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

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 08:16:30PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
> 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?

But I think the Rambam is saying that MM is not a mitzvah in and of
itself. Rather, it's a milkhamah that is also a mitzvah for other reasons,
including "just a mitzvah of hatzalat nefashot", or mechiyas Amaleiq or
evicting the 7 ammim.

Recall that according to the Rambam, the latter two could be also
be accomplished through outreach without war, as geirei toshav are
(leshitaso) not Kenaanim nor Amaleiqim anymore. It's not like they are
necessarily "thou shalt attack" any more than hatzalas nefashos is.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

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