Wrestle at Jabbok River

A multidisciplinary study drawing on a wide range of literary sources and combining historical and philosophical analysis of one of the central issues in modern Jewish thought: the Jewish attitude toward the use of military force.

Since the failure of the Bar‑Kokhba revolt and the complete cessation of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, Jews have rarely reflected on the moral questions of war. They regarded war as a matter for the nations, at best deferred until the coming of the Messiah. For the Jews, war held no interest except when it might affect their fate as a minority living under foreign rule.

The establishment of the Zionist movement, settlement in the Land of Israel, and political independence confronted Jews with moral issues previously unaddressed. The formation of sovereignty and the establishment of a Jewish military force represented a revolutionary shift — not only in the nation’s position compared to other nations, but also in Jewish self-consciousness and identity. This self-awareness emerged from the interplay between the historical experience of Jews in the modern era and their cultural tradition — whose role was not confined to shaping public rhetoric and collective self-image, but extended into the political and cultural decisions facing the Zionist movement. The book aims to demonstrate how Zionists’ Judaism influenced their attitude toward the idea of sovereignty and shaped their moral stance regarding the use of military power.