The Shulchan Aruch of war

Hi. I grew up in a typical Yeshivish family in the NY area. To make a long story short I married an Israeli boy from a hesder style yeshiva in israel and I am raising my kids here in the holy land. When I first got engaged my brothers who learn in the Mir were skeptical that I’m marrying this boy with a funny kippa sruga. I knew what a tzadik talmid chacham he is but the american yeshivish crowd around me was in shock. How was I marrying a boy who wears colored shirts. Now as my family gets to know him they are in awe of who he is. I am so lucky to be part of a seriously frum community in Israel. A community that is simple and non materialistic. When I go back to America and see the way my friends are raising there kids vs the way my kids are being raised it is night and day. My kids are so happy to go on a hike in nature and my neices and nephews complain while they are in disney world on chol hamoed. One thing positive coming out of this war is the American world is realizing what a special community you have in the dati liumi/ chardal yeshiva families. I am so so lucky to be a part of it and I hope more Americans see what they can learn from our Halachik, simple, beautiful way of life in Artzeinu Hakedosha. Yes, my husband is serving in the army. He is sleeping outside on the floor in the freezing cold and he feels he is so lucky and it’s a zchus for him to defend his people.
I am also so lucky to be part of the most amazing strong group of women. Think of the strength it takes for a women who has not seen her husband for several weeks who has been scared for his life to not give him a hug when he comes home because she is in niddah. This was so so hard for me but I was able to do it because there are THOUSANDS of women in this situation and we talk to each other about it and support each other in these challenges.
Thank you for talking about some of the shailos rav rimon is getting, and talking about some of the soldiers who were killed in doing so you are teaching American Jewry about a group of Yidden they really knew almost nothing about.

First of all thank you rabbi Lichtenstein. I call my self a Talmid of yours and we never met. No I don’t agree w everything you say, but I love the give and take and so appreciate your courage to take on the issues of the day and not accept the status quo.
2 observations. In the last show you were supposed by a few young yeshiva light that took issue w Davening for the chayalim. My question to you is why you found that shocking. On your show you quoted some rav in israel who compared the soldiers to garbage collectors. While you were very clear in your response to him, and why he is wrong – the fact is that he has Talmudim literally and figuratively. The challenge is by engaging the likes of him in debate, we inevitably give some level of credence to that opinion. In the other hand, we can’t ignore it. I don’t have the answer but I thought it was important to point out.
My second point is about torah being a shield a d protecting. I’d love to hear a real discussion about that. What does it mean. Is it true. Can the army go home. Should we build Yeshivos on the border. And if torah really protects , does that mean our torah failed on October 7. The army is taking responsibility for their mistakes. Are Rabanim and rosh yeshiva taking that same responsibility. If someone or the tzibur just started davening for the chayalim after October 7- what responsibility do they share in the events that took place.

There are not many people in the Fruma world that would be able to take on these questions. For my part I do think they are worthy of discussion. Thank you again so very much.

Shalom aleichem. I think I may have messaged to say thank you before, but I wanted to say so again (not just because of the show about hakarat hatov), but because I have found all the programming coming from October the 7th to be very interesting, as well as relevant and engaging. Thank you, even through the complaints and criticism you have been getting (some I understand at least where they come from, but others do make me feel sick). Either way, thank you. Particularly as well, I just wanted to say thank you to Rabbi Wasserman. I also listen to shiurim of his on YU torah, and I am a big fan of those, as well as on Headlines. Also, I understand that he is a great person as well, and hosted a friend (now Rabbi Devon) for a bunch of meals when he was learning in Israel a few years ago, and it just shows the quality of the hosts and the genuine care they show. So, thank you again from South Africa (where our government is run by evil people, but the general populace are actually kind and good people). May we hear besorot tovot soon.

I have a question about the hostage exchange in halacha.
I heard many times that one of the reasons for exchanging hostages is that the solders need to know that they will come home no mater what. I seem to hear more and more that solders leave their dying wish not to be exchange in prisoners swop. We also find that solders through out the world would still go to war even without this grantee of coming home no matter what. As one who was a solder in Israel I don’t know if being brought home was as bigger deal for me and my friends. we seem to want to fight for our people we didn’t need much encouragement. we just need to know that our brothers had our back. Is the halachic question around exchanging hostages relevant to solders only and is this grantee a bigger deal in halacha in as much as is claimed? please can you clarify what it the correct psak is.
Thank you ,

My name is Moshe Lewitan My wife is a shadchanit from Bet Shemesh that you interviewed in the past. First thank you for your show I listen in between patients at work. We have two sons that were just demobilized after serving in Gaza. I would like to share how they were demobilized. After leaving Gaza they had to report to an army base . At the base they had a tekes where a siyum mishnayos on seder nezikin was done lezecher nishmas the six members that lost their lives. They then benched hagomel brov am. After that there were speeches including from the bereaved families. This is a gedud miluim with a cross section of all segments of society. Chilonim to datiyim everyone united. Thank you for your unwavering message of support for these people who are being literally moser nefesh mamash Thank you and may we have besorot tovot