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Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality
Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for the Jerusalem Post. He previously served as a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel, the dean of the Tikvah Online Academy, and a junior research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. His writings on Jewish ethics and contemporary moral dilemmas have been cited by the Israeli Supreme Court and published in numerous scholarly journals and popular publications. A graduate of Harvard College, he received his rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, MA in Jewish Philosophy from Hebrew University, and doctorate in law from Bar-Ilan University. His first book, A Guide to the Contemporary Halakhic Debates (Maggid), received a National Jewish Book Award.
504 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2024
I began this book with some trepidation due to the complexity of the topic and my level of Jewish study. While the topic is indeed incredibly complex the book itself is very approachable with or without extensive Jewish learning. It provides an excellent framework for building the arguments of ethical decision making before and during a war. It also has the right amount of material in each section - as I was beginning to think “let’s move on” - I would invariably turn the page to see we were approaching the next chapter. Each question, each story, and each chapter led me to pause to digest and reflect on what I had just read. I wish we didn’t need this book and I unfortunately won’t retain it all but I thoroughly engaged with this book and highly recommended it.
January 25, 2024
There is a UPS commercial from years back with two consultants proposing a solution to a client. When the client informs them that he wants them to do the work, they embarrassingly and incredulously reply, "We don't actually do what we propose; we just propose it."
That approach is repeated in Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody's superb book Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality (Maggid Books). The analogy is that from the United Nations to other countries, countless advisory groups propose how war should be done, how it is to be carried out, and more. Yet they do this from pristine meeting rooms in picturesque locations like Geneva without having a clue about the realities and facts on the ground.
Civil War general William Sherman observed the ages when he said war is hell. What Brody makes eminently clear in this groundbreaking book is that war is quite complex, too. Whether at the political level or within halachic decision-making, the choices are rarely binary. Instead, there are many levels of complexity with competing values.
In countless case studies and historical overviews, the book lays the groundwork on how wars have been done, how they should have been done in hindsight, and the often double standard Israel faces.
Brody writes that if there is anything the exilic experience teaches us, is that Jews must be willing to do what it takes to protect themselves. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik brilliantly articulated this in Kol Dodi Dofek, where two of the themes he discusses are the importance of the modern State of Israel and the role of Zionism in American Orthodox. The Rav noted that when God smote the Egyptians, He sought to demonstrate that there will always be accountability for the spilling of Jewish blood.
The question then becomes by what means Jews will employ to prove that Jewish blood isn't cheap. Sovereignty brings with it responsibility both towards one's own people and their enemies. This creates countless, often intractable, halachic and moral dilemmas for which there are usually no clear-cut answers.
Rabeinu Chaim HaKohen, one of the ba'alei ha'Tosfos) says in Gemara Kesuvos that while there is a mitzvah to live in Israel, it does not apply nowadays since it is so difficult to properly fulfill all of the mitzvot that apply in Israel. That difficulty was mended by the Chazon Ish who codified the requirements.
When it comes to creating an army, Israel faced that same dilemma given that there were simply no halachic discussions on practical armed services Jewish law. Brody writes in the introduction that this is the first book to offer a systematic perspective on Jewish military ethics. And that includes challenging topics such as collective warfare, revenge, giving people a fourth way out during battle, and more.
One thing that has significantly hampered Israel's ability to defend itself is Protocol I (also known as Additional Protocol I or AP/1), which is a 1977 amendment protocol to the Geneva Conventions that details the protection of civilian victims of international war. Israel, along with the United States, Pakistan, India, Iran, and Turkey; are the only countries that did not sign onto AP/1.
One could almost call AP/1 the Hamas Protection Act. Taken at face value, AP/1 would require Israel to turn the other cheek against Hamas attacks. Hamas breaks every rule of warfare and moral obligation when it embeds itself within schools and hospitals, and amongst civilians. Yet Hamas and its defenders will use AP/1 to contemptuously accuse Israel of excessive force. And those who use it to support Hamas have turned international law into a weapon for the terrorists.
The United States and Israel were quite prescient in refusing to sign AP/1 as it incentivizes groups like Hamas to use human shields against their enemies. AP/1 removes the onus of protecting civilians from the defender, who has greater control of their home field, and places it onto the attacker, who has significantly less control of the battle zone.
Hamas is a textbook example of a terrorist group using unconventional warfare. Many international laws and protocols presume state actors do military acts, and these laws and protocols were often effective deterrents. But with nonstate actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah, these deterrents don't exist. As Israel argued in 1981, international norms formulated at the beginning of the Cold War must be rethought in light of newer types of weapons and threats.
Israel is perhaps the only country in the Middle East that considers ethics when it comes to its military initiatives. Brody writes that the concern for ethics and world opinion has many times cost the lives of Israeli soldiers. He writes of numerous instances where ethical and world considerations got in the way of what would seemingly be no-brainer military activities. Which ultimately would cost Israeli lives.
Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Yet when it comes to wars and conflicts, a wise decision in one historical moment might be perilous at another, and it's unclear which variables determine that outcome. That is the challenge Israel has long faced, and the book gives numerous examples of where Israel fell into these predicaments.
In providing a comprehensive overview of the ethical and moral approach the IDF puts into its activities, Brody has written a masterful defense of the IDF. And how they are unique in their approach to conducting war and military activities. Yet with all of those ethical considerations, Israel still finds itself being accused of military genocide.
This is a fascinating book on numerous topics, including military history, ethics, halacha, and more. Brody accomplished his goal by writing a work that gives the reader a complete perspective on Jewish military ethics. War is hell and quite bloody. But Brody has shown that for the IDF, it too can be a Kiddush HaShem. May God bless all of the soldiers of the IDF success and that they return safely.
That approach is repeated in Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody's superb book Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality (Maggid Books). The analogy is that from the United Nations to other countries, countless advisory groups propose how war should be done, how it is to be carried out, and more. Yet they do this from pristine meeting rooms in picturesque locations like Geneva without having a clue about the realities and facts on the ground.
Civil War general William Sherman observed the ages when he said war is hell. What Brody makes eminently clear in this groundbreaking book is that war is quite complex, too. Whether at the political level or within halachic decision-making, the choices are rarely binary. Instead, there are many levels of complexity with competing values.
In countless case studies and historical overviews, the book lays the groundwork on how wars have been done, how they should have been done in hindsight, and the often double standard Israel faces.
Brody writes that if there is anything the exilic experience teaches us, is that Jews must be willing to do what it takes to protect themselves. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik brilliantly articulated this in Kol Dodi Dofek, where two of the themes he discusses are the importance of the modern State of Israel and the role of Zionism in American Orthodox. The Rav noted that when God smote the Egyptians, He sought to demonstrate that there will always be accountability for the spilling of Jewish blood.
The question then becomes by what means Jews will employ to prove that Jewish blood isn't cheap. Sovereignty brings with it responsibility both towards one's own people and their enemies. This creates countless, often intractable, halachic and moral dilemmas for which there are usually no clear-cut answers.
Rabeinu Chaim HaKohen, one of the ba'alei ha'Tosfos) says in Gemara Kesuvos that while there is a mitzvah to live in Israel, it does not apply nowadays since it is so difficult to properly fulfill all of the mitzvot that apply in Israel. That difficulty was mended by the Chazon Ish who codified the requirements.
When it comes to creating an army, Israel faced that same dilemma given that there were simply no halachic discussions on practical armed services Jewish law. Brody writes in the introduction that this is the first book to offer a systematic perspective on Jewish military ethics. And that includes challenging topics such as collective warfare, revenge, giving people a fourth way out during battle, and more.
One thing that has significantly hampered Israel's ability to defend itself is Protocol I (also known as Additional Protocol I or AP/1), which is a 1977 amendment protocol to the Geneva Conventions that details the protection of civilian victims of international war. Israel, along with the United States, Pakistan, India, Iran, and Turkey; are the only countries that did not sign onto AP/1.
One could almost call AP/1 the Hamas Protection Act. Taken at face value, AP/1 would require Israel to turn the other cheek against Hamas attacks. Hamas breaks every rule of warfare and moral obligation when it embeds itself within schools and hospitals, and amongst civilians. Yet Hamas and its defenders will use AP/1 to contemptuously accuse Israel of excessive force. And those who use it to support Hamas have turned international law into a weapon for the terrorists.
The United States and Israel were quite prescient in refusing to sign AP/1 as it incentivizes groups like Hamas to use human shields against their enemies. AP/1 removes the onus of protecting civilians from the defender, who has greater control of their home field, and places it onto the attacker, who has significantly less control of the battle zone.
Hamas is a textbook example of a terrorist group using unconventional warfare. Many international laws and protocols presume state actors do military acts, and these laws and protocols were often effective deterrents. But with nonstate actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah, these deterrents don't exist. As Israel argued in 1981, international norms formulated at the beginning of the Cold War must be rethought in light of newer types of weapons and threats.
Israel is perhaps the only country in the Middle East that considers ethics when it comes to its military initiatives. Brody writes that the concern for ethics and world opinion has many times cost the lives of Israeli soldiers. He writes of numerous instances where ethical and world considerations got in the way of what would seemingly be no-brainer military activities. Which ultimately would cost Israeli lives.
Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Yet when it comes to wars and conflicts, a wise decision in one historical moment might be perilous at another, and it's unclear which variables determine that outcome. That is the challenge Israel has long faced, and the book gives numerous examples of where Israel fell into these predicaments.
In providing a comprehensive overview of the ethical and moral approach the IDF puts into its activities, Brody has written a masterful defense of the IDF. And how they are unique in their approach to conducting war and military activities. Yet with all of those ethical considerations, Israel still finds itself being accused of military genocide.
This is a fascinating book on numerous topics, including military history, ethics, halacha, and more. Brody accomplished his goal by writing a work that gives the reader a complete perspective on Jewish military ethics. War is hell and quite bloody. But Brody has shown that for the IDF, it too can be a Kiddush HaShem. May God bless all of the soldiers of the IDF success and that they return safely.
February 8, 2024
Ethics of our Fighters
At the end of his very informative book, Ethics of Our Fighters, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo M. Brody quotes General Omar Bradley's November 1948 observation, "The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." Brody comments that much has changed since 1948, "yet I fear that our moral compass remains insufficiently developed. Some people are simply not thinking enough about ethics in general and the impact of technology in particular." He criticizes all nations for their inability to agree on any conventions or ethics. He encourages a dialogue between Israel and other countries about warfare. We need to learn why and when it is right to go to war and how to do the fighting. His book shows us why this is so.
He tells us that there are many books on the ethics of fighting wars, but the few that do so are far from adequate. He tells us why with many examples. He notes that Judaism has much to say about this topic and gives many examples but explains that while what was said is often good, it is inadequate. He provides examples from World War I, World War II, the many wars and conflicts against Israel, and others. He points out the mistakes, often well-meaning, but still mistakes, often with many losses of life.
One of the many topics discussed is civilian casualties. Is this hillul Hashem, a desecration of God, murder? How do we handle the problem that military technology, no matter how sophisticated, will not prevent collateral damage?
Others include whether self-defense begins by attacking an enemy before he attacks us and, if so, when. Another is how we evaluate the different goals of war, such as destroying the enemy, world opinion, and saving hostages. Others are how we should understand the Bible’s command to destroy Amalek, should Israel hold itself to a higher morality,” and how self-restraint should be implemented.
We learn many interesting facts. For example, during World War II, nearly thirty thousand Jews in pre-Israel Palestine served in the British army. In total, over 1.5 million Jews served in Allied armies across the globe: 550,000 in the US, 500,000 in the Red Army, 100,000 in the Polish Army, and 60,000 in the British.
In short, Dr. Brody’s book should be required reading in all military academies and by politicians in every nation. It will save lives and help make the world behave ethically.
At the end of his very informative book, Ethics of Our Fighters, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo M. Brody quotes General Omar Bradley's November 1948 observation, "The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." Brody comments that much has changed since 1948, "yet I fear that our moral compass remains insufficiently developed. Some people are simply not thinking enough about ethics in general and the impact of technology in particular." He criticizes all nations for their inability to agree on any conventions or ethics. He encourages a dialogue between Israel and other countries about warfare. We need to learn why and when it is right to go to war and how to do the fighting. His book shows us why this is so.
He tells us that there are many books on the ethics of fighting wars, but the few that do so are far from adequate. He tells us why with many examples. He notes that Judaism has much to say about this topic and gives many examples but explains that while what was said is often good, it is inadequate. He provides examples from World War I, World War II, the many wars and conflicts against Israel, and others. He points out the mistakes, often well-meaning, but still mistakes, often with many losses of life.
One of the many topics discussed is civilian casualties. Is this hillul Hashem, a desecration of God, murder? How do we handle the problem that military technology, no matter how sophisticated, will not prevent collateral damage?
Others include whether self-defense begins by attacking an enemy before he attacks us and, if so, when. Another is how we evaluate the different goals of war, such as destroying the enemy, world opinion, and saving hostages. Others are how we should understand the Bible’s command to destroy Amalek, should Israel hold itself to a higher morality,” and how self-restraint should be implemented.
We learn many interesting facts. For example, during World War II, nearly thirty thousand Jews in pre-Israel Palestine served in the British army. In total, over 1.5 million Jews served in Allied armies across the globe: 550,000 in the US, 500,000 in the Red Army, 100,000 in the Polish Army, and 60,000 in the British.
In short, Dr. Brody’s book should be required reading in all military academies and by politicians in every nation. It will save lives and help make the world behave ethically.
August 8, 2024
Such an essential book to read right now, in the midst of a war. This came out right after 10/7/24, so it doesn't speak specifically to current events, but so much of it is applicable and on point. The hope (and the PR) is that some of this moral calculus is happening behind the scenes. Lots of times it seems to be true; the times when it doesn't are shameful, and tragic. There's no greater need for moral guidance than during war, and there's no more difficult time to meet those standards than during war.
October 26, 2025
An impeccably approachable and propulsively readable analysis of one of the most complex issues of our time. Rabbi Brody breaks down a variety of ethical arguments with clear eyes and complete empathy.
(Written before October 7, but published afterwards.)
(Written before October 7, but published afterwards.)
April 18, 2024
A superb and timely book. I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants to understand the complexities facing the IDF and Israel's Governments in their decision making.
November 13, 2024
Thought-provoking
A well-written and thought-provoking book on an issue that remains relevant today (and probably always will be). Agree or disagree; but read this book!
A well-written and thought-provoking book on an issue that remains relevant today (and probably always will be). Agree or disagree; but read this book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews