Questions tagged [army-military-war]
Questions about armed conflict and armed services.
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Getting Divine guidance for monumental decisions
When faced with monumental, potentially world history altering decisions like going to war, it would seem appropriate to get Divine approval, like was done using Urim V'Tumim, as opposed to only ...
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If don't aspire to be a general cannot be a simple soldier
I believe I read this saying (originally said by Napoleon) by one of the Gedolim (Torah leaders) with respect to one's religious service. Could be it was the Chafetz Chaim. Looking for a source.
The ...
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War for economic reasons
In Brachot 3b David gives his ministers the advice to go to war to bring Parnassah. Then they asked the Urim and Thumim. Is waging war for economic reasons halahically justified?
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Are men with dead or divorced wives before the first year still exempt
According to Deuteronomy 24:5 a man is exempt from public service for a year when he marries a wife. What does Halacha say in the case a man marries a woman and divorced her or she dies before that ...
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Is Pilegesh B''Givah a Proof that the IDF Should Widely Disseminate (with the appropriate rating) "Bearing Witness"?
The IDF created a 47-minute film based on raw footage of the evil and brutal 2023 Hamas massacre - Bearing Witness. Reports indicate that it is one of the most graphic and gruesome films ever made.
My ...
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Is there a specific subset of Halacha which validates the need of Jewish soldiers to be selfless with their lives?
Judaism separates itself from the other Abrahamic faiths in that we are extremely serious about preserving life. In other faiths, martyrdom isn't something which just occurs due to circumstance but is ...
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Persia will completely annihilate Edom which will cause moshiach to come
I heard that in a passage in the Talmud it says Persia will completely annihilate Edom and the rest of the world which will then spur about moshiach' arrival, the Yalkut Shimoni (Yeshaya 60:499), ...
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Is Chushai to blame for the deaths in Avshalom's rebellion?
In 2 Shmuel 17 Ahitophel counsels Avshalom to immediately pursue David with 12,000 soldiers and predicts that they will be able to kill David without having to kill David's men.
At David's behest, ...
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When can you cut down fruit trees?
The Torah enjoins us not to destroy fruit trees when you besiege a city. [Deut. 20:19-20] This grew into the Talmudic principle of בל תשחית -- Do not destroy [e.g., Shabbat 105b], based on the logic ...
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Do the laws of pidyon shvuyim apply as usual during a war or are they secondary to warfare considerations?
Rambam states that there is no Mitzva as great as Pidyon Shvuyim. (משנה תורה, הלכות מתנות עניים
ח׳) He sets forth there that its greatness is based on the fact that the prisoner is in constant lack of ...
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Legalities of launching a preemptive strike on shabbat
Should the IDF be allowed to launch an offensive on Shabbat if it seems as if there will be no threat from any opposing forces until Shabbat is over?
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Why did Yonatan start up with the Plishtim?
In 1 Shmuel 13 Yonatan seemingly unprovoked, attacks the Plishtim triggering a war. The text does not indicate that Yonatan was told to do this by Shaul, Shmuel or Hashem. Further on in the chapter we ...
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Punishments for a soldier who kills another soldier in unintentional friendly fire
An IDF Soldier is returning to base, and a sniper on guard sees the IDF soldier. He sees the IDF soldier he thinks the person is Hamas. He then shoots the IDF Soldier in defense of the base.
Under ...
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The woman who killed King Avimelekh
The Book of Judges relates how Avimelekh, the son of Gideon rose to power and made himself a king by killing his seventy brothers. His eventual fate came, when he sieged Teiveitz and wanted to take a ...
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How did the Jews have weapons before they vanquished the Plishtim?
According to 1 Shmuel ch. 13 the Jews did not have weapons with which to fight the Plishtim yet in a previous battle in chapter 11 the Jewish army defeated the Ammonites, which would seemingly have ...
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Does every bullet have a name on it (during war)?
R Avraham ibn Ezra writes (Devarim 20:7) that folks (can) die in wars even if it isn't yet their time to go:
ולא לקחה – בנשואין. והנה זה הכתוב לאות
על כי יש מי שימות בבוא יומו, רק המת במלחמה מת בלא ...
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Burying/saving body parts of people who are still alive [duplicate]
Unfortunately, post 7 October 2023, I have seen the scenario a number of times. If a person has a part of their body removed (e.g., during a battle) does that body part need to be immediately buried? ...
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What is the definition of a city עיר regarding sieges?
Sifrei Devarim 203.
כי תצור אל עיר. במלחמת הרשות הכתוב מדבר.
(Devarim 20:19) "If you besiege a city many days": Scripture here speaks of an optional war.
I אל עיר. ולא לכרך.
"a city&...
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Does a Jewish army require permission from Gedolim to wage war
Basically, as the title says, in the modern era without Sanhedrin, does a Jewish army require permission from the rabbonim of the times to wage war?
If they do, would the current conflict in Israel be ...
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Is there any opinion suggesting Jews returning from warfare should cleanse themselves in the mikvah to purify from combat?
We are taught that because King David had spilled the blood of the Canaanites in his conquest of Haaretz Yisrael, he was forbidden from building the Beit Hamikdash. This responsibility fell unto ...
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Does Milchemet Mitzvah (obligatory war) require a King?
אֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ נִלְחָם תְּחִלָּה אֶלָּא מִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה.
וְאֵי זוֹ הִיא מִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה?
זוֹ מִלְחֶמֶת שִׁבְעָה עֲמָמִים. וּמִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק.
וְעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד צָר ...
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Is taking an Eshet Yefat To'ar allowed today?
The Torah provides that a Jewish soldier may, by following a specific process, take a woman captive as his wife and convert her to Judaism as an אשת יפת תואר (Devarim 21:10-14).
Is this provision ...
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War after the miracle of oil?
One popular explanation for the name Chanukah is that on 25th of Kislev (כ"ה) they had a respite of their enemies (חנו מאויביהם). (Actually I am not so sure about the first source of this either. ...
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Is the war to protect the State of Israel from attacks from terrrorists a Milchemes Mitzvah
The Rambam in Melachim 5:1 says that one of the cases of Milchemes Mitzvah is coming to the aid of Jews being attacked by an enemy.
Does that mean that the war in Gaza (declared on 07/10/2023) is a ...
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New responsa on releasing terrorists in exchange for hostages?
The State of Israel has over the years engaged in the exchange of terrorists and criminals in exchange for the release of hostages. This topic has prior been explored in posts such as Q 10731 and Q ...
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Milchemes mitzvah in Shoftim according to Rambam
According to the Rambam that you need a Melech for a milchemes mitzvah, how does the Rambam understand all the milchamos in the book of Shoftim?
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Confused about the layout of this
Joshua 6:12-13 Speaks about the Kohanim, armed men, and rear guard and how they were ordered when they walked with the Aron. Is there a representation of this actually looked, I'm not sure who was in ...
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Is an enemy counteroffensive in an optional war a milchemet mitzva?
After consulting the Urim vThumin, Shlomo decides to conquer Egypt. He captures the Nile Delta.
An Egyptian force from the south moves upward to liberate it. Since the Jews are now on the defensive, ...
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Vilna Gaon, Gog and Magog war and Hoshana Rabba
1) I read on Soul Mazal, the following:
"...The Vilna Gaon on the Mechilta (Shmos 14:20) says that the Gog U'Magog war shall begin three hours before "Hanetz Hachama" (crack of dawn) on Hoshana ...
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What should one do to help Israel during war?
Regarding this terrible attack and subsequent war on October 2023, how would our Sages say we can help Israel during a war like this? I’m not just looking for answers like “pray”, but rather maybe ...
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Is there a Jewish way of war?
Christian scholars have been writing about war for centuries. The "just war theory" is perhaps the greatest contribution that Christians have made to the moral study of war.
This got me ...
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Rabbi Grossman's tzedakkah segula for soldiers
In Israeli Dati social media circles there's been a little bit of a buzz recently1 over a segula apparently first introduced by Rabbi Grossman during the Second Lebanon War (see here from 0:52). The ...
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Prevention of Lashon Hara as a protection for military wars
In light of the current situation in Israel, one of the calls that has been made is specifically to try and cut down on Lashon Hara.
I have seen two similar sources concerning the generation of Achav:
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Would the dispensation of Yefat Toar apply to homosexual men?
My understanding is that one of the reasons for the permissibility of a man to sleep with a woman who is part of an enemy nation during war is because the Torah is "speaking against the man's ...
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Ethics of working in defense
The following is not halacha l'maaseh.
Say I am currently looking for a new role. In my search, I come across a fair number of (US-based) defense contractors that seem to have openings for what I am ...
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Meaning of a Talmud statement about acceptable casualties of war
The Talmud says:
Shmuel... said: A government that allows one-sixth to die [by going to war] is not punished. [Shevuot 35b]
I don't understand what this means. That a ruler is allowed to risk the ...
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What does Halacha say about human shields
What is the Torah approach to when terrorists are using civilians as human shields? Are you allowed to bomb the building?
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Why was Avshalom riding a donkey into battle?
In the battle between Avshalom's army and David's forces Avshalom is riding a donkey which runs away when Avshalom is caught by his hair in a tree.
וַיִּקָּרֵא אַבְשָׁלוֹם לִפְנֵי עַבְדֵי דָוִד ...
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Do non-Israelite soldiers in the army of an Israelite king observe Shabbat?
Does וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ apply to non-Israelite soldiers serving in the army of an Israelite king?
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Did any rabbis address the theological possibility/implications of nuclear extinction?
During the Cold War, plenty of people were aware (I think?) that detonating enough nuclear bombs could lead to human extinction. Did any rabbis address whether the belief that Moshiach will come mean ...
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Yefas Toar - rape allowed by the Torah before the marriage?
Ki Saitzai deals with the Eishes Yefas Toar “woman of beautiful form” taken in battle.
Ramban and Rabbeinu Tam say that the Torah permits the soldier to have relations with the maiden immediately. ...
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what is the difference between שלל, ביזה, and חרם?
We know that there are no true synonyms in the Torah. What does each of these connote? (to pass the test here - i googled and did not find anything)
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Did all the midyanim die? [duplicate]
In the war with Midyon, the Torah infers all of their men were killed, and girls not of mature age were spared
Now if they were all killed, how do they appear in Shoftim as being the oppressors of ...
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Are Jews allowed to destroy the fruit trees and give bad water to cattle if they're fighting a war outside/unrelated to the Holy Land & Mesopotamia?
Deuteronomy 20:19-20 (NIV) states the following:
When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can ...
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Is profiting off of a war allowed in Judaism? Like for example, is it allowed in Judaism to sell equipment to both sides?
Historically, Jews often lived in regions where it wasn't uncommon for a war to occur. I imagine some shrewd businessmen took advantage of this to profit by doing things like selling equipment or ...
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Malbim on the irrationality/illegitimacy of Amalek
Malbim on Shmuel 1:15:2 writes about the irrationality, or perhaps the illegitimacy of Amalek's war with Bnei Yisrael:
"כה אמר ה' צבאות, הנה התורה בארה בטעם מצות מיחוי זכר עמלק כמה טעמים כמ&...
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Why didn't Moses fight Amalek himself?
"וַיָּבֹא עֲמָלֵק וַיִּלָּחֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְפִידִם׃, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר־לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה וּמַטֵּה ...
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What’s the Jewish equivalent to The Art of War?
I know from Parashas Vayishlach, there is a reference to how a Jew should prepare for war. Yaakov prays and sends Esau a large gift to appease him.
Where can I find more sources on how a Jew fights a ...
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What changed in the later First Temple period that increased interaction with further kingdoms?
If you read the Book of Kings, the nations with which Israel (or later, Judah and Israel) was always either warring or allying themselves are basically its neighbors: Egypt, Lebanon ("Tyre"),...
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Can a yefas toar be Jewish?
I realize that when the torah discusses אשת יפת תואר it specifies
כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה, עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ (Devarim 21:10).
When you go out (of the land of Israel) to wage war on your enemies (...
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