[Avodah] border issues.....pikauch nefesh??

[Zev Sero]

On 26/05/2011 3:46 PM, Lisa Liel wrote:
> Arei sfar are arei sfar, and the halakha regarding them is
> hardly dependent on messianic or pre-messianic eras. Absent a source
> that brings down the halakhot relating to arei sfar (border towns) with
> exceptions for overall well being of the public, I don't see how such
> a claim can be made.

The law about border towns is *about* safety.  It has nothing to do with
EY, let alone Moshiach; in fact the gemara is talking about border towns
in Nehardea, not in EY!  The criterion is "that the land should not become
easier for them to conquer".  Any territory that, if it were in enemy hands,
would be strategically useful to them, must be retained.  Any territory
that will not help the enemy, should they decide to conquer the land, may
be given up.  And certainly territory that's a military liability, i.e. it
would be difficult to defend, and the military would much rather *not*
have it in the event of a war, may be given away.

But I'm not sure that defending Jewish areas of Nehardea is a milchemet
mitzvah.  Where do you see that?  It seems to me that it's just a mitzvah
of hatzalat nefashot, of "lo taamod al dam re`echa", but it doesn't have
a special status.   Maybe I'm wrong; is the term used that way anywhere?

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                      - Margaret Thatcher