God staged a demo last night in Jerusalem

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Last night He showed how one dead rabbi could bring 700,000 people into the streets. 
An unprecedented 10 percent of the population.

This was the clearest possible message for Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party which is committed to forcibly drafting yeshiva boys into an army which isn't ready to absorb them and their special needs.

Lapid must be wondering what kind of street mayhem could be mobilized by a few live rabbis after the first draft dodgers are marched off to jail.

I am all for forcing Haredim into the national curriculum so that they can move into employment and self-sufficiency instead of a life of dependancy on government handouts. But this can more sensibly be achieved over time, with economic carrots rather than police sticks.

Once Haredim are conditioned into responsible working lives, army service will likely follow without resistance and out of a new sense of pride in being part of the fellowship of Jews building and defending their only secure home.

The Torah is replete with references to the imperative of army service. But the Torah itself has also to be defended. And last night was G-d's big demo.