Frustration of Iran's nuclear project and Midian’s war

"If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him first" (Habah l'hargecha hashkem l'hargo)

Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald – The Parasha in our everyday life - Pinchas – 5781

In the last two decades, one of the Israeli society’s existential issues has been the 'frustration of the Iranian nuclear project', along with the thwarting of the Iranian takeover of power centers in the Middle East, mainly to threaten the existence of the State of Israel. The State of Israel invests great and sophisticated efforts for this purpose, the best minds, on the diplomatic and military levels, some visible and some hidden. At the diplomatic level, Israel has openly acted to rescind an agreement between the Superpower Countries and the Iranians on the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) from 2015, and the initiative for the United States to withdraw from the agreement from 2018. Israel has been attributed over the years, according to foreign reports, to dozens of various kinetic attacks, cyberattacks, the manufacturing infrastructure to support the Iranian nuclear program and rocketry, and strategic goals.

And also, a systematic and sophisticated attack on hundreds of senior members of the nuclear and missile project. (See the book by Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, 'Shadow Wars'). Various publications also hinted at by security officials about the possibility of a military strike against its nuclear project.

The Israeli activity to thwart the Iranian nuclear project stems from the strategic concept of 'prevention', of thwarting and neutralizing the threats, as much as possible, before they materialize, and not waiting until this capability is realized and then confronting it. Of proactive and offensive activity, of preventive striking as part of a defensive strategy.

This strategy has many benefits. The attacker has a built-in advantage. He has the initiative, which determines the timing of the attack, and can take advantage of the defender's weaknesses, and most importantly, surprise the defender in a way that will cause him to lose balance. The defender's initiative for a defensive preventive strike, by surprise, covers for inferiority, allowing him to surprise. To be proactive and not just responsive. And neutralize the threat. Sometimes the thwarting of the defender against the enemy is during the development of a 'break-even' weapon to deprive him of the possibility of using it in the future, as part of a war operation.

The experience of the Israeli wars shows how crucial this strategy is to the results of the battle. Let us mention a few examples: “Operation Focus” - the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967. (It is sometimes referred to as the "Sinai Air Strike") and was one of the causes of an unprecedented victory in six days. On the other hand, avoiding a preemptive strike during the Yom Kippur war - which indirectly affected the number of casualties, especially in the first days of the war. And in the war against terror – Targeted killings by the Israel Defense Forces (also called targeted prevention or focused foiling), have occurred in the course of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict against terrorists and senior officials accused of carrying out or planning attacks on Israeli targets in the West Bank or inside Israel.  These are a very effective tool in preventing terrorism, and many more.

The strategic concept of interdiction is deeply rooted in the strategic approach of Judaism: הבא להורגך השכם להורגו

"If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him first" (Sanhedrin 62a). Some argue that morally and legally a person should not harm anyone who acts to harm him, as long as he has not yet fully exercised his intent. However, the Torah, which places the value of "saving a life" above all, anchors the halakhic-legal and moral right of the individual and the public, to take defensive action, in full force, to prevent harm. For restraint and action only after full realization of the threat may be too late.

The source for this approach is in our Parasha. The Torah commands Moshe to go out to fight against the Midianites following the nation’s sin with the daughters of Moab:

וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ צָר֖וֹר אֶת־הַמִּדְיָנִ֑ים וְהִכִּיתֶ֖ם אוֹתָֽם׃ כִּ֣י צֹרְרִ֥ים הֵם֙ לָכֶ֔ם בְּנִכְלֵיהֶ֛ם ...

“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, Assail the Midianites and defeat them— for they assailed you by the trickery they practiced against you …” (Bamidbar 25:16)

"ההוראה העיקרית של "צרור": וכו', להגביל את כוחו של אדם. המדיינים ראויים ל"צרור" ויש לשבור את כוחם; 'והכיתם אותם': עוד יהיה מוטל עליכם להכות אותם במלחמה".

"The main direction of ‘Assail’ etc.: to limit a person's power. The Midianites deserve an ‘attack’ and their power must be broken; 'and defeat them': you will still have to beat them in war" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ibid).

And in the Midrash: "'Assail the Midianites’ why? for they assailed you! Therefore, the Sages said: ‘If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him first’ (Bamidbar Rabbah 21:4, and Tanhuma Pinchas 3). Hence, going to war was not only an act of punishment for the past, but also of avoiding further harassment in the future, ‘for they assailed you’ - an enemy who opposes the very existence of the people of Israel, and is constantly looking for ways to harm them:

ולשון צוררים ר"ל מתמידים להצר לכם ומעתה הצרו להם אחר שדעתם להצר לכם

Your enemies; meaning they persist in finding ways to harm you and from now on make preventive actions for them not to trouble you" (Chai Hameiri on Tractate Sanhedrin 72a). "Because - oppressors and so on: they still threaten you like the adversary and enemy” As it was said of Haman: "The enemy of the Jews" צורר היהודים (Esther 8:1), they continue their acts of seduction that have already been crowned with great success, and in this respect, they are different from the Moabites who brought evil upon you once. Whereas the Midianites are still facing you with hostility that threatens your loyalty to G-d and your morality. This enmity, which has already been proven against you, is still nourished in their hearts by the feeling of revenge, for the president’s daughter did not die of the plague but was killed by a man from Israel" (Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ibid).