Matos-Masei: Torah Insights on War and Morality

By Elie Shapiro

In the beginning of the Parsha, Hashem commands Moshe to wage war against Midyan,

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ נְקֹ֗ם נִקְמַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מֵאֵ֖ת הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים אַחַ֖ר תֵּאָסֵ֥ף אֶל־עַמֶּֽיךָ׃

Hashem spoke to Moses, saying,

“Avenge the Israelite people on the Midianites; then you shall be gathered to your kin.”

Usually when the Jewish people wage a war we are not supposed to kill the woman and children, but Moshe tells the army to kill certain women and certain children from Midyan, this seems a little strange. To understand this we need to understand why woman and children are usually exempt from being targeted in a war.

Historically women and children were considered civilians and were not part of the opposing force’s war efforts.Civilians, which are defined as those not helping the opposing force in their efforts, are the people that are meant to be spared, yet with Midyan, Moshe says that these women are the ones that have caused the Jewish men to sin, they are helping the opposing force’s war efforts. Due to this reason, it was necessary for the Jewish army to not grant immunity to those helping the opposing forces even as they guise themselves as civilians.

Obviously, the Torah is aware of the realities of war. When Yaakov Avinu heard that Eisav was coming and prepared his camp, the Torah says,

וַיִּירָ֧א יַעֲקֹ֛ב מְאֹ֖ד וַיֵּ֣צֶר ל֑וֹ וַיַּ֜חַץ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֗וֹ וְאֶת־הַצֹּ֧אן וְאֶת־הַבָּקָ֛ר וְהַגְּמַלִּ֖ים לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃

Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,

And Rashi comments that Yaakov was afraid of possible being killed and of possibly needing to kill.

ויירא ויצר. וַיִּירָא שֶׁמָּא יֵהָרֵג, וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ אִם יַהֲרֹג הוּא אֶת אֲחֵרִים (בראשית רבה ותנחומא):

ויירא...ויצר HE FEARED GREATLY AND WAS DISTRESSED — He was afraid lest he be killed, and he was distressed that he might have to kill someone (Genesis Rabbah 76:2).

The Gur Aryeh asks, why would Yaakov be afraid of possibly needing to kill someone, the Halakha is that if someone is coming to kill you, you have every right to defend yourself even if that means having to kill them. However, he continues and explains that in every war there are casualties of war. We are not supposed to target the civilians, but if it’s part of the war effort then you need to continue the war effort and it is part of diniei milchama that there will be civilian casualties (they shouldn’t be aimed at to be wiped out, but it is understood that it happens).

Message to us, we are living in wild days, but we shouldn’t lose sight on what’s important. There will always be voices criticizing the Jewish people, but we must continue to do what is right and remember that our morals and ethics, which stem from the Torah, are in touch with reality and are all encompassing to what is expected of human capabilities, and are not lofty values that are unattainable (ayin Rav Taragin’s explanation on Isha y’fat Toar). Clearly the Torah has set a high bar and I am unbelievably proud of the brave soldiers of the IDF who continue the war effort and do so al kiddush Hashem, by minimizing civilian casualties (even if the number unfortunately can’t be zero) but also being attuned to the fact that civilians are defined as those that are not helping the opposing war effort as we see from the case of Milchemes Midyan.

As we read this week’s parsha let us continue to have a lot of pride in our people and army and continue to remember that while we try to bring peace, we continue to daven that the true Bringer of Peace will continue to protect his people and we will see the building of the Beis HaMikdash b’karov b’yameinu.

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Disclaimer: This is adapted/based on a Shiur I heard from Rav Schacter and any mistakes are mine and any opinions that are not Torah related are mine as well.