
Key Shas Rabbi: Haredim Not In Full-Time Study Can Serve In The IDF
Rabbi Moshe Maya, a senior member of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages, said Monday, August 25, 2025, that Haredi men who are not enrolled in full-time yeshiva study can serve in the IDF, provided the army enshrines protections that allow strict observance of Sabbath and lifestyle standards in General Staff orders.
The stance marks a shift from statements he made last year opposing enlistment for non-students, and it comes as the IDF urgently seeks thousands of additional recruits amid ongoing warfare and heavy reserve demands.
Maya stressed that any framework must carry binding legal authority; otherwise, assurances are “worthless.” His comments echo views voiced by some Shas ministers who argue exemptions for non-students lack moral justification, though other leading rabbis remain opposed to conscription under current conditions. Specialized Haredi tracks such as Netzach Yehuda and the new Hasmonean Brigade continue to expand.
(TOI/VFI News)