War. What is it good for?

Rabbi James Rudin (a former U.S. Air Force chaplain) recently wrote a piece in the Staten Island Advance about Jewish views on various issues in war.

The Hebrew Bible and the Jewish religious tradition offer keen insights and teachings about combat and warfare. Because nothing ever came easy to the ancient Israelites-famine, Egyptian slavery, the Exodus, 40 years in the wilderness, endless battles among themselves and with others-the Bible describes the fierce battles and armed conflicts they faced.

I didn’t find anything groundbreaking here but, as Rabbi Rudin points out, war is something that is on our minds a lot these days and certainly deserves some discussion.