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The Best Defense

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The Best Defense

The Talmud teaches, “If someone rises to kill you, rise up to kill him first.” The Rebbe explains that this dictum of our sages is the only way for Israel to deal with its enemies who seek its destruction.
United Nations, Israel, Arab-Israeli Conflict, Self Defense, Lubavitcher Rebbe
The Best Defense
Disc 148, Program 590

Event Date: 14 Adar 5729 - March 04, 1969

The Talmud teaches, “If someone rises to kill you, rise up to kill him first.” The Rebbe explains that this dictum of our sages is the only way for Israel to deal with its enemies who seek its destruction.

The hope of achieving a measure of security through the United Nations, given the hypocritical attitude towards Israel which prevails there, is futile. Only when Israel demonstrates, with a show of force, that it stands ready to rise up and strike those who would attack it, can it prevent violent conflicts with its neighbors. If they are deterred from attempting attacks in the first place, there will be no need for actual use the force.

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5 Comments
Yisrael Abram Chicago December 2, 2024

Looks like the sword of pride in such words. It's what happens when you join with the others under the sword of pride. The comment was made in the 60s, In the 70s Golda said a few more years is all. That was 50 years ago. Remember what Nachman says about the sword of pride? Reply

Anonymous May 19, 2019

Dear Rabbi,

What if a group were about to attack your country, would it be just to attack them and potentially kill innocent people who wouldn't have played a part in killing you?

Thanks Reply

Eliezer Zalmanov for Chabad.org May 19, 2019
in response to Anonymous:

In very general terms (because really this isn't something that can be addressed hypothetically): care must always be taken to avoid hurting the innocent. Reply

Yisrael Abram Chicago December 2, 2024
in response to Eliezer Zalmanov:

How would one do that with bombs? Reply

Tzvi-Gad Sydney December 25, 2015

pre-emption Pre-emption is I think the word you were looking for, not defense.
The best deterrence is not having a capability to strike back, but the capability to pre-empt the enemy's completing his offensive plans.
This is why Shelomoh HaMelekh was said to have 16 million horses. Reply

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