9983 —חשיבות המסורת במצוות ובהגנה לאומית

Shalom u'Vrachah! — In brief, the same reason that the government of Israel pays in foreign currency (which is absolutely necessary on the spot) and in alarming sums, and tries by all means to ensure that they accept the money from them—to purchase weapons in its own country, in Germany, etc., and is not satisfied with the rifles and so forth that are produced in Eretz Yisrael itself. And no one objects or protests. On the contrary. And the reason is that when one wants to defend the people of Israel—one needs proper weapons and mitzvos. And it is impossible to exchange a Phantom jet—or, to differentiate, an etrog with ancestral tradition—for an Uzi or, to differentiate, an etrog without tradition, etc. And whoever wants to exchange, etc., enough said.

Apparently, they did not deliver the conclusion (in response to your question): More than what was mentioned above: In every army there are several divisions and types: infantry, those in vehicles, and so on; and seemingly each has its own special weaponry and only with its special weaponry will it succeed. And whoever wants to force one type to be armed with weapons belonging to another type (mitzvos connected and dependent on ancestral tradition)—this puts at risk the entire matter of defense, etc. Enough said.

Summary

The Rebbe teaches that just as effective defense requires specialized weaponry suited for each division, so too mitzvos rooted in ancestral tradition are irreplaceable for spiritual protection. Substituting them undermines both physical and spiritual security.