The Necessity to Fight

"When you wage a war against your enemies and God will give you victory over them ..." (Deut. 21:10)

War is perhaps the most tragic and horrific aspect of the human condition. Our most fervent wish, as the priestly benediction concludes, is for peace. The Talmud also closes with a statement extolling the importance of peace: "The Holy One found no vessel more capable of holding blessing for Israel than peace" (Oktzin 3:12). So why does Jewish law have such concepts as compulsory and optional wars ("milchemet mitzvah" and "milchemet reshut")? Why do we find that the greatest spiritual leaders of the Jewish people — Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, King David, Rabbi Akiva — all led their nation into battle?

In a letter penned in 5664 (1904), Rav Kook explained:

"It would have been totally impossible, at a time when all of the surrounding nations were truly night-wolves, that only the Jewish people would refrain from waging war. The nations would have joined together and destroyed the remnant of the people, God forbid. On the contrary, it was absolutely crucial to act without mercy in order to evoke fear in the wild savages."

We look forward to the day when the human race will develop to its proper state. The Torah, however, does not attempt to proceed too quickly, before the world is ready.

"Nothing ruins the groundwork for perfecting human society as much as the influence of elevated ideas on masses who are not ready to accept them. One who sought to advance humanity by imposing the Torah's ethical teachings before the nations are ready for them — has completely misunderstood God's intention. The proof (that this approach is faulty) may be seen in the phenomenon of those who burnt their victims alive in auto-da-fe (during the Inquisition) under the banner of 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' This is because the Torah's refined ideals require preparation. As the Sages cautioned: "It is an elixir of life for those who follow it diligently ... but the delinquent will stumble in it" (Shabbat 88b, based on Hosea 14:10).

The cruel wars that we witness are in fact a result of ethical constraints that were artificially imposed on the nations of the world. This created an unhealthy culture suffering severe distress; it produced negative traits, mental imbalance, and deep-rooted anger. A profound resentment erupted into vast displays of destruction and cruelty, with a brutal violence that revealed their as-yet unrefined character.

Even within the Jewish people, regarding matters pertaining to the public and national arena, the Torah did not attempt to coerce the spirit of the people towards unrealistic saintliness. This would have lead to an unnatural, forced piety. The Torah's objective is to establish an ethical awareness in the hearts of the people based on their own free will. That is why we find that the Torah is lenient regarding certain war-related issues, such as the law of female captives.

The Divine Purpose in War

Yet, one may still ask: what is the purpose of war in general?

In his book Orot, Rav Kook sought to uncover the divine purpose even in war. Great wars, he wrote, have a important function in the world: they awaken the yearnings for the Messianic Era. King Solomon referred to the redemption with the phrase, "The time of the songbird (zamir) has arrived" (Song of Songs 2:12). It is a time to prune (zamir) and cut down the wicked. But what about the many innocent lives lost in the destructive surge of violence? This phenomenon contains a measure of "mitat tzaddikim mechaperet," atonement from the death of the righteous. These souls elevate to the source of life, and their lives bring universal good and blessing for the overall advance of the world in all of its aspects.

With the conclusion of the war, the world is renewed with a new spirit, and the footsteps of the Messianic Era are revealed. Thus we find the daily prayers make a connection between war and the messianic light of redemption:

"Master of wars, Who sows kindness and brings forth salvations ... You will shine a new light on Zion."

(adapted from Igrot vol. I, letter 89, p. 100; Orot pp. 13,15)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison