Debunking Tzivos Hashem Myth

Whenever an army has a special mission to accomplish, they know they can always fall back on their reserve troops: soldiers who had served in the army, and because of their loyalty, are always a call away to serve when needed.

Consider this your draft notice.

This Lag B’omer, Tzivos Hashem is calling on all of their reserves: Zaydes and Bubbys, fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, to join the army for 24 hours.

You might be wondering: isn’t Tzivos Hashem for kids?

Absolutely wrong. In the first Tzivos Hashem Rally, the Rebbe quoted the Possuk, “B’etzem Hayom Hazeh Yotzu Kol Tzivos Hashem Me’eretz Mitzrayim.” Every Jew is a member in Hashem’s army.

“What’s ironic,” says Rabbi Shimmy Weinbaum General of the Tzivos Hashem Brigade, “is that to be counted in Hashem’s army, you had to be 20 years of age. Only the kids from Shevet levi were counted. They had a ruchniyusdiker avoda, starting from birth.

So the real question is, how do children belong in an army?

The Rebbe explains the Rambam’s words: “While children are not obligated to join the army, anyone who wants to can volunteer to join.” It was in Shnas Hakhel, on Chol Hamoed Sukkos, that the Rebbe turned to the children and asked them to volunteer.

Later, the Rebbe explained that when an army has a special mission, more reserves are drafted. Because we are in the last moments of golus, Tzivos Hashem is now drafting the children to volunteer to join the army.

The adults are the real soldiers, soldiers with an obligation.

And now, we need you.

Will you heed the call? What rank will you reach?