ABSTRACT
To get some idea of how Judaism handles the ethics of war, the reader have to review sources from the earliest scriptures to rabbinic discussion in contemporary Israel, a period of three thousand years. The legislation concerning warfare in Deuteronomy 20 is the starting point for rabbinic thinking about war, as it was to be among Christians. Later authorities extrapolate from personal to collective self-defence, that is, war designed to defend society as a whole, or its most cherished values. More recently, however, reputation of the Israelite kings for showing compassion has been a source of pride, and has been cited as an indication that even in wartime, compassion should be shown to one's enemies if circumstances are such that it will not undermine war aim. Nevertheless, there was reflection on earlier sources and on future 'messianic' wars, and a handful of Jewish religious leaders were sufficiently close to political reality to devote serious attention to the ethics of war.
