Rabbi Yoel Ben-Nun Condemns Claims Israel’s Wars Were for National Honor

Rabbi Yoel Ben-Nun strongly rejects accusations attributed to a leading Lithuanian Torah scholar nearing 100 years old, which claim that Israel’s wars were fought for the sake of "national honor" and resulted in unnecessary deaths. He emphasizes that all of Israel’s wars were obligatory, defensive conflicts imposed upon the nation. Rabbi Ben-Nun recalls the 1948 War of Independence, which erupted after the invasion of seven enemy armies following Israel’s declaration of statehood, with participation from Agudat Yisrael representatives. He describes the Suez War as a response to years of Egyptian-initiated terror attacks, leading to over a decade of relative calm. The Six-Day War arose from clear violations of ceasefire agreements and explicit threats from Egypt and Jordan, especially around Jerusalem. The Yom Kippur War began with a severe surprise attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces on the Suez Canal and Golan Heights. Lebanon wars were triggered by serious terror threats, particularly against northern Israeli communities. He notes that many IDF operations were direct responses to enemy terror attacks. The 1973 "Simchat Torah War" started with a shocking surprise attack from Gaza and continues due to threats from Iran and Lebanon. Rabbi Ben-Nun stresses that no Israeli war was fought for "national honor," calling such accusations baseless and spiritually damaging. He explains that according to Jewish law, a king may wage optional wars to enhance the kingdom’s honor only with approval from a court of 71 elders, which Israel lacks due to opposition from Torah leaders to reestablishing the Sanhedrin. Nevertheless, all Israeli wars were obligatory "mitzvah wars" to defend the people, and all must participate according to halacha. He implores critics to immediately retract these unfounded accusations before divine judgment, warning that Torah study rights are at risk if such claims persist.