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December 2002From the Desk of Rabbi FreelundAs I am writing this column, the United Nations Security Council has just passed a resolution concerning the disarmament of Iraq. Many have hailed this decision as clearing the path for our nation to engage in a war with Iraq to ensure the decision of the council. Whether or not this is the case, our leadership sees this approval of this resolution as backing the extension of our War on Terrorism into Iraq. How does this weigh against our Jewish values, especially those who wish to be rodfei shalom, pursuers of peace? We spend much of our time as Jews preaching, teaching, and praying for peace. The first greeting our youngest children learn is shalom, peace. Yet for all of this value on peace, we as Jews have long recognized the need for justified war. No nation can embrace the principle of peace so completely that it let's down all defenses and invite aggression. The United States, which had not suffered a foreign attack on the continental states between 1812 and 2001, has always maintained an army. There is a difference between pursuing peace, and pursuing suicide. The war we face today is of a different order, and our concerns must be to face the threat as best we understand it. The case has been made by our government, that while the Iraqi regime poses no immediate threat to the United States, that in a short time they will, and so we must go to war to prevent this. It is a case for a preemptive war, or aggressive self-defense. Is this a Jewish option? According to our sages, it can be. Not every preemptive war is justified, but some of them are. According to the compendium of Jewish law known as the Shulchan Aruch (329:6), when an enemy comes against a city of Israel. It is not necessary that they actually attack the city. As long as it is known from a reliable source that the enemy wants to attack, it is justifiable to arm oneself and take the fight to the enemy in order to defend the city. As the commentary on this law reads - ein m'dak'd'kin b'fiku'ach nefesh, we don't argue over technicalities when it comes to preserving life. When a threat is real and imminent, you must act to defend yourself. For Jews, our current situation is terrible important. As has been frequently repeated in the media, if Saddam Hussein chooses to use chemical or biological weapons, the only target he could reach would be Israel. As you read this piece right now, there are Israeli families buying gas masks, and health workers receiving stepped up immunizations against biological agents. If an attack should come, the consequences would be disastrous for our people. The enemy is potentially pounding at the gate of our city. The principle of preemptive defense remains the same, even for non-Jews. As a nation, America must decide whether or not the threat is real and imminent. For now, there has been no intelligence report to indicate that we are in any danger from Iraqi aggression here in the U.S., nor has there been any report to connect Iraq to the September 11 attack. The only scenario I have seen regarding a possible Iraqi attack on Israel would be as a response to an offensive by the United States. We might precipitate an attack in attempting to prevent one. In order to depart from our commitment to peace, as Jews we must have good evidence, based on a reliable report of an immediate threat. If this is the case, we must not delay in acting to defend ourselves. As Americans, we should ask for no less justification, and no less vigilance. |
