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*Feldman, Louis H., ''"Remember Amalek!": vengeance, zealotry, and group destruction in the Bible according to Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus'', Hebrew Union College Press, 2004
*Feldman, Louis H., ''"Remember Amalek!": vengeance, zealotry, and group destruction in the Bible according to Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus'', Hebrew Union College Press, 2004
*Harkabi, Yehoshafat, ''Arab attitudes to Israel'', John Wiley and Sons, 1974
*Harkabi, Yehoshafat, ''Arab attitudes to Israel'', John Wiley and Sons, 1974
⚫
*Heft, James (Ed.), ''Beyond violence: religious sources of social transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam'' , Fordham Univ Press, 2004
*Hirst, David, ''The gun and the olive branch: the roots of violence in the Middle East'', Nation Books, 2003
*Hirst, David, ''The gun and the olive branch: the roots of violence in the Middle East'', Nation Books, 2003
⚫
* Juergensmeyer, Mark, ''Terror in the mind of God: the global rise of religious violence'', University of California Press, 2003
*Horowitz, Elliott S., ''Reckless rites: Purim and the legacy of Jewish violence'', Princeton University Press, 2006
*Horowitz, Elliott S., ''Reckless rites: Purim and the legacy of Jewish violence'', Princeton University Press, 2006
⚫
* Juergensmeyer, Mark, ''Terror in the mind of God: the global rise of religious violence'', University of California Press, 2003
⚫
*Heft, James (Ed.), ''Beyond violence: religious sources of social transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam'' , Fordham Univ Press, 2004
*Lustick, Ian, ''For the land and the Lord: Jewish fundamentalism in Israel'', Council on Foreign Relations, 1988
*Lustick, Ian, ''For the land and the Lord: Jewish fundamentalism in Israel'', Council on Foreign Relations, 1988
*Masalha, Nur, ''The Bible and Zionism'', Zed Books, 2007
*Masalha, Nur, ''The Bible and Zionism'', Zed Books, 2007

Revision as of 23:14, 7 September 2010

The love of peace and the pursuit of peace, as well as laws requiring the eradication of evil, sometimes using violent means, co-exist in the Jewish tradition.[1][2] This article deals with the juxtaposition of Judaic law and theology to violence and non-violence by groups and individuals. Attitudes and laws towards both peace and violence exist within the Jewish tradition.[1] Throughout history, Judaism's religious texts or precepts have been used to promote[3][4][5] as well as oppose violence[6].

Biblical religious wars

Types of Wars

Regarding war, the commandment of Milkhemet Mitzvah (Hebrew: מלחמת מצווה, "War by commandment") refers to a war during the times of the Bible when a king would go to war in order to fulfill something based on, and required by, the Torah.[7]

What is a milchemet mitzvah? It is a war to assist Israel against an enemy that has attacked them.
-Maimonedies, Laws of Kings 5:1

Wars of this type do not need the approval of the Sanhedrin.[citation needed] This is in contrast to a Milkhemet Reshut (a discretionary war), which according to Jewish law require the permission of a Sanhedrin.[citation needed] These wars (discretionary wars) tend to be for economic reasons and had exemption clauses (Deuteronomy 20:5) while, milhemet mitzvah tended to be invoked in defensive wars, when vital interests were at risk and had no such exemption clauses.[8]

The permissibility of war is limited and the requirement is that one always seek a just peace before waging war.[9][1] Modern Jewish scholars hold that the calls to war these texts provide no longer apply, and that Jewish theology instructs Jews to leave vengeance to God.[10] [11]

Religious Wars in the Bible

The Hebrew Bible contains instances of religiously mandated wars.[12] Examples include the story of Amalekites (Deut 25:17–19, 1 Sam 15:1–6), and the commandment to exterminate them[13], the story of the Midianites (Numbers 31:1–18),[14] and the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1–27).[15] However, modern religious authorities repudiate the sort of warfare described in the Torah, or assert that the violent episodes were not historical events, or claim that the events were exaggerated or metaphorical. Maimonides explains that the commandment of killing out the nation of Amalek requires the Jewish people to peacefully request of them to accept upon themselves the Noachide laws and pay a tax to the Jewish kingdom. Only if they refuse is the commandment applicable. Some commentators, such as Rabbi Hayim Palaggi (1788–1896) argued that Jews had lost the tradition of distinguishing Amalekites from other people, and therefore the commandment of killing them could not practically be applied [16]

Roman-Jewish wars

See Jewish revolt against Gallus.

Modern violence

Radical Zionists

The motives for violence by extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank directed at Palestinians are complex and varied. Religious motivations have also been documented.[17][18][19] Some Jewish religious figures living in the occupied territories have condemned such behaviour.[20] After Baruch Goldstien carried out the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in 1994, some claimed[who?] that his actions were influenced by Jewish religious doctrine, based on the ideology of the Kach movement.[21] The act was denounced by mainstream Orthodox Judaism.[22]

Some claim[who?] the use of religious references by Zionist leaders provided them with justification for the violent treatment of Arabs in Palestine. Pre-state Jewish militia used verses from the Bible to justify their violent acts, which included expulsions and massacres such as the one at Deir Yassin.[23] Jewish religious leaders at the time condemned such acts.[24]

Critics[who?] claim that Gush Emunim and followers of Rabbi Kook advocate violence based on Judaism's religious precepts.[25]

Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by Yigal Amir was motivated by Amir’s personal political views and his understanding of Judaism's religious law of "moiser" (the duty to eliminate a Jew who intends to turn another Jew in to non-Jewish authorities) and "rodef" (a bystander can kill a one who is "pursuing" another to murder him or her if he cannot otherwise be stopped).[26] Amir’s interpretation has been described as "a gross distortion of Jewish law and tradition."[27]

The mainstream Jewish view is that Rabin's assassin had no Halachic basis to shoot Prime Minister Rabin.[28]

Extremist organizations

See also: Jewish religious terrorism

Some organizations that endorse or advocate violence based on religious principles include:

Rejection of Violence and Pursuit of Peace

The Jews are the mildest of men, passionately hostile to violence. That obstinate sweetness which they conserve in the midst of the most atrocious persecution, that sense of justice and of reason which they put up as their sole defense against a hostile, brutal, and unjust society, is perhaps the best part of the message they bring to us and the true mark of their greatness.

— Jean-Paul Sartre [40]

Judaism's religious texts overwhelmingly endorse compassion and peace, and the Hebrew Bible contains the well-known commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself".[2] In fact, the love of peace and the pursuit of peace is one of the key principles in Jewish law. Jewish tradition permits waging war and killing in certain cases, however, the requirement is that one always seek a just peace before waging war.[1]

According to the 1947 Columbus Platform of Reform Judaism, "Judaism, from the days of the prophets, has proclaimed to mankind the ideal of universal peace, striving for spiritual and physical disarmament of all nations. Judaism rejects violence and relies upon moral education, love and sympathy."[6]

Judaism and religious Jews oppose violence

Jewish law (past and present) does not permit any use of violence unless it is in self defense[28]. Any person that even raises his hand in order to hit a nother person is called "evil."[41].

Guidelines from the Torah to the 'Jewish Way to Fight a War': When the time for war has arrived, Jewish soldiers are expected to abide by specific laws and values when fighting. Jewish war ethics attempts to balance the value of maintaining human life with the necessity of fighting a war. Judaism is somewhat unique in that it demands adherence to Jewish values even while fighting a war. The Torah provides the following rules for how to fight a war. Pursue Peace Before Waging War. Preserve the Ecological Needs of the Environment. Maintain Sensitivity to Human Life. The Goal is Peace[42]

The ancient orders (like those) of wars for Israel to eradicate idol worshiping does not apply today. Jews are not taught to glorify violence. The rabbis of the Talmud saw war as an avoidable evil. They taught, 'Thew sword comes to the world because of delay of justice and through perversion of justice.'Jews have always hated war and Shalom expresses the hope for peace, in Judaism war is evil, but at times a necessary one, yet, Judaism teaches that one has to go to great length to avoid it.[43]

In the Torah

When Moses saw a Jew striking another in Egypt, he says “Rasha [evil one], why do you hit your fellow!”[44]. The midrash comments, “Rabbi Yitzhak said: from this you learn that whoever hits his fellow, is called a rasha ” [45]. Maimonides ruled that whoever strikes his fellow transgresses a negative commandment.[46]

Talmudic teachings

Shalom (peace), is one of the underlying principles of the Torah. "Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are shalom (peace)"[47]." The Talmud explains, "The entire Torah is for the sake of the ways of shalom"[48]. Maimonides comments in his Mishneh Torah: "Great is peace, as the whole Torah was given in order to promote peace in the world, as it is stated, 'Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace. '" [49]

According to Talmudic teaching, the very fact of taking someone's life, even when justly doing so, it effects, nevertheless the person, as the Talmud regards even a justly court that did order (in ancient times) the death penalty justifiably, that particluar court at that time was labeled "killer court" in shame.[50] and even King David, regarded of the most piuos righteous persons, (and his wars were within God's permission or/and orders) was denied building the Temple, the Talmud explaines that when king David asked "Why can I not build the Bais Hamikdash?" God's answer was: "Your hands have spilt blood (in all your many wars)."[51]

Violent tactics forbidden by Halakhah

Jewish law prohibits the use of outright vandalism in warfare.[52]

Jewish Halakhah forbids destruction of fruit trees as a tactic of war. It is also forbidden to break vessels, tear clothing, wreck that which is built up, stop fountains, or waste food in a destructive manner. Killing an animal needlessly or offering poisoned water to livestock are also forbidden.[52]

Those few cases in the Bible in which this norm was violated are special cases. One example was when King Hezekiah stopped all the fountains in Jerusalem in the war against Sennacherib, which Jewish scholars regards as a violation of the biblical commandment.[52]

See also

References

  • Chomsky, Noam, World orders, old and new, Columbia University Press, 1996
  • Esber, Rosemarie M., Under the Cover of War: The Zionist Expulsion of the Palestinians, Arabicus Books & Media, LLC, 2009
  • Feldman, Louis H., "Remember Amalek!": vengeance, zealotry, and group destruction in the Bible according to Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus, Hebrew Union College Press, 2004
  • Harkabi, Yehoshafat, Arab attitudes to Israel, John Wiley and Sons, 1974
  • Heft, James (Ed.), Beyond violence: religious sources of social transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam , Fordham Univ Press, 2004
  • Hirst, David, The gun and the olive branch: the roots of violence in the Middle East, Nation Books, 2003
  • Horowitz, Elliott S., Reckless rites: Purim and the legacy of Jewish violence, Princeton University Press, 2006
  • Juergensmeyer, Mark, Terror in the mind of God: the global rise of religious violence, University of California Press, 2003
  • Lustick, Ian, For the land and the Lord: Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, Council on Foreign Relations, 1988
  • Masalha, Nur, The Bible and Zionism, Zed Books, 2007
  • Morris, Benny, The birth of the Palestinian refugee problem revisited, Cambridge University Press, 2004
  • Pappe, Ilan, The ethnic cleansing of Palestine, Oneworld, 2007
  • Quiglye, John B., Palestine and Israel: a challenge to justice, Duke University Press, 1990
  • Saleh Abdel Jawad (2007) "Zionist Massacres: the Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem in the 1948 War" in Israel and the Palestinian refugees, Eyal Benvenistî, Chaim Gans, Sari Hanafi (Eds.), Springer, 2007
  • Selengut, Charles, Sacred fury: understanding religious violence, Rowman & Littlefield, 2008
  • Shahak, Israel, Jewish fundamentalism in Israel, Pluto Press, 1999

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c d Fighting the War and the Peace: Battlefield Ethics, Peace Talks, Treaties, and Pacifism in the Jewish Tradition. Michael J. Broyde, 1998, p. 1
  2. ^ a b *Reuven Firestone (2004), "Judaism on Violence and Reconciliation: An examination of key sources" in Beyond violence: religious sources of social transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Fordham Univ Press, 2004, pp 77, 81.
    • Goldsmith (Ed.), Emanuel S. (1991). Dynamic Judaism: the essential writings of Mordecai M. Kaplan. Fordham Univ Press. p. 181. ISBN 0823213102.
    • Spero, Shubert (1983). Morality, halakha, and the Jewish tradition. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. pp. 137–318. ISBN 0870687271.
  3. ^ Carl. S. Ehrlich (1999) "Joshua, Judaism, and Genocide", in Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Judit Targarona Borrás, Ángel Sáenz-Badillos (Eds). 1999, Brill.
  4. ^ Horowitz, Elliott S. (2006). Reckless rites: Purim and the legacy of Jewish violence. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691124914.
  5. ^ Stern, Jessica (2004). Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, Jessica Stern. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060505338.
  6. ^ a b The Columbus Platform: The Guiding Principles of Reform Judaism, 1937
  7. ^ Maimonedies, Laws of Kings 5:1
  8. ^ Mishnah, Tractate Sotah 8:7
  9. ^ Deut 20:10
  10. ^ Weiss, Steven I. (2010-02-26). "The Ghosts of Purim Past: The holiday's violent beginnings—and what they mean for the Jewish future".
  11. ^ "Violence and Vengeance: Purim and Good Friday". Dialogika. Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations. 1998-03-28.
  12. ^
    • Salaita, Steven George (2006). The Holy Land in transit: colonialism and the quest for Canaan. Syracuse University Press. p. 54. ISBN 081563109X.
    • Lustick, Ian (1988). For the land and the Lord: Jewish fundamentalism in Israel. Council on Foreign Relations. pp. 131–132. ISBN 0876090366.
    • Armstrong, Karen (2007). The Bible: a biography. Atlantic Monthly Press. pp. 211–216. ISBN 0871139693.
  13. ^
    • A. G. Hunter "Denominating Amalek: Racist stereotyping in the Bible and the Justification of Discrimination", in Sanctified aggression: legacies of biblical and post biblical vocabularies of violence, Jonneke Bekkenkamp, Yvonne Sherwood (Eds.). 2003, Continuum Internatio Publishing Group, pp 92-108
    • Feldman, Louis H., "Remember Amalek!": vengeance, zealotry, and group destruction in the Bible according to Philo, Pseudo-Philo, and Josephus, Hebrew Union College Press, 2004
  14. ^ Dawkins, Richard (2006). The God delusion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 245. ISBN 0618680004.
  15. ^
    • Carl. S. Ehrlich (1999) "Joshua, Judaism, and Genocide", in Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Judit Targarona Borrás, Ángel Sáenz-Badillos (Eds). 1999, Brill. p 117-124.
    • Dawkins, Richard, The God Delusion', pp 289 - 296
    • Hitchens, Christopher, God is Not Great page 117
    • Selengut, Charles, Sacred fury: understanding religious violence, p 20
    • Cowles, C. S., Show them no mercy: 4 views on God and Canaanite genocide, page 79
  16. ^ Eynei Kol Ḥai, 73, on Sanhedrin 96b
  17. ^ Weisburd, Jewish Settler Violence, Penn State Press, 1985, pp 20-52
  18. ^ Lustick, Ian, "Israel's Dangerous Fundamentalists", Foreign Policy, 68 (Fall 1987), pp 118-139
  19. ^ Tessler, Mark, "Religion and Politics in the Jewish State of Israel", in ‪Religious resurgence and politics in the contemporary world‬, (Emile Sahliyeh, Ed). SUNY Press, 1990 pp 263-296.
  20. ^ [1]
  21. ^
  22. ^ The ethics of war in Asian civilizations: a comparative perspective By Torkel Brekke, Routledge, 2006, p.44
  23. ^
    • Saleh Abdel Jawad (2007) "Zionist Massacres: the Creation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem in the 1948 War" in Israel and the Palestinian refugees, Eyal Benvenistî, Chaim Gans, Sari Hanafi (Eds.), Springer, p. 78:
    ".. the Zionist movement, which claims to be secular, found it necessary to embrace the idea of 'the promised land' of Old Testament prophecy, to justify the confiscation of land and the expulsion of the Palestinians. For example, the speeches and letter of Chaim Weizman, the secular Zionist leader, are filled with references to the biblical origins of the Jewish claim to Palestine, which he often mixes liberally with more pragmatic and nationalistic claims. By the use of this premise, embraced in 1937, Zionists alleged that the Palestinians were usurpers in the Promised Land, and therefore their expulsion and death was justified. The Jewish-American writer Dan Kurzman, in his book Genesis 1948 … describes the view of one of the Deir Yassin's killers: 'The Sternists followed the instructions of the Bible more rigidly than others. They honored the passage (Exodus 22:2): 'If a thief be found …' This meant, of course, that killing a thief was not really muder. And were not the enemies of Zionism thieves, who wanted to steal from the Jews what God had granted them?'
    • Carl. S. Ehrlich (1999) "Joshua, Judaism, and Genocide", in Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Judit Targarona Borrás, Ángel Sáenz-Badillos (Eds). 1999, Brill. p 117-124.
  24. ^ Morris 2008, pp. 126–128.
  25. ^
    • Weisburd, David (1985). Jewish Settler Violence. Penn State Press. p. 65. ISBN 0271026731.
    • Bruce, Steve (2008). Fundamentalism. Polity. p. 4. ISBN 0745640753.
    • Ehud Sprinzak, "From Messianic Pioneering to Vigilante Terrorism: The Case of the Gush Emunim Underground", in Inside terrorist organizations David C. Rappoport (Ed.), Routledge, 2001. p. 194-214.
  26. ^ Stern, Jessica (2004). Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, Jessica Stern. HarperCollins. p. 91. ISBN 0060505338,. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  27. ^ Rabbinic response: Jewish Law on the Killing of Yitzhak Rabin, By Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center, 11/14/2005: "First of all, the law of the pursuer only applies to a spontaneous act, whereas Yigal Amir planned this assassination for two years. Secondly, the law of the pursuer is only intended to save a potential victim from imminent death. There is absolutely no proof that withdrawing from certain territories will directly lead to the death of any Jews. On the contrary, Prime Minister Rabin, over half the members of the Knesset, and over half the population of Israel believe exactly the opposite - that it will save Jewish lives. Lastly, this law does not refer to elected representatives, for if Yitzhak Rabin was really a pursuer, then so are all his followers and that would mean that Amir should have killed over half the population of Israel! In other words, even according to the law of the pursuer, this act was totally futile and senseless since the peace process will continue."
  28. ^ a b http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/14-10%20The%20Halacha%20of%20Rodef%20and%20the%20Rabin%20Shooting.htm
  29. ^ U.S. Dept. of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2004. April 2005
  30. ^ U.S. Appeals Court Affirms Designation of Kahane Chai, Kach as Terrorist Groups Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
  31. ^ Kach, Kahane Chai (Israel, extremists) Council for Foreign Relations, 20 March 2008
  32. ^ Lustick For The Land and The Lord: The Evolution of Gush Emunim, by Ian S. Lustick
  33. ^ a b Anti-Defamation League on JDL
  34. ^ Bohn, Michael K. (2004). The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Lessons in the Politics and Prejudice of Terrorism. Brassey's Inc. p. 67. ISBN 1574887793.
  35. ^ Federal Bureau of Investigation - Congressional Testimony
  36. ^ JDL group profile from National Consortium for the Study of Terror and Responses to Terrorism
  37. ^ Kahane Chai (KACH) Public Safety Canada
  38. ^ Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) U.S. Department of State, 11 October 2005
  39. ^ Council Decision of 21 December 2005 implementing Article 2(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism and repealing Decision 2005/848/EC Official Journal of the European Union, 23 December 2005
  40. ^ Jean-Paul Sartre, 1946, Reflexions sur la question juive
  41. ^ http://www.ask.com/questions-about/Rasha
  42. ^ http://judaism.about.com/library/3_intro/level2/bl_war.htm
  43. ^ Judaism by Arye Forta, Heinemann, 1995, ISBN 9780435303211 , p. 122 [2]
  44. ^ Exodus 1:13
  45. ^ Ginzey Schechter , Vol. I, p. 114, as cited by Rabbi Professor David Golinkin, "The Jewish Attitude Towards Non-Violent Protest and Civil Disobedience"
  46. ^ Maimonides, Hovel Umazik 5:1, as cited by Rabbi Professor David Golinkin, "The Jewish Attitude Towards Non-Violent Protest and Civil Disobedience"
  47. ^ Proverbs 3:17
  48. ^ Talmud, Gittin 59b
  49. ^ Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Chanukah 4:14
  50. ^ El Talmud by Iser Guinzburg, Editorial MAXTOR, 2009, ISBN 8497615794, 9788497615792, p. 54
  51. ^ http://www.torah.org/learning/basics/primer/temple/history_sub.html
  52. ^ a b c [3]
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