Torah is their Trade

In Israel today, the haredi world continues to condemn any recommendations to integrate into the army or the workforce and thus leave their religious studies. The non-haredi community, on the other hand, bears the brunt of military and reserve duty. This essay attempts to show that a balance between study and work values stands at the core of classic Jewish thought, and that it would be to the benefit of the haridim to become integrated into the broader Israeli society through military duty and assimilation into the workforce.