Military Self-Defense is a Torah Halacha

@YYA – there is nowhere in the the Shulchan Aruch that it says or implies that the groups need to be ad-hoc – in fact, if the foal is to deter attack, it would seem that a TRAINED force is what is required. The fact that the Halacha in question is in Hilchos Shabbos is irrelevant to the main point – it is there to make it clear that EVEN on Shabbos, this should be done, not that ONLY on Shabbos this should be done.

The Rambam (quoted above by RightJew) makes it clear that going out on Shabbos is an obligation for EVERYONE – וּמִצְוָה עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לָבוֹא וְלָצֵאת וְלַעֲזֹר לְאַחֵיהֶם שֶׁבַּמָּצוֹר וּלְהַצִּילָם מִיַּד הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת. The language used – ומצוה – and the statement that ALL who can should participate clearly implies that this has the Halacha of a Milchemes Mitzva; and in a case where it’s clear that such a situation is likely to occurred, making oneself ready to participate in the best way possible would seem to at least be a Hechsher Mitzva.

Your crack about “political considerations” is also misguided. In most cases, it is world pressure that causes Israel to hold back from using full force. Unfortunately, paying at least some attention to this is necessary in today’s world, where Israel is dependent on the world for weaponry and raw materials for the weapons it manufactures itself. I agree that this is not optimal – but it’s necessary.

As to your comment on the Gedolim not needing to explain themselves – actually, I strongly disagree with you, and your comment is not in line with the traditional Litvish approach. It is true that Chasidim held that you follow the Rebbeh without question – but Litvish Rabbonim were expected to back up their Piskei Halacha with sources and reasoning – blind faith, per the Litvish Derech, is limited to HKB”H. “[P]rivately explain[ing] things off the record” does not take the place of providing a public explanation that can be reviewed by others – and when “facts” that are visibly inaccurate are repeatedly cited as the reason for their positions, it makes it seem that the true reasons are not necessarily Halacha-based. Peak is supposed to be based on applying the Halacha to a given set of facts – but when the facts are not as purported, the Psak will not be correct.

an Israeli Yid

AnIsraeliYid – “Your crack about “political considerations” is also misguided. In most cases, it is world pressure that causes Israel to hold back from using full force. Unfortunately, paying at least some attention to this is necessary in today’s world, where Israel is dependent on the world for weaponry and raw materials for the weapons it manufactures itself. I agree that this is not optimal – but it’s necessary.”

Where do you see that in הלכות שבת? You hold BOTH אתחלתא דגאולה AND that it is OK to sacrifice hundreds of Jewish lives to pander to world opinion?! If this is Geulah and הלכות מלכים, then עד רדתה and don’t look back. If this is Galus and ad hoc as in הלכות שבת, THEN the rules of the game are completely different. In either scenario there is no היתר to sacrifice Jewish lives בוודאי because of a ספק that maybe the Goyim will then be happy. So your post and Israeli policy both make no sense either way.

The Gedolim usually DO explain themselves, but not on line or out loud. Whoever seriously wants to find out can easily do so if you know where and who to ask.

@YYA – where did I say that the need to defend Jewish lives has to do with whether or not the State of Israel is “Aschalta d’Geula”? I deliberately din NOT say that, as that is not relevant to the question at hand.

The issue being addressed is quite simply that Jewish lives are in danger and need to be defended – period. That is why it is necessary to have a trained army, and to operate al pi derech hateva – which includes taking likely future developments into account. Do I wish it were not necessary to take world reaction into account? Especially as the parent of several combat soldiers who quite literally putting their lives on the line in this war, absolutely. However, when operating on a national scale, the immediate benefit has to be weighed against the longer-term cost – and that is what is being done here. Without the ability to acquire weapons and raw materials, the Jews in Israel would C”V have a short and bleak future – and that is why attention needs to be paid to world reaction.

an Israeli Yid

RightJew – I wonder how many of the “reviewers” on Amazon even read the book. It includes hundreds or pages of the Zionists’ own words, with all sources attributed. You can easily purchase most of the books quoted, and the others can be found in libraries, and check out the sources inside if you don’t believe the author. Are you afraid to do so?

RightJew – ‘Eretz Yisroel’ and ‘Israel’ are two different things geographically Halachically and ideologically. I live in Eretz Yisroel, do you? I am not NK or even Satmar or anything close, as you can easily see from my other comments. That isn’t a סתירה to calling a spade a spade when necessary.