“And no man saw his brother [during the Plague of Darkness]” (Shemos 10:23)
It is that season of the year when Israel presents its annual religious entertainment be it Who is A Jew The Conversion Process or the perennial box-office favorite Chareidim in the Military.
This spring the military issue takes center stage. Sound bites and bromides fill the air and as usual neither side hears the other for the “other” is the enemy who a) wishes to destroy the Torah; or b) are parasites dodging the duties of citizenship.
They do not hear one another because although they use Hebrew they are speaking different languages. One is talking about physical things and the other metaphysics. And both sides are passionate. Who can disagree that the burden of the country should be equally shared? (Including the over 30 percent of secular youth who manage to avoid the draft completely.) On the other hand can anyone disagree that spiritual matters keep the nation afloat and that we do not live by bread alone? (And should not the spiritual burden also be shared equally?)
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