# 10. Is This a Milchemet Mitzvah?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/10-is-this-a-milchemet-mitzvah
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/10-is-this-a-milchemet-mitzvah.md
Podcast: [The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010)
Published: 2026-05-11T09:47:09+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/2acbc12b
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/2acbc12b/54d3f960.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/episodes/10-is-this-a-milchemet-mitzvah
Duration seconds: 2633

## Resource

Recorded in the midst of painful and urgent questions surrounding war, leadership, and Jewish identity, this shiur dives into one of the deepest Torah concepts of our time: מלחמת מצווה. Drawing from Avraham Avinu, Yehoshua bin Nun, Rav Herzog, Rav Soloveitchik, and Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore what it actually means for Jews to fight a war with clarity, holiness, and purpose. Is defending Am Yisrael enough to define a war as holy? Does leadership need to understand why it’s fighting? And what happens when soldiers possess more אמונה than the people commanding them? From October 7th to Yehoshua stopping the sun in Givon, this episode wrestles honestly with the tension between Torah, Zionism, המדינה, and the spiritual destiny of Am Yisrael. ---------- For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening Remarks and Chuppah Experience 01:00 Why Do We Fight? The Core Question 03:05 Defining Milchemet Mitzvah vs. Reshut 05:08 Exploring the Traits of the Patriarchs 07:13 Joshua’s Conquests and Future Promise 11:05 The Mystery of the Sun That Stood Still 13:13 October 7th — Was It a Milchemet Mitzvah? 21:28 Is the Conflict Considered Milchemet Amalek? 24:10 Scope of Milchemet Mitzvah Explained 25:32 Rav Herzog and the State of Israel 31:10 Kol Dodi Dofek and the Zionist Debate 36:40 The Tension Between Torah and State Leadership 44:15 Can the Army Become Spiritually Aligned? 50:20 The Bottom-Up Generation of Redemption 54:00 Final Reflections and Closing Words

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