiritual integrity.<\/p>\n
As long as the present government is held hostage by one specific sector \u2013 one that is primarily concerned for its own, partisan good \u2013 there will only be ongoing strife, dissension, and polarization. We need change, and we need to heal that open wound.<\/p>\n
Sgt. First Class Yona Betzalel Brief<\/a> was born in Jerusalem to American immigrant parents. He grew up in Modi\u2019in, where he attended yeshiva high school and volunteered with special-needs kids. He spent 18 months studying Torah in the Bnei David pre-military academy, and in April 2021 enlisted in the IDF, achieving his goal of joining the Duvdevan unit. He later completed training as a combat medic.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Oct. 7, 2023, Brief and his comrades were sent to the hard-hit Kibbutz Kfar Aza,<\/a> where they fought terrorists while working to protect residents. While going house to house, Brief\u2019s commanders were fatally wounded, and when Brief rushed to try to save them, he was shot 13 times in the legs, back, and arms. He tied tourniquets on himself and dragged himself to safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n After several hours, he was airlifted to Ramat Gan\u2019s Sheba Medical Center, where he fought for his life for the next 417 days. Both his legs were amputated above the knee; he had more than 20 surgeries and spent part of the time in a medically induced coma.<\/p>\n But he also spent much of the time awake and entertaining visitors from around the world, singing, praying, and providing inspiration to them \u2013 even participating in the brit milah of his nephew at his bedside. Ultimately, his wounds were too severe, his liver failed, and Brief died on November 26, 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n In commenting about the upcoming election, Brief\u2019s mother, Hazel \u2013 who stayed at her son\u2019s bedside and did not sleep in her own bed for more than a year \u2013 made the following impassioned plea:<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a nation of walking wounded. We carry trauma, grief, and exhaustion in our bodies and our homes. Our children spend endless days on reserve duty; our grandchildren are growing up with one parent at home instead of two. We once said, \u2018Together we shall prevail,\u2019 but somewhere along the way, our togetherness was fractured.<\/p>\n \u201cThe leaders we choose in the coming election must be more than policy-makers. They must be healers \u2013 leaders who can mend a divided people, soothe a wounded nation, and help us find peace within ourselves so we can stand strong against the dangers around us.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are fortunate to have people who embody this spirit, individuals such as Naftali Bennett, Chili Tropper, Gadi Eisenkot \u2013 who lost a son and two nephews in the war \u2013 and Yuli Edelstein, a former prisoner of Zion. Some of them stood beside us during Yona\u2019s 417-day fight for life, and they continue to support not only our family but many others as well.<\/p>\n