It is now 11:15 p.m. here in Israel. Five minutes ago, I was getting ready to go to sleep, trying to wind down from the day. And then I saw the latest update in the Times of Israel: “Knesset passes quasi-constitutional Basic Law declaring Torah study a foundational value of Israel.” And just like that, sleep became impossible.

Earlier this evening I was teaching one of my Bible classes. We were studying Numbers 4, where the Levites are described in terms that echo military structure—counted, organized, assigned roles. In many ways, they are portrayed as part of God’s “army,” a tzavah. During the discussion, I said openly that this idea has real ramifications for today. I pointed out that parts of the extreme religious community genuinely believe that devotion to Torah study places them in that same category—that they are,........

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