[Avodah] Wartime orders

[Arie Folger]

RSW wrote:
> I don't think being court martialled is a pikuash nefesh, as I stated
> before, people don't actually get executed for such things in today's
> military.  However, you do bring up am interesting question.  Let's say for
> arguments sake, that one is not allowed to enter a profession where he will
> be called upon to do melacha on shabbos that is sakanas nefashos (this is
> highly debatable, but just for now assume that it is assur).  The person
> joins anyway, either out of ignorance, or because he didn't care that it
> was prohibited.  Now he is in the situation that he must do a melacha and
> it really is unquestionably sakanas nefashos, can he do the melacha now?

I believe that you misunderstood me. If there is an actual piqua'h nefesh, no 
matter how one got into it, the melakhah is required. Whether one is allowed 
to put himself in a place where there will be a hetter of piqua'h nefesh is 
NOT the issue of my post, although my gut reaction to that question is that 
it depends on how important it is to have that particular job filled.

The question I addressed is, is one allowed to enroll in the US Army or 
Reserves if he knows that he will have to train - in non piqua'h nefesh 
situation - on Shabbos? AFAIK, the National Guard trains mostly on Saturday 
and Sunday. Perhaps we could come to the strange conclusion that the US Army 
is OK (I don't know, I am just speculating), while the National Guard isn't 
(again, I am just speculating).

By extension, we need to ask whether one is allowed to follow orders and avoid 
being court marshalled if his training involves melakhot on Shabbat WITHOUT 
the hetter of piqua'h nefesh. I am talking here about regular basic training, 
not about the extremely important training prior to actual operations or when 
on constant alert in a war theater, both of which seem like piqua'h nefesh 
situations.

This is of course not relating to such a time when a draft may be instituted, 
which would likely only arise in a very bad war situation, filled with 
piqua'h nefesh situations. In such a case, participation in the army, 
reserves, Natinoal Guard, etc. may become a serious obligation. For more 
information on this tangent, read rabbinic responsa about World War One.

In fact, I am just reading a biography ("Être juif et français/ Jacob Kaplan, 
le rabbin de la republique" 
http://www.amazon.fr/Etre-Juif-Français-Kaplan-République/dp/2350760235) of 
the former Chief Rabbi of France, R. Jacob Kaplan, who changed the mood in 
the French Rabbinate to one that looks positively upon Orthodox Judaism, 
rather than adhering to it begrudgingly, and who felt it had been a great 
duty of his to fight in a French combat unit in WW One. He wasn't the only 
one thinking thus.

KT,
-- 
Arie Folger
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com