“Dealing With Our Enemies”

July 2, 2004
Rabbi Jeremy Barras

Last year, before the war in Iraq began and our country was in great debate as to whether or not we supported invasion of Iraq, I was invited to a meeting at Davidson College to discuss the issue with various College chaplains, professors and students. I knew that this meeting had potential for great tension because I tended to support the war and I knew that most groups of intellectuals and college students do not typically advocate hawkish positions. Before the war began, I believed that removing Saddam Hussein was a great move not only for the United States, but also for Israel because it would relieve one imminent and real threat from their midst. And I was not the only one who believed that – in the days and months leading up to the war, the Israeli army and government were not so secretly praying that the U.S. would annihilate Hussein’s Iraq. Now when discussing war, any Sharon led government needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but even most left-wingers in Israel were in favor of this war. Unfortunately they, nor I, could have ever believed that our government would forget to have a plan ready for post-war Iraq.

When it came to my turn to speak at the meeting, I quickly realized that I was the only one who was willing to speak in favor of the war. As I stated my opinion regarding the war vis-a-vis Israel, some of the other members were clearly sympathetic to my passionate and inflexible stance when it comes to the security of the State of Israel. However, they were certainly not convinced that a war with Iraq was the way to accomplish that goal.

One of the other chaplains asked how I could favor war in light of the verses from Leviticus that command us to love our fellow man and not to hate another in our heart. At first I was taken aback – I thought to myself, I came here to discuss politics and you are turning this into a theological discussion. But I guess that should be expected in a conversation with a group of chaplains on a religiously affiliated campus.

This chaplain, for whom I have great respect, made a very good point. How could I, as a Jew, argue for a war that was not clearly defined? How could I support a war when all diplomatic attempts had not been exhausted? How could I favor a war that virtually every other country on the planet did not? And to top it all off, how I could I support any act that violated the commandment from the Torah to love my fellow man as myself?

At first I was thrown off guard – I hate when non-Jews throw the Bible at me in order to make their point, because often the way they interpret it is not the way that Jews interpret it. But nonetheless, in this case, I think everyone interprets the verses of Leviticus 19:17-18 in the same way; “You shall not hate your fellow in your heart…and…Love your fellow as yourself.” But how should Jews apply this verse when dealing with our enemies? Are we commanded to love all of humanity? Are we not allowed to hate others who mean us harm? We might at first argue that this verse teaches that we are commanded to love only our fellow Jews and not non-Jews. But even our great sage Rabbi Akiva teaches that this is not so; he explains that it is incumbent upon all Jews to show the utmost respect and love for all peoples, because all men are created in the image of God.

But at some point even the Jew is allowed to draw the line on how he feels about his fellow Jew. The Rashbam, grandson of Rashi and 12th century Torah commentator, understands the verse, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” to mean that if he is a good person, you must love him, but if he is wicked, you must not. Those who excel in pride arrogance, and duplicitous speech, along with those who lead immoral lives do not fall under the category of those we are required to love in our heart.

To state the case in a logical fashion, if we are not commanded to love the rasha, the evil one, in our own community, why would we ever be commanded to love the evil one outside of our community? Saddam Hussein has attacked Israel. He supported suicide bombers both financially and emotionally. He supported terrorism. He hates Jews everywhere, not to mention his sentiments on Americans - especially these days as he fittingly withers away in captivity. In light of these facts and this approach to our text, I might have been wrong in supporting a war in Iraq, but I was definitely not wrong because of what we are taught in Leviticus 19:17-18!!

At the meeting at Davidson, I did not actually respond by stating my different approach to the text he cited, but rather I offered a different text in rebuttal. Exodus 17:16 that states, “God makes war against Amalek, from generation to generation.” Amalek was the ancient enemy of Israel who attacked the Israelites right after they emerged from the Red Sea with Egypt still in their rear view mirror. Amalek is the epitomy of evil in the Jewish tradition – and as we learn in the Torah, we are commanded not only to avoid Amalek, but to continually wage war against them in every generation. This verse recognizes that the Jewish people will have enemies throughout their history, and when they find themselves threatened by these enemies, not only are they required to deal with them – they are obligated to ferociously defend themselves. The Talmud teaches that upon entering the Land of Israel, the Israelites were commanded three things, “to appoint a king, to wipe out the seed of Amalek, and to build the Holy Temple.” Unfortunately they never fully succeeded in wiping out Amalek, and we have been plagued by their descendants ever since. Jewish tradition even teaches that Haman, from our Purim story, issued from this wicked nation.

There are many questions we needed to answer as a country before agreeing to support war with Iraq. Were we in imminent danger – were Saddam and bin-Laden proven bedfellows? Would the State of Israel be qualitatively safer with a regime change in Iraq? These were and remain very difficult questions. But for the purposes of the conversation at hand at Davidson, how does the Torah advise us on such matters? War is not something that we take lightly, but certainly not something we shy away from in times of danger. The 16th century Italian Torah sage Ovadiah Sforno teaches us that we are required by God, in light of Exodus 17:16, that we are required to wage war on those in our generation who resemble Amalek.

John F. Kennedy once stated, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” For the Jew, liberty means living freely in a society that allows every individual the right to live according to his or her own beliefs. The Torah was well aware in its conception that in every generation, enemies of the Jew would arise and threaten him. From the Egyptians, to the Babylonians, to the Romans, to the Greeks, to the Cossacks, to the Czars, to the Communists, to the Nazis, to the Palestinians, no generation has yet to find itself without a seed of Amalek sprouting somewhere in its midst. And like President Kennedy stated, the Jew must make his enemies know that he will never give up his clinging to the Torah – even when they forced us to build pyramids, even when they burned the Talmud in the streets, even when they sealed us off in ghettoes, even as they carted us off to the camps, even when they blow up our cafes and restaurants, the Jew does not relinquish his beliefs and obligations.

Golda Meir once stated, “I can forgive the Arabs for killing our children, but I can never forgive them for making our children kill their children.” She knew that war was wrong and that killing was inhuman, but she understood that when Jews are threatened by their enemies, they must vigorously defend themselves.

The choice remains for us in each case whether military response is appropriate or inappropriate. But we learn from the Torah that Israel will often find itself with enemies in its midst. And though we take seriously our obligation to love our neighbors and to pursue peace, we must be prepared for those who will extend an olive branch as well as those who will extend only rifles.

May the day come soon when war and bloodshed will be forgotten – when we live in a world where violence shall give way to goodness and war will be no more. Then shall we harbor only love in our hearts, and the fear and anger that has persisted for so many centuries, will vanish forever.