(IsraelNN.com) A Jerusalem court has decided that a border police officer who left his base to buy food did so as part of his service. The decision was based in part on halachic (Jewish legal) rulings written by Torah scholars, who say that soldiers are allowed to eat on fast days in order to be fit for service.

The border police officer in question left his base in Jerusalem late at night in order to buy food after his unit failed to provide a nighttime meal. The soldier was injured in a traffic accident as he returned to his base, and asked the army to compensate him for his injury.

The judge ruled that the army must compensate the officer, as “the soldier, as part of his service, is required to eat not only in order to survive, but also in order to fulfill the missions required of him.” The soldier needed to eat in order to remain alert throughout his upcoming guard duty, the judge said.