The A-bomb and Jewish Ethics

Said Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai: Peace is so great that all blessings are included in it (Ps. 29:11) “Hashem will give strength to His people, Hashem will bless His people with peace”. Hizkiah said two things. Hizkiah said: Peace is so great that all mitzvot are written [in the conditional form] (Exodus 23:4-5) “If you see” “If you encounter” (Deut. 22:6) “If you happen by” – if a mitzvah came to your hand, you are bound to do it. However, here (Ps. 34:15) “Seek peace and pursue it.” Seek – [this word applies] in your own place; pursue – [this word applies] in any other place. Hizkiah said gave another explanation: Peace is so great that about every travelling of the children of Israel it is written ‘and they travelled’ ‘and they encamped’ they travelled disputing [with each other] and encamped disputing. But when they arrived at Mount Sinai they did one single encampment, as it is written ‘and Israel encamped [verb in singular] there’ – it is not written ‘they encamped there’, rather, it is written ‘he encamped there.’ At the moment the Holy One of Blessing said ‘this is the moment I will give Torah to the children of Israel’.

(1) A war is never waged against anyone before peace is offered. This applies both to an obligatory war and to a permitted war, as it is written “when you get near a city to wage war against it, you must offer peace” (Deut. 20:10). If they agree and accept upon themselves the seven mitzvot given to the children of Noah, not a single soul is to be harmed, and they are to pay taxes , as it is written “they will pay taxes and serve you” (Deut. 20:11). If they accepted taxes but not servitude, or servitude and not taxes, we don’t listen to them, until they accepted both. …

(7) When a city is sieged to be conquered, we do not surround the four sides of it , rather, only three, and a place is selected as a place where whoever wants to flee and save their lives can, as it is written: And they warred against Midian, as Hashem commanded Moshe (Num. 31:7) from the wording we understand that he was commanded.

(8) We do not cut fruit-bearing trees that are outside the place, and we do not withdraw water so they will shrivel and die, as it is written: you must not destroy its trees (Deut. 20:19) and whoever cuts them receives lashes. And this does not apply just to the siege, but in every place whoever cuts down a fruit-bearing tree just to destroy receives lashes. But we do cut a tree if it is damaging other trees, or others’ field, or if its value is great – the Torah only forbids in the case of destruction.

(9)Any fruitless tree can be cut, even if it unnecessary – and this applies to a fruit-bearing tree that was damaged and cannot bear fruit anymore, or if it bears only such a small quantity that we don’t bother harvesting it. And how much is necessary for it not to be cut? An olive tree – a quarter kav; a date tree – a full kav.

(Songs 3:7) "Behold the bed of Solomon, sixty" is even this [word Solomon holy]? No, it goes as what Samuel said: A Government which kills only one out of six is not punished; for it is said: My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand — for the Kingdom of Heaven; and two hundred for those that keep the fruit thereof — for the kingdom on earth.