and warfare remain little explored regions of the halakhah. After defeat by the Romans in 70 C.E. Jews had no army nor were we permitted to serve in the armed forces of others till the Emancipation . There were no issues to debate. An occasional responsum dealt with peripheral issues. There was no sustained discussion. Most of the great codes of Jewish law do not even mention the topic.
Despite these realities or because of them, the topic needs to be discussed. The lands in which we live and the State of Israel are very much involved in warfare. Terrorism has become a major issue around the world. We may wish for a more peaceful and secure world, but must deal with the realities which face us.
The essays and responsa in this volume begin with a general overview of war as understood by Judaism , Christianity and Islam , the three major religions which concern us. This brief summary is intended to provide some background for the remainder of the book. As terrorism concerns us most, the book then continues with Mark Washovsky’s essay on a halakhic view of the human rights and civil liberties issues which confront us as we deal with terrorists. He focuses on the balance which we try to maintain as we seek security.
Michael Stroh turns to suicide bombers and looks at them through the eyes of martyrdom and religious fanaticism. As western religions are so far removed from this phenomenon, it remains puzzling as well as frightening to us. Moshe Zemer ’s brief thoughts along with several thorough responsa view the hard choices to be made when dealing with the captives of terrorists. Families and governments are faced with this dilemma. Some additional topics akin to this theme were to be treated by two Israeli authors, but they were unable to produce those essays.
Pacifism may seem far removed from our realities, but precisely for that reason deserves a through examination which has been provided by Arnold Wolf 5, who unfortunately died a year ago. A responsum looks at this possibility further