The Knesset Committee on Tuesday approved the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study for its first reading following a heated debate that centered on the law’s purpose and its constitutional implications.

The bill passed by a vote of 10-4 and is scheduled to be brought before the Knesset plenum for its first reading on Wednesday.

The bill states that Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel. The legislation is intended to serve as a constitutional counterweight to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, following court rulings that invalidated previous military exemption laws on the grounds that they conflicted with the principle of equality derived from that Basic Law.

Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf explained the reasoning behind the legislation. “The purpose of the law is to recognize Toras Israel that was given at Har Sinai and in which we all believe. How is it possible that here in Israel, after everything the Jewish people have endured, Jews are arresting Jews for learning Torah? Why are we seeking this law? Because something has happened in this country. We do not want to reach a point where someone learning Torah is punished as though he were a thief. We have reached a situation where Lomdei Torah receive the worst punishments.”

Questions were also raised regarding the bill’s practical consequences. Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak said, “We all agree with the first section. But Section 2 is practical. What are these balances, and between which values? Does this law have budgetary implications? I am not receiving an answer to that question, and there is probably a reason for that.”

MK Moshe Gafni responded, “No one ever asked whether the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty or the Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation had budgetary implications. These questions are aimed in a particular direction. This law will not harm any rights or benefits of soldiers or reserve soldiers. It deals solely with the value of Torah study.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)