Despite enormous budgets and high-quality manpower at its disposal, the security establishment failed to understand the enemy * For years the Chiefs of Staff violated the law and added approximately 17 percent to the pension payments given by law * Only 20 percent of military pension recipients served as fighters * It is the duty of Knesset members to immediately stop the additional payments that are not according to law * Only after we merit with God’s help a decisive victory, will there be room to seriously discuss the entire IDF command and wage system * The salaries of all those serving on the front from the beginning of the war until today must be doubled * A left-handed person must place tefillin on his right hand because it is his weak hand
Heads of the Security Establishment
I will address a subject that is not easy to deal with: the attitude toward the heads of the security establishment. The subject is charged and complex, because each of the heads of this establishment has dedicated many years of his life to one of the most important and sacred roles – Israel’s security, and harming his honor might lead to harming the honor of his sacred role. Nevertheless, like any system, the security establishment must also face criticism, and its heads must cooperate with criticism even when it is sharp. Israel’s security depends on this.
In practice, despite enormous budgets and high-quality manpower at its disposal, the security establishment failed to understand the enemy that surprised it on Simchat Torah 5784, and for close to two years, has not succeeded in defeating Hamas. It is possible that many in the security establishment also do not understand that from the perspective of the Arab enemy, this situation is considered a victory for Hamas, and encourages all enemies of Israel to plan the next campaign against us with all that entails; and meanwhile, they harm Israel’s international standing, and undermine the security of world Jewry.
The Illegal Pensions
In the midst of this, for years, the Chiefs of Staff violated the law, and while concealing the matter from the general accountant, added over the years approximately 17 percent to the pension payments given by law. This addition amounts to 1.7 billion shekels per year. Even without this addition, the pension of IDF veterans is about five times higher than the equivalent pension in the civil service. It should also be noted that only 20 percent of military pension recipients served as fighters.
After this was discovered, the heads of the establishment were demanded to cancel the addition and return the money given illegally, or alternatively, to regulate the addition in law. For this purpose, they submitted a request to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to submit to the Knesset a law that would approve this addition. At this stage, comes the duty of Knesset members, representatives of the public, to refuse their request, and immediately stop the additional payments that are not according to law.
To Oppose Salary Increases During Failure
A basic assumption in any system is that after success, one rewards the workers and improves their wages, and after failure, one reduces wages, or at least does not raise them. Moreover, representatives of the security establishment did not really share with members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee reports about what is happening, and about preparations for the future. When they were asked difficult questions, they acted offended, and refused to fulfill their duty and answer properly. They also behaved this way toward Ministers in the government. Sometimes they told half-truths, and perhaps even really lied. No pressure lever was on them, until even the Prime Minister was forced to say that the IDF belongs to the State of Israel, and not the State of Israel to the IDF. This is what is currently happening regarding the appointment of senior officials in the IDF, when the Chief of Staff is attempting to neutralize the Defense Minister, the public representative, from influence on the appointments that will shape the image of the IDF for the coming years.
Given this situation, the basic duty of Knesset members, representatives of the public, is not to approve the illegal payments. Only after we merit, with God’s help, a decisive victory, and it is clear that the security establishment has corrected itself and is ready to undertake to act faithfully in the public mission, will there be room to seriously discuss the entire IDF command and wage system, and to consider whether it is right to approve increases or perhaps cuts are needed, with the discussion taking into account all security needs.
An important component in the soul-searching that the security establishment must do, is adherence to the law and to the army’s objectives, and not to act according to world public opinion in the media and academia. Approving an illegal action that existed for many years, will only worsen the illness of the security establishment.
In the first stage, a group of Knesset members from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee led by Knesset member Amit Halevi refused to approve the illegal increase. However, the heads of the security establishment are pressuring intensely. We hope that the public representatives, the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, will fulfill their role, and not approve the pension increase, while continuing to disregard the law and the representatives of the public.
Our Combat Soldiers
Meanwhile, one cannot but express sorrow, pain and frustration about the attitude of the heads of the military establishment toward our combat soldiers, who risk their lives for the defense of the People and the Land in infantry and armor, especially reserve soldiers. Their military equipment is faulty, and precious and holy soldiers are harmed as a result. How is it possible that the budget was not found for this? Just two years of converting the illegal pension payments for this, which would amount to approximately 3.5 billion shekels, would enable equipping the infantry and armor with everything required.
To Double Their Salaries
The attitude toward combat reserve soldiers who risk their lives for all of us, must be corrected. The salaries of all those serving on the front from the beginning of the war until today, must be doubled. But attention must be paid once again, that most of the budget not be given to those who are not entitled to it. Doubling the salary is appropriate for soldiers who risked their lives, for those who served in Gaza and in other places where soldiers were killed and wounded, and not for soldiers who served in the rear, or in guard duties on other fronts, despite their important role. This is the duty of all of us toward the holy combat soldiers in reserves, and regular service.
Placing Tefillin on the Left Hand
Tefillin are placed on the left hand. Three reasons were brought for this in the Talmud (Menachot 37a):
- It is said: “And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand” (Deuteronomy 6:8), and the plain “hand” in the Bible is the left hand, as it is said: “Her hand she put to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer” (Judges 5:26).
- It is said: “And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:8-9), our Sages learned that with the hand with which one writes a mezuzah, one must also bind the tefillin, and since we usually write with the right hand, one must bind the tefillin with the right hand on the left hand.
- Our Sages expounded from what is said “and it shall be as a sign upon ‘yadecha‘ (your hand)” (Exodus 13:16), with the addition of the letter ‘heh‘, that one must place the tefillin on the non-dominant hand, which is the weak hand.
If one changed and placed the tefillin on the right hand, he has not fulfilled his obligation.
The Law of a Left-Handed Person
About ten percent of people are left-handed, and a left-handed person must place tefillin on his right hand because it is his weak hand. However, according to the Meiri and the Kabbalists, even a left-handed person places on the left, because we follow the left of the world, for the place of tefillin is opposite the heart, and the place of the heart is on the left side. However, according to the opinion of the vast majority of poskim, a left-handed person must place on the right hand, because the commandment is not to place on the left hand, but on the weak hand, and since for a left-handed person the weak hand is the right one, on it, he must place the tefillin. However, one who is ambidextrous places tefillin on his left, like most people (Menachot 37b).
A Soldier Whose Hand Was Amputated
The combat soldier Yehonatan Meir from Atuf, who merited to participate in eliminating many terrorists, was severely wounded a few months ago, and his right hand was amputated to the elbow. He is left-handed, so he used to place tefillin on his right hand. Even during the evacuation in the helicopter he asked the doctor, who was religious, whether he would be able to place tefillin. When the doctor said that the place for tefillin placement remained, and he could place tefillin, he was happy, and calmed down. Now he is in rehabilitation. May it be God’s will that he merits to establish a glorious family, to exhaust his talent in the field of engineering for the glory of Torah, the People and the Land.
The Law of One Who Is Not Completely Left-Handed
About one to two percent of people are not completely right-handed, or left-handed. There are three opinions in the law of one who writes with one hand, but his other hand is the strong one.
1) He places tefillin on the weak hand (Terumah, Rosh, Mordechai, Gra, Aruch HaShulchan 27:16).
2) He places on the hand he does not write with (Beit Yosef in understanding of Semak and Rabbenu Yechiel; Shulchan Aruch 27:6; Magen Avraham, Shulchan Aruch HaRav, part 1).
3) Whenever he writes with his right hand, or it is his strong hand, or he does several important tasks with it, he is considered as controlling both his hands, and should place on the left hand (Tosafot Rabbenu Peretz, Bach, Artzot HaChaim, and Ben Ish Chai).
And in Responsa Yabi’a Omer (part 6, Orach Chaim 2), he wrote that we follow the writing, but out of doubt, after prayers, he should place tefillin also on his other hand. In contrast, in Responsa Igrot Moshe (Orach Chaim 4:11), he that it is not reasonable to instruct to place on both hands, “for it is a great burden, and we do not find in the books of our teachers such advice.”
The Halakha in Practice
It is proper for every person to act according to what his rabbi instructs him. And my opinion tends toward the third opinion, that whenever he writes with his right hand, or it is his strong hand, or he does important tasks with it, he should place on the left, as wrote our teacher and mentor, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ztz”l, in his approbation to ‘Peninei Halakha’ (5753). And apparently this is so, because when one is precise in the words of the Rishonim (early authorities), one finds that in every situation of doubt, when they instruct to place on the left hand, they instruct according to the opinion of the majority of the Rishonim. Also, this is the proper guidance according to Kabbalah. And one should add those who hold that be-di’avad (after the fact), even a left-handed person who placed on the left fulfilled his obligation.
In addition to this, generally, in cases where there is hesitation whether the person is left-handed, it is not common that the division is sharp between writing and strength, and therefore even those who want to act according to strength, or according to writing, find themselves in great doubts. And the Torah did not give its words to measurements that would multiply doubts, and the solution to the doubt is that whenever he is somewhat right-handed, then he controls both his hands, and should place on the left. Moreover, many of those who hold that one who writes with the left should place on the right, admit that if by nature he was right-handed and accustomed himself to write with the left, he should place on the left (Magen Avraham 27:10; Mishnah Berurah 27). In practice, it is difficult to know why one whose strong hand is the right hand writes with the left, perhaps he accustomed himself to this for an external reason, such as that he sat next to a child who interfered with his writing with the right, or that his right hand was injured when he began to write.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.
