Hell week

After a lengthy five day break from the army, I can't say that I was dying to get back to the base. I love serving in the army but there is nothing like the freedom of being at home. But it came time to go back, nonetheless a day later than everyone else because I was told to keep eight days of Pesach.
The week that I came back to was called Abach, or a shortform for atomic, biological, and chemical warfare. It was mostly classes about what happens when wars get unconventional. But the main event of the week was actually putting our gasmasks to use. I had heard about this and seen pictures of it before, so I was half nervous and half excited. Just outside the gate of the base there was a large tent set up. Pumping into this tent was a certain type of gas and each of us were supposed to put on the mask and walk in. So I walked in and was kind of disoriented for a second because it was dark and murky. Then the mefaked inside told me to remove the mask and say my ID number. Its hard to describe the exact feeling but from about your second breath you feel like a vice has tightened about your neck and acid has been poured in your eyes. I managed to quickly say my number but after that I just had to run out because I couldn't breathe. And then after a few long minutes, the burn dies down and things are more or less back to normal.
That Shabbat, my Plugah was on base and my machlacka had kitchen duty. It wasn't so much fun washing dishes but we were allowed to take as much food as we wanted.
And then hell week. Some thought it would start on Saturday night, but preparations took until Sunday evening when we set out. The first difficult thing was what we had to take with us. Each soldier had a partner with whom he would share the load. Except all of our stuff was in one gigantic bag. All in all, with my vest and my gun, it weighed about 40kg (88lb). I weigh about 65kg (143lb). That's about 61% body weight. So you can start to see why this week has its name. People almost fell backwards when putting it on. I remember that after a few  minutes my arm started to lose blood flow.
The first leg of our trip was our walk of a few kilometers outside the base to a camp with tents. By the time we got there, my back felt moments away from snapping and I couldn't wait to put it down. We slept in tents of four that night, but we felt as if this was a bit too comfortable to be our first week in the wilderness even though we were sleeping in full gear. I'd be surprised if I didn't wake up 20 times that night. The next morning after davening and doing some other stuff, we got our first taste of combat meals. Except you can't really taste the food. Basically, we were given a box of food and two loaves of bread to eat for every meal. Okay. Not so bad. First problem: we are 15 people plus our mefaked and this food is meant for 12 people. Second problem: our mefaked gave us 12 minutes to eat. Okay. I can eat fast. But third problem: there always had to be 5 people in a circle lying down guarding us while we ate. So you can see why eating wasn't so simple.

Basically, this week was about showing us what the wilderness, or the shetach, is like. But they made it really hard. For all three days, we walked the hills in the area (not so small), with our vests and these bags. While we were walking as a kitah, we were walking in certain formations based on what we learned in classes. Usually during the noon hours  there was a heat wave and we stopped walking and had classes. Not a lot happened during the 3 days. Just a lot of walking, some crawling on thorns, carrying stretchers and people, and a few war-type games. The crawling on thorns was probably my least favorite part of the week, but its only meant to make us stronger. As Major Eliraz Peretz, a soldier killed in action in Gaza once said, "With the complex of thorns and plants that have entered my body, you can make a pile a meter by a meter. But these are not just thorns, these are the thorns of Eretz Yisrael." 


By the last evening, I had given up hope. I had no energy left in me and if I was given the opportunity to quit, the thought might have risen up. It is impossible to describe to someone who hasn't been through it what it was like. But that night was the contest. Based on everything we had learned and practiced that week, each kitah in the plugah would be tested in a series of "missions" to find the best kitah, who would then go home on Thursday night instead of Friday. This contest only lasted a couple of hours, but boy was it hard with those bags. I thought we did very well even though we did not win.

We got back to the plugah just after 3am on Thursday morning. Arriving back to base was like checking into a five-star hotel. It didn't feel real at all. And then it became all too real. Just as people were starting to start showering, our commanders burst into our rooms and starting yelling at us that we had a minute to get downstairs in a vest with a gasmask on, and a stretcher ready. I couldn't believe it. I've never been more surprised in my life. So we ran a bit with the stretcher but other than that didn't do much. Ultimately, this was just done to show us that "It ain't over till it's over."

And that was what I call Hell Week. We made it through. Barely.

I apologize that I am so behind in my posts. Lately the army has gotten more and more difficult which therefore makes me more and more tired and less likely to sit down and write. Hopefully it will get easier soon because frankly I am having a very difficult time making it through. More on that to come.

Welcome to the 202nd Airborne Battalion

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I simply don't have a lot of time.
It's difficult to know where to start describing my week because I really don't remember very clearly what happened. Why? Because days feel like weeks and weeks like months. We normally start the day at about 5am after an average of about 6 hours of sleep. Every single morning we line up in front of our Mefaked who then gives us "missions" to complete in limited periods of time. For example, 7 minutes to change from what we slept in to our madei bet, or our work uniform, plus galchatz, which means shaving and shining (shoes). Or 3 minutes to clean the room and make our beds exactly like they ask. In these few minutes, not a second goes by without somebody yelling out the time or instructions. Zmanim ze kodesh (Time is holy) as they say in Hebrew. Even if we as a class don't complete the mission, it is imperative that just before the clock runs out, we're all standing there in a chet or shlashot (parallel lines of three). If we don't, we get punished. Although this past week was shavua slichot, or week of forgiveness, so the real punishments start next week. For some reason though, my class always waits till the very last second to stand in line.
Once again I arrived at the base at about noon on Sunday and then the rest of the day we picked weeds. It kind of sucked to be doing that kind of work again but I knew the next day I would be placed in my unit.
Finally the moment everyone was waiting for: Misdar Dmaot, or ceremony of tears. It is here that soldiers find out if they've made the cut for sayarot (elite units) or if they will serve in the regular battalions. Some people have waited their whole lives to serve in an elite unit. Now the moment of truth. Tension is high. The names are read. Some soldiers celebrate. Some soldiers cry. But everyone is about the embark on a completely unknown chapter in their lives. As the names for Duvdevan (the elite counterterrorism unit) were called, I clapped, but I did temporarily regret not trying the gibush. Back when I decided to join the army, Tzanchanim was my goal. Since being accepted, I played with the thought of trying to get further. But I think regular army will be challenging enough as I found out this week.
I was placed in a religious unit the 202nd Airborne Battalion which is considered better than 890 and 101. The rest of the day we were welcomed into the Plugah (one third of a battalion) by visiting a dozen stations including explanations of weapons, a video, equipment improvement, and interviews with our mefakdim. Mefakdim can either totally ruin or totally improve the army experience. I really lucked out in my Mefaked. He is exactly the type of leader to strengthen us but also he is  slightly forgiving when needed.
On Tuesday we did something extremely exciting. We signed for and received short M16s, the guns we will be using until the end of training, when we will upgrade to the slightly better M4. As soon as we got them, we put them in the armory. Then the rest of the day was spent in a classroom taking notes about the weapon.
On Wednesday, things got physical. After Shacharit but before breakfast we had a Baror, the fitness test in Tzahal. A 100% is 86 continuous situps, 75 continuous pushups, and a 2km run in 6:48. I almost completed the situps, the pushups were a total failure, and let's just say running is not my forte. It's clear that I have a long way to go. Later that day we shot on a fake range with M16s fitted with lasers. It was tough but I did fairly well. I'm not really sure why this happened so early, but we spent a few hours practicing for our Tekes Hashba'a, or swearing in ceremony, which I think will take place on May 19 at the Kotel. You're all invited. I've been to a Tekes Hashba'a for Tzanchanim and practicing the moves really made us start feeling like soldiers. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait until the real thing.
After spending a lovely Shabbat at home with my parents who have come in for Pesach, all too quickly I had to return to the base. When I got there we changed into madei bet but then I was told to change back into madei alef because the Mefaked haplugah wanted to talk to me. It took me totally by surprise and I immediately thought the worst. What did I do wrong? Am I being thrown out of Tzanchanim? Quite the contrary. Turns out that on Sunday, all of the past heads of tzanchanim were coming to the base for some kind of ceremony and each head had a soldier walk with him. I was chosen as a representative (all the other representatives were also chayalim bodedim) in my Plugah to walk alongside Yoram "Ya-Ya" Yair. The current head of tzanchanim came and so did Bogie Yaalon. There was a ceremony, a small band, and then each head planted a tree in the holes that we dug in trom tironut. But then there was a dinner. Wow. Great food, even for non-army standards.
The next four or five days we spent on the shooting range shooting clusters of rounds to zero in our weapons. First using the annoying metal sights and then using the cool sight which makes it a lot easier. We also did some night shooting. But it's impossible to aim! Since the gun is black, you can barely make out the metal sights. Then on Wednesday, another surprise. Ramat Gan has a council that basically gives tzanchanim free stuff. After giving everyone  tzanchanim shirts and shorts for running, they made a lunch for all chayalim bodedim. The food was pretty standard but they gave us some really great stuff like a fleece, a Swiss army type knife, a thermos, and even a watch. Thanks Ramat Gan!
As part of training, every two weeks or so we have a masa, or a hike. This would be our first. But its not just any old hike. We would be wearing vests filled with 174 bullets, our helmet, 1.5 liters of water, a fake grenade, and of course our gun was on us. Plus it is done in a fast pace on big hills. We even painted our faces in green and black. That was my favorite part. And off we went. We left the base. Total darkness. Total silence. Only the sounds of our footsteps. It felt like we were actually going to war. But 35 minutes and a lot of sweating later, we made it back. It was quite difficult but definitely not impossible. One thing about the army is that you are never ever an individual. It is not a race or a contest. Its about teamwork. We walked briskly in two tightly packed lines behind our mefaked and on inclines we pushed the person in front of us by the helmet that was on their back. Its already easy for me to understand the term "brothers in arms". The army really does create close bonds between soldiers.
On Thursday we started doing guard duty around the base. Each shift is 2+2 hours. Let me explain. The first two hours is the active part, which is kind of funny because all activities are strictly forbidden. No sleeping, no sitting, no eating, no reading, and no leaning. Yup. No leaning. But of course this all makes total sense when you are guarding in the middle of the night. It is really boring unless there is someone there to talk to, which is allowed. After the two hours, you enter into the readiness staff, replacing someone who has just finished their readiness staff. In these two hours, you just have to be able to get to the equipment within a minute and a half. You can sleep in your bed, in uniform, knee pads, and boots of course, but you've got to be ready for the jump. Luckily, I never had one, partly because they don't happen on shabbat.
The shabbat after the masa was my first shabbat on the base because my plugah stayed in. I was kind of worried that shabbat in the army wouldn't feel like it should. But the interesting thing is that the mefakdim, even the non-religious ones, make sure everyone, including the non religious soldiers, respect shabbat and those who keep it. For example, attire for Friday night dinner is strictly madei alef, or dress uniforms, plus berets for kiddush, which is recited for everyone by one person. Singing and dancing, at davening and at the meal happen all the time. Cellphones are not allowed at the meals. All of these things together actually made it a very special shabbat, making it something I wouldn't mind the next time it comes around. I had two shifts of shmirah on shabbat but because it is a neccesary job, there is obviously no problem with doing it on shabbat so it didn't bother me. It's actually probably better that a religious soldier who knows the halachot do shmirah because we know how to act according to halacha and violate the very least, if any, laws.
After my first week of the army, which I spent as a gardener, I didn't think I would do it again. But I did. For a full week. My machlacka was sent to a base in the center of Israel to clean up and prepare for two ceremonies where the head of tzanchanim and the heads of some battalions were switched. It was obviously a pretty uneventful week except for one particular instance. At a certain point, I was sweeping the street in front of the building that holds the office to the head of tzanchanim (Machat). He and another high ranking officers were walking around the area checking our progress. As they were passing me, the Rasar told me to pick a weed on the sidewalk. But before I could bend down and get it, the Machat, yes, the head of tzanchanim, who has been in the army for 25 years, bent down and picked it. So I guess no matter what rank you are, you never stop picking weeds. Then he actually asked my name and where I was from, to which I responded that I am from Toronto and doing Machal. In the past, he has made some comments about shortened tracks like hesder and machal. He also spoke to our machlacka which was somewhat of a treat.
The next shabbat I also stayed in but we were let out for Pesach, which is obviously nice, especially since my family is here in Israel visiting me. After the chag I spent about 20 hours on base before I went home for Shabbat and the Chag, and now I am enjoying a very lengthy 5 day break.

Trom Tironut

I would love to say that in my first week of the army I did something really cool. But its quite the opposite.
Despite being Purim on Sunday, we were told to arrive at a base in Baer Sheva where we met up with our unit and mefaked. From there we took a bus for n amount of time to our training base (bach).
I've heard the base was nice but I didn't realize how true it was. Tzanchanim is an American funded unit so they built us a beautiful modern base. Each plugah, or group of about 100 soldiers has their own building, a central courtyard plus a building for the mefakdim. Unlike other bases where soldiers sleep in tents, we sleep in rooms with closets and air conditioners. The other facilities are also new and top of the line. The food is amazing too which is really important.
On Sunday we heard speeches from the Mefaked of the base and other Mefakdim about Tzanchanim and about the main event of the week: the gibushim. The gibushim that took place were for gadsar and maglan and a separate one for duvdevan. Hundreds tried it but I decided not to.
On Monday, everyone, even those not trying the gibush, had to prepare two bags with borrowed equipment from the army, so that of course took all day.
We woke up on Tuesday at about 3 am to organize for the gibush that I wasn't doing. Then we were separated into groups and they left. Those not going cleaned our building for a few minutes but then we went back to bed for an hour or two. And then for the next three days all I did was pick weeds. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. There are just too many of them. It's impossible to get kill them all.
On Thursday, I got to do the coolest thing I had done all week. After picking weeds in the morning, I painted boxes for Maglan and Duvdevan. I'm no Picasso, but I think I did a pretty solid job.
And then on Friday we were sent home.
Our Mefaked was awesome, didn't yell at us and laughed at all the jokes we made. But the week that I am entering will most definitely not be like that. This week things will get serious. And I'm pretty sure we will start shooting. And running. But probably not at the same time.

First Days

If this is what the army is like, then so far I love it.
My Giyus was this past Wednesday which means I went to Bakum again to complete the becoming-a-soldier process. But for some reason, getting a shot, filling in a few papers, eating lunch and changing into a uniform takes about 10 hours.
I got to the lishkat hagiyus at about 10am where there were hundreds of teary eyed parents and soon to be soldiers dancing (mostly the religious ones). Then we signed in and loaded buses to a different part of the base. And we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally we made it to the part where we got all our stuff and uniforms and tried them on. When we were sure that everything fit nicely, we left that area and waited. And waited and waited. While waiting we did a few attention calls. But in the end all the waiting was worth it because unlike Nachal, who also had their Giyus that day, we went home. Fast days in the army are like sick days on base plus the first shabbat is almost always free, so they just let us go. Since then I've just been enjoying walking around Jerusalem, despite the random people on the street who yell "tzair" at me. "Tzair" means young and in the army it is the nickname for new soldiers.
A few words about our uniform: because we are tzanchanim, we get a different uniform. Our boots are red, the pants are the same but our shirts are totally different. They have four pockets on the front and we wear a second belt over the shirt which is not tucked in. One of the things people say to make fun of us tzanchanim is pointing out that we wear "skirts".
On Sunday, I actually start the army when I report to a base in Baer Sheva where there are buses to my base.

Golan Tiyul

This past Thursday, Friday and Shabbat, my class in yeshiva went on a trip to the Golan to have some fun before the army.
A few highlights:
- A high ranking commander spoke to us. Not only did he serve in Shayetet 13 (water-based unit similar to the navy seals), he was also a commander in Egoz (an elite recon unit), Sayeret Golani, and completed the ship captain course. Imagine how many pins he wears on his uniform!
- We visited the site where Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were kidnapped after their Humvees were ambushed. On a nearby hill right across the border we were able to see a Hezbollah base. We were told they were watching us and probably listening to us.
- We went to see an outpost right on the Lebanon border. Very cool place. It looked exactly like a level in a video game. Rav Ashi's grave was right there. Just across the border was a UN base.
- On Friday night we heard from a rabbi who is now doing his miluim in Shaldag, the air force's elite unit. But the most impressive thing was that he served in Hayechida, Sayeret Matkal, which is the best unit in the IDF and possibly in the world. Apparently it runs in the family because he has sons in Shaldag and Duvdevan (the counterterrorism unit).

Less than 10 days left!!


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Why? Part II

The following is based on an essay written by Rabbi Herschel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University in the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society.

In 1948, all the Arab countries surrounding us promised to push us into the ocean and tried unsucessfully to destroy us. According to many opinions, since they have not renounced their vow, that original war of independance is still ongoing and the quiet periods are mere lulls in the same war. Therefore, it can be concluded that Israel is in a state of war even when there is no fighting (except with Egypt who signed a peace treaty with us, but lately, who knows if that will continue).

Next, is this ongoing war a milchemet reshut or milchemet mitzvah? The main differences are as follows:

A milchemet reshut is a "permissible military venture" which must first be allowed by the Sanhedrin. When getting ready to wage a milchemet reshut, newlyweds, people who have just built a house or planted a vineyard, or who are afraid were sent home. This is based on a pasuk from Devarim (20:8) and a Mishnah in Sotah 44b.

A milchemet mitzvah is a war required by the Torah in which everyone must go out to war (possibly women too), people who would normally be exempt from a milchemet reshut. (My roommate's mefaked got married the night before Operation Cast Lead so he would have been exempt if it was a milchemet reshut. Nonetheless, he had to go lead his troops. Not long into the war, he entered a house that was booby-trapped. He very nearly died, but thank G-d has made a full recovery).

The answer is that it is a milchemet mitzvah because the countries with whom we are at war do not have a court like the Sanhedrin that is moral and spiritual. Therefore, based on a Gemara in Sanhedrin 59a and an interpretation by the Chatam Sofer, any war fought against these enemies is automatically considered milchemet mitzvah, and that status carries over to our defense as well.

It probably can't be proven halachically these days that everyone needs to fight but I just wanted to point out a few things that seemed interesting.

Giyus in 3 weeks from today!!


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Why? Part I

This is the first installment in a series of explanations of why I am joining the army.

When I tell Israelis that I'm going to the army, I usually get one of two reactions. The first usually goes something like "kol hakavod". The second reaction is usually "Really? Why?". It has happened to me a few times where sabras, usually older, start ranting about how much they are fed up with Israel and then tell me never to live here and to stay where it is peaceful. They just don't understand why a kid my age would want to get involved in defending a country that I technically do not belong to. What they apparently don't understand is that this land was given to every single Jew, no matter where they are living now. Therefore, I feel an obligation to protect it, the Jews living in it, and the Jews who still haven't realized that they need to be living in it. Because it isn't just a land. If it had just been about a place to put the Jews, Uganda could have worked. But Israel is the only place where Jews belong because Hashem chose His favorite piece of land for us. It is also the only place in the the world where we can live properly as Jews under our own rule without the fear of persecution.

So since my land is more or less constantly in a state of war, I feel the need to do my part and protect it. An American kid in yeshiva once said to me while we were discussing the army, "But why should I join, they don't need more soldiers, there's no war now". But what he naively doesn't realize is that a soldier is not made overnight, there are months and months of training until he is ready to fight in a war. Who knows what will happen in a year from now. Plus, most of the army is made up of miluim soldiers, and by not going to the army and say, making Aliyah later in life, they would not be able to be called up if the need arises.

Others claim that if all Jews would sit down and learn, Hashem would protect us and the army would be unnecessary. I couldn't believe that people actually think that is true today. First of all, we have to show effort in order for Hashem to help us. Yes, I truly believe that learning Torah will and does help protect us, but Gemaras do not stop bullets (maybe masechet shabbat in oz v'hadar does). Second, it is impossible to get all Jews to learn right now. Many Jews don't even know they are Jewish. If it was possible, maybe it would would be more of a claim. Third, even in the times of David HaMelech and the like, Hashem didn't magically erase their enemies. The people went out with swords and shields and physically fought their foes. Yes, Hashem told them when they would win and performed miracles so that would happen, but miracles happen every day here in Israel too.

In fact, passion for the army and the general advance of Israel for the first few decades after the establishment can be found in the hearts of secular Zionists. Lately, the religious Zionists have replaced them and now make up a large portion of the commanders and special forces as well as being the best regular soldiers. It is the religious that feel responsible to put their lives on the line nowadays, which includes me.

Simply put: I am Jewish. Therefore, Israel is my country. Hence, it is my job to protect it.

That was the moral side of my reason. Next, I'll explain why I think there might be a halachic reason to join the army.


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