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Devarim -
Sixth Aliyah |
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Moses continues his account of dealings with the tribes surrounding the promised land and recalls two successful conquests. Sichon, king of the Emori tribe, refuses the children of Israel passage through his territory and marches out, with all his people, to fight. He is defeated and his cities are occupied (Numbers 21:21-32). Then, without even waiting for a request for passage, Og, king of Bashan, leads his army against the children of Israel. They too suffer defeat and occupation (Numbers 21:33-35).
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| Thoughts to Consider and Discuss |
1. Why do you think Sichon and Og waged these wars?
2. “And we destroyed...the women and children” (2:34 and 3:6). Why were they killed? Does the Torah not believe in innocent bystanders?
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“Although Judaism sets the highest store on peace, is does not adopt the completely pacifist stand according to which warfare can never be justified, no matter what the circumstances...The general principle laid down in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 72a) is : ‘If someone intends to kill you, get in first and kill him’ (i.e., to kill another in self-defense does not constitute an act of murder)...With hardly any exceptions, Jewish teachers have held that the wars engaged in by [the modern state of ] Israel when attacked or threatened by attack by the Arab nations were completely justified as wars of self-defense. On the war in Lebanon alone opinion is divided.”
Louis Jacobs, “Warfare” in The Jewish Religion: A Companion, p. 583.
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 | | Points to Ponder | |
What criteria are necessary in your mind for a just war?
Has warfare substantially changed since biblical times?
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