🌍 What the vision says about causes
The nations are not fighting over land or power. They come to learn from the Almighty and settle disputes by justice, not by force. Jews hope people will do this together.
Jewish Beliefs about Peace and Conflict » Conflict, Isaiah's Vision of Peace and Just War in Judaism
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 3.1 (Judaism)
- How Jews respond to the causes of conflict, including Isaiah's vision of peace
- What the Tanakh and Jewish history teach about war and persecution
- Why Judaism condemns terrorism
- The conditions of a Just War in Judaism: milchemet mitzvah and milchemet reshut
- Different Jewish views on whether a Just War is possible
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Unlock This CourseJewish responses to the causes of conflict
In Why Conflicts and Wars Happen you met the main causes of conflict: politics, resources, history, culture and religion. Judaism does not ignore these causes. Jews believe that every person is made in the image of the Almighty (God), so every life has great value, and conflict that destroys life is a failure of the world the Almighty wants.
The clearest Jewish response is a vision of the future in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 2:1-5, the prophet Isaiah describes the days to come, when all nations will stream to the mountain of the Almighty's house to learn his ways. The Almighty will judge between the nations, and they will beat their swords into ploughshares (tools for farming) and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will not learn war any more.
Key terms:
- Isaiah: a prophet in the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible), whose book contains the vision of peace.
- Tanakh: the Jewish Bible: the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.
💪 What it asks of Jews now
Many Jews take this as a goal to work towards. They try to settle disagreements fairly, to remove injustice and to share resources, so that the causes of conflict are reduced.
War in the Tanakh and the Jewish experience of persecution
The Tanakh includes many wars, and some of them are described as necessary. But Judaism does not praise war. It sees war as sometimes needed, never as the ideal. One example is King David. The Tanakh says he was not allowed to build the Temple in Jerusalem because he had shed so much blood (1 Chronicles 22:8). Even a king who fought for his people was not seen as the right person to build the Almighty's house of peace.
Jewish history also shapes Jewish views. Jews have faced persecution (being treated cruelly because of who you are) many times, from slavery in Egypt to the Holocaust. This teaches two lessons that can pull in different directions:
- Peace matters deeply. Having suffered, Jews are taught to care for others who are weak. The Torah says not to oppress a stranger, because Jews know what it is to be strangers (Exodus 23:9).
- Self-defence matters deeply. A people who have often been attacked, with no one to protect them, will often say they have a duty to defend themselves.
Terrorism
Terrorism means using violence and fear against ordinary people to try to force a change. Judaism condemns it. Terrorism targets the innocent, and Jews believe that every human life is made in the image of the Almighty (Genesis 1:27). Harming an innocent person attacks something precious. For this reason Jewish teachers say that no cause, however strongly held, can justify it.
The conditions of a Just War in Judaism
Remember: Just War theory is the idea that war can be right if it meets certain conditions, such as a just cause, last resort and proportionate force. It has a long history in religious and philosophical thought, and it matters because it gives a way to judge whether going to war is right. The shared lesson on Just War Theory, Holy War and Passive Resistance listed them. Judaism has its own teaching on this, from the Tanakh and the rabbis. It divides wars into two kinds.
🛡️ Milchemet mitzvah
An obligatory war ("a war that is a commandment"). The main example is self-defence: if a people is attacked, it must defend itself. Because it is a duty, it does not need the same permissions as other wars.
⚖️ Milchemet reshut
An optional war ("a war of choice"), such as one fought to gain land. It was allowed only under strict conditions, and it needed proper authority: in ancient times, the king and the Sanhedrin (the high court of rabbis).
More key terms:
- Milchemet mitzvah: an obligatory war, above all a war of self-defence.
- Milchemet reshut: an optional war that needs proper authority and strict conditions.
- Sanhedrin: the high court of rabbis in ancient times.
Today there is no king and no Sanhedrin. Because of this, many rabbis teach that an optional war cannot be declared today at all. Only a war to defend life would be allowed. This is a strict limit, and it shows how seriously Judaism takes the idea of going to war.
Is a Just War possible?
Jews do not all give the same answer.
- Yes, sometimes. Many Jews say that a war of self-defence is not only possible but a duty, because protecting life is a very high value. Jewish history of persecution supports this for them.
- Very rarely. Many rabbis argue that, with no king or Sanhedrin, only milchemet mitzvah is left, and even that must be a last resort with as little harm as possible.
- Hardly ever. Some Jews, including some Progressive (Reform and Liberal) Jews, put most weight on Isaiah's vision and on peace, and are very cautious about any war.
Common mistakes
Saying that Judaism "loves war" because the Tanakh has wars in it (it treats war as sometimes necessary, never ideal). Mixing up the two kinds of war: mitzvah is obligatory, reshut is optional. Saying that all Jews have the same view. Writing about present-day conflicts: this lesson is about Jewish teaching only.
Exam-style question
(a) Identify three conditions of a Just War. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about war in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why there are different attitudes to Just War in this religion. [6 marks]
(d) 'A Just War is not possible today.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(a) 1 Just cause (1). 2 Last resort (1). 3 Proportionate force (1).
(b) In Judaism, a milchemet mitzvah is an obligatory war (1), such as a war of self-defence when a people is attacked (1). A milchemet reshut is an optional war (1), which needs proper authority such as the king and the Sanhedrin (1).
(c) Jews have different attitudes because they read the tradition in different ways. Many Jews say that self-defence is a milchemet mitzvah, a duty, so a Just War can be right when life is under attack. This is supported by the history of persecution, which taught that Jews must be able to protect themselves. Many rabbis stress that a milchemet reshut needs the king and the Sanhedrin, who no longer exist, so an optional war cannot be declared today. This makes Just War very hard. Other Jews, including some Progressive Jews, put most weight on Isaiah 2:1-5, where nations beat swords into ploughshares, and so they are very cautious about war. Attitudes also differ because Jews value both peace and the protection of life, and these can pull in different directions. (6 marks)
(d) Plan. For: without a king or Sanhedrin, many rabbis say an optional war cannot be declared; modern weapons may break proportionate force; Isaiah's vision says war is not the ideal. Against: milchemet mitzvah still applies to self-defence, and protecting life is a very high Jewish value; the Tanakh accepts that war is sometimes necessary. Contrast: a humanist might say that a war can be just if it follows international law, with no need for a religious authority. Conclusion: a Just War is possible today only in a narrow sense, as defence of life, because Judaism's own conditions rule out most wars, but it is not impossible.
Exam tip
When you write about a Jewish view of war, always name the two kinds, milchemet mitzvah and milchemet reshut, and say which one the point is about. It shows examiners you know the teaching.