Milchemet Mitzva

There are very specific laws related to fighting wars. There are two types of battles that Israel fights. One is called a מלחמת רשות, a permissive war in order to expand our borders. The second type is מלחמת מצוה, a war that is a Mitzva to fight.

There are three types of Milchemet Mitzva. The first is the commandment to utterly destroy Amalek, and the second is to drive out the Seven Nations inhabiting the Land. These first two types of war are no longer relevant today.

The third category is very relevant today. It applies to a צד הצורר אתכם, “An enemy that is oppressing you.” The Rambam describes this group as those wishing to drive you out of the land. It is a Mitzva to fight them and see to it that they do not succeed.

It would be worthwhile to remember verse 33:55 in the Book of Bamidbar. That particular verse warns us that if we do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, they will be as, “thorns in your eyes and spikes in your side.” It ends with the words, וצררו אתכם, “And they will harass you upon the land in which you dwell.”

It is important to note that the word, וצררו, and they will harass, is the same root as the third type of מלחמת מצוה, the צר הצורר אתכם.

It interesting to note that Queen Esther referred to Haman as an, “איש צר ואויב” a man who is our enemy that oppresses us.

We have been learning the hard way, the truth of the words of the Torah, related to today’s non-Jewish inhabitants of our land.

We must be clear that all of Eretz Yisrael belongs to the Jewish people. Non-Jews are welcome to live here if they accept Israel’s sovereignty, and accept Ger Toshav status, by observing the Seven Noachide Laws. They can also convert to Judaism if they accept the 613 Mitzvot.

The war we are fighting today is a Milchemet Mitzva, a holy war of survival. We must complete the task at hand and make it clear that Israel belongs to Am Yisrael for all eternity.