OpEds
An obligation to defend itself
Thank G-d, we witnessed incredible miracles in the highly successful air strikes against Iran early this morning.
Although it was a pre-emptive strike, Iran has been waging war on Israel via its terror proxies for years. Furthermore, it has been explicitly vocal on its intention of destroying our homeland completely, wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
Israel has every moral right – and, indeed, an obligation –to defend itself before it is too late. “Turning the other cheek” has never been the Jewish ethic. “If one comes to kill you, arise to kill him first” is what our rabbis teach.
In these situations, including just before the Six-Day War, when Israel and the Jewish world were experiencing immense fear and anxiety, my saintly teacher, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, consistently quoted the Torah verse from Deuteronomy – that it’s a land where “The eyes of G-d are constantly watching over it.”
May we merit to see continued miracles, and the protective hand of G-d over our heroic Israel Defense Forces defenders; our people of Israel; and the entire global Jewish community.
- Rabbi Goldman is life rabbi emeritus of Sydenham Shul, and president of the South African Rabbinical Association.
Mark Alcock
June 14, 2025 at 10:37 am
The esteemed Rabbi Yossy Goldman tells it all without telling it completely. He says Israel has the right to defend itself. He then supports his statement by quoting the sages inasmuch…arise to kill him who has come to kill you first. From this we can conclude that Israel must just react with an attitude of defense but rather of defeat. I wonder why the good Rabbi never joined these dots at his disposal which he shared with us. Perhaps he is wittingly letting us deduce our own conclusions.
Long live Israel. Amen.