Violence and Conflict
Nature of Violence and Conflict
- The Torah provides guidelines about when violence and conflict may be seen as necessary, mainly in the context of defensive warfare.
- Judaism promotes peace as an ideal state of existence and a goal to strive towards.
- Traditional Jewish law, or Halakhah, has stringent rules limiting the use of force, even in warfare.
War and Peace in Jewish History
- The experience of the Holocaust has strongly influenced Jewish perspectives on violence, conflict, intervention, and prevention.
- Periods of oppressive rule and occasional outbursts of violence have characterised Jewish history, shaping attitudes towards warfare and self-defence.
- There are examples of both peaceful and violent resistance in Jewish histories, with the former often praised in retrospect.
Ethical Considerations
- Judaism’s respect for life and human dignity, or Tzelem Elohim, leads to an ethical perspective that questions the morality of warfare and violence.
- The concept of Pikuach Nefesh, the idea that saving a life supersedes almost all other mitzvot or commandments, also plays into the Jewish approach to conflict.
- At the same time, self-defense is seen as a moral obligation (a concept known as Haba LeHargecha Hashkem LeHargo).
Religious Teachings and Interpretation
- Teachings from Jewish texts such as the Talmud emphasise the importance of peace, with famous quotes such as “The whole Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”
- Debate and interpretation play an important role in Jewish ethics concerning violence and conflict. Different views may be held by Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative Jews.
- The Jewish perspective on the just war theory, or Milchemet Mitzvah, is that war can be justifiable in certain circumstances, such as in self-defense.
Modern Conflicts
- Contemporary geopolitical contexts, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlight the complexities of the Jewish approach towards violence and conflict.
- Diverse Jewish viewpoints exist on modern issues of warfare, terrorism, and nuclear weapons, reflecting the diversity within the Jewish community.
Hope for Peace
- Despite the historic and contemporary realities of conflict, the hope for peace is deeply ingrained in Jewish tradition, captured in the Hebrew word Shalom.
- The Jewish prayers for peace, such as the “Sim Shalom” or the “Oseh Shalom”, reflect the yearning for a world free of violence and strife.