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The Torah commands us, ‘Venishmartem meod lenafshotechem' ['You shall take care exceedingly of your lives' — Deut. 4:15).

It seems anyone living in Israel is in grave danger due to the recent advances in missile technology and WMP by Arab enemies who are hell-bent on destroying Israel.

Given the clear life threatening danger of staying in Israel, does the above Torah commandment apply, whereby one should pack up and move out?

Some say that Israel relies on miracles so it's OK, but the Talmud in Shabbat 32a says clearly that one should never put himself in danger and rely on a miracle.

ADDITION here's a source for the current seriousness of the situation: "Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, recently said that Israel is “the most threatened nation on the planet.” He was referring to the threatening ring of missiles aimed at the Jewish state from regimes such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran" http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55711

another source http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/207485 (2016-2-3)

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    Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/11459/… . Ask first about whether it's permissible to ride in a car, in traffic, anywhere in the world.
    – Isaac Moses
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:13
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    This question would be much stronger if you could cite a source indicating that this is, in fact, the case. Not only that missiles exist and in the wrong hands, but that they constitute a newly grave danger for the average resident of Israel. Your intuition is so, but my intuition is that Israelis were in much greater danger in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, not to mention practically any time between the times of Yehoshua' and those of the Second Temple.
    – Isaac Moses
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:23
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    Re "it seems to me israelis are in far greater danger according to the natural way then someone riding a car", see judaism.stackexchange.com/a/11463.
    – msh210
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:24
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    Have you seen anyone in any position of secular knowledge and authority advocating that people leave Israel for safety reasons?
    – Isaac Moses
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:31
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    In addition to @IsaacMoses's suggestion that you cite a source that that is the case, I'd advocate that you cite a source that leaving Israel is safer.
    – Seth J
    Jun 12, 2013 at 20:23

2 Answers 2

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This question is based entirely on an assumption that "anyone living in Israel is in grave danger," but it cites no source to back this statement of fact up.

On the contrary, here is a source that indicates that people living in Israel, in general, are not in grave danger. The US State Department issues Travel Warnings "when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country." Grave danger to anyone living in a particular country would seem to rise to this level. However, the currently-effective Travel Warning for "Israel, the West Bank and Gaza", dated December 20, 2012, includes the blanket statement:

Personal safety conditions in major metropolitan areas, including Tel Aviv and Haifa and their surrounding regions, are comparable to or better than those in other major global cities. Tourists, students, and businesspeople from around the world are welcome.

The State Department notes specific hazards to be aware of and avoid in specific locations, but it contains no recommendation to leave Israel. Given that this institution, which has access to more information about the security situation than the average person, sees no general "grave danger" and sees no need to call for evacuation, it seems difficult to make a Halachic decision that presupposes the existence of such a danger or necessity of evacuation for the purpose of sustaining one's life.


Similarly, the Israel Ministry of Tourism says:

Is it safe to travel to Israel?

Israel is an extremely safe country to visit and to tour. In 2008, three million tourists came to Israel, an all-time record, and all three million went back home safe and sound. We would not encourage tourists to come if we felt they would be in the slightest danger.

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    the source is: "due to the recent advances in missile technology and WMP by Arab enemies who are hell-bent on destroying Israel". i thought it was well known that iran, hezbolla, gaza are all fielding hundreds of thousands of missiles (and iran's developing nukes) in preparation for a war with israel. not to mention the islamization of egypt by the MBrotherhood and the islamization of turkey
    – ray
    Jun 12, 2013 at 19:44
  • the travel warning to israel here travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5841.html says: "The security environment remains complex in Israel and the West Bank, and U.S. citizens need to be aware of the continuing risks of travel to these areas". in my opinion the only reason the americans are not sounding red lights is because the situation is currently calm but everyone living in israel knwos this is jsut the calm b4 the storm
    – ray
    Jun 12, 2013 at 20:04
  • Sounds like Bamidbar 13:33.
    – Isaac Moses
    Feb 4, 2016 at 14:36
  • there's a big difference between tourist travel and living there. a tourist stays short term and can assess the situation before going.
    – ray
    Aug 27, 2016 at 18:53
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Even if, in theory, you're right that one should leave Israel if it is more dangerous than, say, the United States — and I don't know whether you are — it isn't. The life expectancy in Israel is 80.69 years; in the United States, 77.97. That is, despite the missiles and bombs, one can expect to live longer in Israel than in the United States: it is, overall, less dangerous. In fact, the only countries with a life expectancy greater than Israel's are (least to most) Sweden, France, Iceland, Italy, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and, at 82.73 years, Japan.

Source: World Health Organization, 2012, as tabulated by Wikipedia.

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    Similar: judaism.stackexchange.com/a/11463/2
    – Isaac Moses
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:14
  • maybe, but as i pointed out in the question, new technologies have changed the situation. israel'sedge used to be aerial supremacy. missiles have changed that.
    – ray
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:20
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    @good_ole_ray, I guess we can wait and see what the life expectancy is in Israel in a few years. I doubt it will change much, and I pray that it won't go down.
    – msh210
    Jun 12, 2013 at 18:23
  • Similar: judaism.stackexchange.com/a/53480
    – msh210
    Feb 4, 2015 at 14:11
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    @ray and msh210, here's an update from 9 years thence: per the latest update to that WP entry, based on World Bank 2020 data, the gap in life expectancy between Israel and the US has widened, to 82.7/77.3.
    – Isaac Moses
    Jul 26, 2022 at 12:08

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