JL;DR SUMMARY Natan Slifkin reflects on the poignant and vibrant experience of his son's draft day into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as part of the beinishim program, a unique pathway for religious students who balance military service with yeshiva study. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.