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August 29, 2003/Elul 1 5763, Vol. 55, No. 53
Priests best prepare us for times of war
Torah study
RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN
Shoftim/Deuteronomy 16:8-21:9
"And it will be, before you join battle, the priest shall come forward and address the troops. He shall say to them ... 'Let not your courage falter. Do not be in fear or in panic ... for it is the Lord your God who marches with you to do battle for you against your enemy.' " (Deuteronomy 20: 2,3)
There are two problems with this biblical passage, one textual and the other conceptual. The Bible opens, "And it will be," in Hebrew v'haya; an equally acceptable Hebrew usage with the same meaning would have been vay'hi. Our sages point out that the second form generally connotes a difficult or tragic situation. The probable reason for this perhaps is that vay is the usual expression for woe, whereas the first usage has a more neutral connotation.
Given the fact that we are dealing with war, would it not have been more appropriate for the Bible to have begun this passage with vay'hi rather than v'haya?
Second, why does the Bible mandate a priest be anointed for war and not a king or prophet? It seems that the least likely functionary to be chosen for the task of morale building in time of war is the priest. The priest symbolizes three specific traits necessary for successful nation building: continuity between parents and children, the son inheriting the sacred mantle of priesthood from his father; the preservation of institutional forms, as expressed by the garments without which the priest could not function; the pursuit of peace, a value inherited from Moses' brother, Aaron, who loved peace and pursued it.
War is the antithesis of these three priestly vocations. War causes fathers to bury their sons, destroys the buildings and institutions of a normal society and breeds loss of life and limb.
So why is the priest anointed to give courage to those on the front lines?
I believe that herein lies the genius of the Bible. The Mishnah teaches, "An individual may not go out (on the Sabbath) bearing a sword or a spear (because these are implements of war and are considered to be a burden). Rabbi Eliezer (disagrees), declaring that these armaments are ornaments (to be worn, and not burdens to be carried). The Sages maintain, 'They are disgraceful objects for those who wear them, as the Scripture teaches, 'They shall beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning hooks.' "
The view of the majority is that implements of war are not only considered burdens not to carried on the Sabbath but also are seen in a disparaging light.
If so, how can we understand the commandment to go to war, clearly detailed in the continuing passage of this week's Torah reading and referred to in the Mishnah as milhemet mitzvah (a war commanded by Torah)?
Apparently the Torah believes that there are some wars that are mandatory. First we must always attempt to make peace with our enemies. (Maimonides, Laws of King, 6) But if we are attacked by a nation that sets out to destroy us, then it becomes incumbent upon us to strike back and secure our freedom.
There are times when we must wage war to maintain our continuity into the future and to maintain the forms and institutions of our morality-infused culture. There are times when we must wage war to preserve a world dedicated to peace.
As Seneca taught, "If you wish for peace, you must prepare for war." In such types of warfare, the best individuals to inspire our soldiers are our ambassadors of peace, our priests.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is spiritual leader of Efrat, Israel.
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