Land For Peace : What is the Halacha?

[muman613]

Shalom & Leilah Tov...

Last Shabbos I attended morning services with my Rabbi and community and after Shachris we had a Kiddush lunch. Over lunch we were discussing Halachot (Jewish Laws) as our group has been studying the Daily Rambam Mishneh Torah cycle. We have been learning many of the intricate laws of Shabbos (including Eruvs, etc) and a question was asked about going to war on Shabbos.

I have learned this Halacha in the past, and I am very proud that my Rabbi correctly related the law. There is the issue of Pikuach Nefesh (saving a life) which over-rides the command of Shabbos allowing one to carry, to light fire, to operate machinery or whatever it takes to protect the Jewish nation. The Halacha basically says that should a gentile nation attack Israel 'on the borders' it would justify violating Shabbos in order to fight the attackers, even if they only came to take our possessions such as straw.

It is unfortunate that the question of whether Hashems land which he gave us as an inheritance can be 'given away' in order to save lives because this clearly violates the intention of the previously discussed Halacha. They are coming to steal our land, and we should fight a Milchamet Mitzvah (Commanded War) in order to keep what is ours. We should be fighting them in order to save Jewish life rather than giving them our possessions in order to receive nothing but empty words from the enemy.

I am happy that most of my community is mostly on the same page as I am. I work hard to discuss issues with my Rabbi and we talk on the phone a lot. We all must work with our communities in order to change the sad 'status quo' which we see today.


Rabbi Kahane discussed the Halachic questions of 'Land for Peace'.

[Yehudayaakov]

White people see perfectly that giving away land never bring peace but they are the first to push for this for Israel! so in order to get it right Jews must emulate the whites.. see how the Russian keep the vast Russia in control really; they don't have Halacha in order to keep control on the biggest country on hearth.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

The din is also brought in shulchan aruch which means, (since it was a practical text which mostly just listed the practical halachas relevant to the galut of that time, did not deal in laws of Israel) not just in Israel but any Jewish community anywhere in the world under attack on Shabbat is instructed to arm, mobilize, and attack the attackers.