Religious Zionism, Jewish Law, and the Morality of War

How Five Rabbis Confronted One of Modern Judaism's Greatest Challenges

Ever since the state of Israel was established in 1948, it has been plagued by war, and that has presented religious Zionists with an immense challenge. Jewish law prior to 1948 includes little material on war because it developed during centuries when Jews had neither a state nor an army. The leading rabbis of the religious Zionist community have therefore had to create an entire body of laws on this subject where practically none had existed beforehand.

These rabbis have responded to the challenge with remarkable energy and ingenuity. Religious Zionist rabbis have produced a corpus of laws on war that is both comprehensive and nuanced, and these laws now serve as a critical source of guidance for Orthodox Israelis serving in their country’s military.

The present study is a pioneering work on this fascinating chapter in the history of Jewish law, a chapter that, up to now, has received relatively little attention from academic scholars. Robert Eisen examines how five of the most prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist community have dealt with key moral issues in war. The figures include R. Abraham Isaac Kook, R. Isaac Halevi Herzog, R. Eliezer Waldenberg, R. Sha’ul Yisraeli, and R. Shlomo Goren. Eisen also examines how the positions of these rabbis compare with those of international law. These explorations provide critical insight into the worldview of religious Zionism, which in recent years has become increasingly influential in Israeli politics.

Praise

Given the millennial exilic condition of the Jews, Jewish moral thinkers paid little attention to military ethics. This situation changed with the establishment of the State of Israel. A rich body of normative reflection and judgment developed in the work of rabbis associated with religious Zionism. Eisen’s book analyzes this literature and makes it available for contemporary ethical consideration. This is an enormously valuable contribution to an emerging field in Jewish ethics.

—Alan Mittleman

author of A Short History of Jewish Ethics

“Religious Zionism, Jewish Law, and the Morality of War is throughout rigorous, rich, lucid, and illuminating. Eisen subjects five prominent rabbinic figures’ works about war to a consistently keen, penetrating, and interesting critical analysis. He commands a vast literature and bridges Israeli scholarship with scholarship in America and England. Eisen presents and assesses intricate and enormously complex materials with remarkable clarity.”

—David Shatz

Ronald P. Stanton University Professor of Philosophy, Ethics, and Religious Thought at Yeshiva University

“Robert Eisen breaks new ground as he explores the complex interplay between the demands of Jewish law and the exigencies of military operations. Eisen’s deep understanding of the power of religious values permeates this lucidly written volume, which should be required reading for all who wish to understand the challenges that confront modern military leaders who seek to abide by those values even while engaged on the field of battle.”

—Dov S. Zakheim

former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense

“To understand how Judaism copes with war, Robert Eisen, professor of religion and Judaic studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., focused on the writings and teachings of five influential rabbis in the religious Zionist movement The result of Eisen’s remarkable enterprise is [a] scholarly but also superbly written book.”

—Jonathan Kirsch

Jewish Journal

“Eisen has done a great service by bringing the thoughts of these rabbis, whose Hebrew works remain largely untranslated, to English readers. Furthermore, the clarity and organization of the book makes it potentially useful for undergraduate courses.”

—Samuel Hayim Brody

Journal of Religion