19
The historian Ismar Elbogen in his "Century of Jewish Life", which he wrote before he passed away in 1943 and was published posthumously, places the beginning of the war on Tisha B'Av of 1914.
But I think that Jewish people thought of the war as having begun on Tisha B'Av even from the start of the war itself. We can see this from their memoirs. Let me cite ...
17
In his commentary to Rambam's codification of this law (Hilchot Melachim 7:5), R. David Ibn Zimra asks: “Is it the way of women to wage war?” And he cites the verse (Psalms 45:14) "All glorious is the king's daughter within the palace" in support of this. He then suggests that the women were (not actively fighting, but) supplying food and water to ...
15
The English term for this tool is an entrenching tool. Here it is described as standard issue gear for a paratrooper in the IDF.
As far as I know, it is pretty standard, when required, for soldiers in most any modern army.
I suppose we could speculate if the Torah requires a soldier to carry one even if it isn't technically needed (just in case ...) or if ...
14
There is indeed a Jewish way of war. See Rambam's Mishne Torah Melachim uMilchamot chapter 6 and to some extent 7 and 8.
Some of the key principles are
propose a peaceful settlement first (except for Amnon and Moav, but we can accept peace if they start it)
it is forbidden to lie after they accepted peace
don't kill women and children (except for Amalek and ...
12
The Chidushei HaGriz (§ 161) comments that the narrative between Shmuel and Shaul is a basis for the Rambam's opinion in 6:4. In verse 18, Sh'mu'el says that Sha'ul was told to destroy אֶת-הַחַטָּאִים אֶת-עֲמָלֵק:
And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said: Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed....
11
Yachin there:
אשה לאו בת מלחמה. רק לספק מזון ולתקן הדרכים אף היא יוצאת.
A woman is not able to combat, she did only provide food and repair roads.
9
The impetus for the drasha in the medrash is specifically because the first nation the spies mentioned was amalek, and as the ikar sifsei chachamim explains why not mention the amori and chiti who live in the mountains first, must be they were trying to scare klal yisrael with the bad memory as the medrash continues with the mashal of the child who got hit ...
9
I wrote an essay a couple of years ago that dealt, in part, with these questions.
The answer to your first question is: Yes and no. David's military uniform depended on which weapon he was using in battle. David's favored weapon at this stage of his life was the sling (קלע, kelah in Hebrew). Not the rickety little slingshot that some prankster kids may play ...
8
Milchemet Reshut, an optional and/or permitted war, is the term describing offensive wars. It stands in contrast to Milchemet Mitzvah, war by commandment, which describes defense war. The two terms are used to discuss past wars, since they are relevant only when the state have both a king and Sanhedrin in place. A king can go to a Milchemet Mitzvah based on ...
8
אם בא להרגך - השכם להרגו - literally: If someone is coming to kill you, rise early and kill him (במדבר רבה פרשה כא פסקה ד; מדרש תנחומא, פנחס, פרק ג. - Medrash)
Also, scripture is replete with references to commands from G-d to go to war, e.g. the source text for the above ruling (Numbers 25):
טז וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. 16 And the L-RD ...
8
This question is far too broad to answer here but the essence of what they follow is based upon the teachings of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum.
There are two primary sources that lay out their approach. The first is קונטרס על הגאולה ועל התמורה which is, as best I can tell, not available on the internet.
The second is ויואל משה which can be found here. It is ...
8
Besides for the fact that G-D could have helped the Jewish people conquer Israel using 'natural' methods in a quicker manner without giving them futuristic technology, the premise of the question that G-D wanted Israel to have a 'fast and effortless' conquest is also mistaken.
Devarim 7:22 explicitly writes that G-D wanted the conquest to be slow and gradual:...
7
Off the top of my head, I can think of two Talmudic passages you might apply here.
Sanhedrin 16a -- a state of war, to a degree:
נכנסו חכמי ישראל אצלו אמרו לו אדונינו המלך עמך ישראל צריכין לפרנסה אמר להן לכו והתפרנסו זה מזה אמרו לו אין הקומץ משביע את הארי ואין הבור מתמלא מחולייתו אמר להם לכו פשטו ידיכם בגדוד מיד יועצין באחיתופל ונמלכין בסנהדרין ושואלין ...
7
Last night, i asked this question of someone who served in the war. He said that when they were in the field, there was no time for davening, and he didn't say that they said the extremely short version, so i assume they didn't. On the base for a break, they were able to daven, but not everyone was able to put on tefillin. He didn't say exactly why not; ...
7
As it turns out, I think my father-in-law found the answer in שולחן ערוך אֹרח חיים, תקע״א (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Taf Kuf Ayin Aleph)
עִיר שֶׁהִקִּיפוּהָ עַכּוּ''ם, וְכֵן יָחִיד הַנִּרְדָּף מִפְּנֵי עַכּוּ''ם אוֹ מִפְּנֵי רוּחַ רָעָה, אֵינָם רַשָּׁאִים לְהִתְעַנּוֹת, שֶׁלֹּא לְשַׁבֵּר כֹּחָם; אֶלָּא יְקַבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם לְהִתְעַנּוֹת כָּךְ וְכָךְ ...
7
God didn't give the Jews a super weapon because he was the super weapon.
The covenant with the Jews is that if the Jews keep the Torah, God will protect them. If God gives them all machine guns with unlimited ammo, they don't need God to protect them because they could just massacre all of the Canaanites, Philistines, Arameans, Assyrians, Babylonians, and ...
6
The people wanted a king so that they could more closely resemble the other nations (Sh'muel I, 8:5,20; Radak ad loc.). This motivation made their desire for a king contemptible (Sanhedrin 20b; Sh'muel I, 8:7-8; cf. D'varim 17:14-15), despite the fact that, according to some opinions, there is a biblical obligation to appoint a king (see the dispute in ...
6
Jews are obligated to attempt to make peace with any peoples they come against.
We must offer the nation the option of accepting the Seven Noahide laws and being subject to a tax and subservience to us. Violent action is only taken if this treaty is not accepted. In most cases, all adult males are killed, while women and children are spared. Exceptions to ...
6
"Shifting one's personal clock" and the like -- the example you gave was someone who finds himself in the wilderness and has no sense of what day it is -- the Talmud says he should start some sort of calendar and work with it. That's not applicable to the situation at hand, in which everyone agrees that it's now Friday January 31st 2014 and that sunset is at ...
6
One keeps the sabbath — abstains from certain activities and tries to engage in holy pursuits — from sundown Friday to nighttime Saturday, irrespective of his ability to perform the sabbath ceremonies. Such abstentions and pursuits may be subject to your commanding officers' restrictions on you; consult a rabbi for specific questions as they ...
6
This is a reference to the Siege of Pressburg, also known as the Siege of Bratislava, in 1809, which was a little over a month-long Napoleonic campaign that ultimately failed (on Napoleon's part). I haven't been able to find much general information (external to the Chatam Sofer's writings) online on the subject, other than it took place sometime during the ...
6
While I am not aware that there is any authoritative list, It seems that among several that are coomonly said is Tehillim 121.
I believe this was chosen as a general Tehillim to be said for people who are ill as well as people in danger, such as soldiers. The reason is because it starts with the phrase
"I lift my eyes to the mountains, from where will my ...
6
According to the Seder Olam Rabbah (Chapter 5) - it was during the week which started on the 23rd of Iyyar. There are other Rabbinic sources which indicate that the battle was on a Friday. Since the Torah describes a battle of two days (Exodus 17:9) - that would make it Thursday and Friday 27th and 28th of Iyyar. 3.
סדר עולם רבה (ליינר) פרק ה
שנאמר ויסעו ...
6
(The Talmud is aware of the Hasmonean civil war, by the way; it's mentioned in passing in Bava Kama 82b: כשצרו בית חשמונאי זה על זה היה הורקנוס מבפנים ואריסטובלוס מבחוץ)
As for Pompey, it's in Sforno's commentary to Deuteronomy 28:14:
Deuteronomy Chapter 28 contains a very lengthy, depressing list of horrible things that will happen to the Jewish people ...
6
Judaism was able to survive the destruction of the Second Temple because Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai set up an academy in Yavne where Torah could be taught and a generation of sages figured out how to convert Biblical, sacrifice-oriented Judaism into Rabbinic Judaism, centered on prayer, study, and righteous deeds.
From Avot d' Rabbi Natan 4:5
Once, Rabban ...
6
The Talmud (Gittin 56a) relates the following about the Zealot-Pharisee relationship:
The biryoni [presumed to be Zealots] were then in the city. The Rabbis said to them: Let us go out and make peace with them [the Romans]. They would not let them, but on the contrary said, Let us go out and fight them. The Rabbis said: You will not succeed. They then ...
6
There are Orthodox Rabbis in London who wear poppies and go along to Remembrance Ceremonies and even recite prayers in them.
The poppy is not a form of idolatry but is instead a symbol of "respect" to the soldiers who gave up their lives to protect us.
In the United Kingdom, this is particularly relevant, as we are remembering soldiers who fought in World ...
6
I think the sources you are referring to are:
Yerushalmi Pe'ah, 1, 1
Bemidbar Rabbah 19, 1
Midrash Tanchuma Bemidbar, 19, 4
Devarim Rabbah 5, 10
Here's an example from the Yerushalmi (they're all similar, but the Devarim Rabbah source says "Saul's generation", not David's):
אמר רבי אבא בר כהנא דורו של דוד כולם צדיקים היו וע"י שהיה להן דילטורים היו ...
6
This saying is quoted in the name of the Chafetz Chaim on multiple websites:
Here's a video in which Rabbi Ovadyah Yosef zt"l says it in his name (from 19:14). And the story is likewise told in this book about Rav Ovadyah's sayings and in this article by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. His version is thus:
"פעם נכנס החפץ חיים לישיבת ראדין, כולם תלמידי חכמים, ...
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