Prepare your Horses

Torah, Tradition and War

A prevalent worldview in the charedi community is that Hashem is the sole determinant of Israel’s successes in war, and that He does so based on the Torah that Jews learn and (to a much lesser extent) the mitzvos that Jews perform, and therefore there should be less (or zero) emphasis placed on military effort and more focus placed on Torah and mitzvos.

Polemicists frequently quote verses such as Eleh v’rechev v’eleh be’susim, “Those people rely on chariots and horses, but we cite the Name of God!” And even someone like Rav Yitzchok Berkovits, considered to be on the worldly side of the charedi spectrum, when asked by a journalist about the manpower shortage in the IDF, replied by claiming that since if war opened up on all fronts then we wouldn’t have enough manpower even if charedim drafted, we should just rely on miracles and not draft charedim.

It’s bizarre that this position is advanced by those who claim to represent Torah and tradition. Because Torah and tradition say the exact opposite.

First, there’s the Written Torah itself. It’s amazing how people blind themselves to the obvious fact that everyone from the Avos to the Bnei Yisrael to King David is described as making the normative preparations and efforts for war. Absolutely nowhere does it say that some people learned Torah instead.

I can already hear some people shouting that we don’t learn Torah according to the plain meaning, we have our Oral tradition as to how to interpret it. Well, if we look at what that Oral tradition actually says, we find that it explains the Torah exactly as the plain meaning of the Torah says. Here is what Rabbeinu Bechaya says in his commentary to Bamidbar 13:2:

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory comes from God” (Proverbs 21:31). In this verse Solomon warns everybody to do whatever is in his power by using natural means to achieve his success, and to leave whatever is beyond that in the Hands of Heaven. A miracle occurs only when all natural means have proven to be inadequate to produce the desired result. Man was created to exist in the framework of the laws of nature, and therefore he needs to do whatever actions and arrangements are ordinarily required to achieve his desired aims. This is just as if a person wants to go to war against his enemies, he should equip himself with weapons and horses and chariots for the day of war, for if he does not do so, he will be delivered into the hands of his enemies. Or if a person is sick, one ensures that he receives the correct diet and medication and avoid harmful foods, and after doing everything in one’s power, and exerting all one’s effort, and doing everything according to the laws of nature, it is appropriate to trust that it is God who is responsible for the desired result being achieved… And even though Israel did not need this, for their victories were not in the manner of ordinary events and nature but rather due to merit and punishment… nevertheless the Torah commands Israel to do all necessary preparatory effort and to leave the rest to the One who provides salvation, for the Torah never relies on miracles.

The analogy to medicine is significant. To the extent that there are sources in Chazal about Torah providing protection, they refer explicitly to protection from disease and illness just as much as to war. And the charedi community does not declare that they need less doctors or medical facilities.

And then we have Sefer HaChinnuch 546, in reference to the mitzvah of making a safety wall around your balcony, who notes that while certain exceptional individuals mentioned in Tanach received miraculous protection, this is not the norm and not the way to conduct our lives:

Most people have not merited this great level due to their sins, and therefore the Torah commands us to guard our dwelling places and our locales, lest death encounter us in our negligence. And we should not endanger our souls by reliance upon miracles; and the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Sifra, Emor 8) that a miracle is not performed for anyone who relies on a miracle. And according to this approach will you see most matters written in every place. Even in Israel’s fighting of a war commanded by the word of God, they would arrange their battle and arm themselves and do all of the usual preparations, as if they were completely relying on the natural way of things. And so is it always fitting to act in this manner; and the one who does not argue with the truth from an evil heart will concede this.

This is not “rationalist Judaism.” This is classical, traditional, Torah Judaism. Trust in God, but prepare your horses. You do the ordinary effort that is required in life. And we see that this is what charedim do in every other sphere. War is no different, and it’s a perversion of Torah to claim otherwise.

A full list of my posts on the topic of IDF service is at Torah and Army: The Big Index