There is this idea being pushed that being a religious, pious Jew is contradictory to being a soldier and a fighter. Ironically, if you spend five minutes reading Tanach, you will find story after story about the greatest Jewish figures in history and their military brilliance and courage. It doesn’t just speak of it, it celebrates and applauds it. Bravery, courage, and fighting are all virtues that Jewish leaders always had, in addition to being spiritual leaders.

Yet today, people insist that serving in the army is something that a religious Jew should never do. (Some have even said that it is “יהרג ואל יעבור,” it is better to be killed than to transgress. Obviously, they don’t really mean it, but it gives you the idea of how strongly they feel about this.)

It is unfortunate that they don’t teach Tanach in yeshivos. However, lucky for you guys, I am a Rav.

Let’s start at what is essentially the first time the Jewish nation went to war, Yaakov and Esav. In Bereishit 32, when Yaakov learns that Esav is approaching with four hundred men, the Torah says:

“וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ, וַיַּחַץ אֶת הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ…”
“Yaakov was very afraid and distressed, and he divided the people who were with him…” (Bereishit 32:8).

So first, he divides the camp, that’s a strategic move. Then, only after arranging the camp and making practical plans, the Torah continues:

“וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב, אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי אַבְרָהָם וֵאלֹהֵי אָבִי יִצְחָק…”
“And Yaakov said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac…’” (Bereishit 32:10).

Yaakov only prayed after the tactical preparation. He didn’t pray and hope that nobody would hurt him, he took it upon himself to protect his family. He didn’t stand at the back and let someone else do the fighting while he davened, he got up and did it himself.

It goes on to say, “וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ” “Yaakov was very afraid and distressed” (Bereishit 32:8). Rashi explains, ”שֶׁמָּא יֵהָרֵג, שֶׁמָּא יַהֲרוֹג” “He feared both being killed and having to kill.” 

He was clearly very aware of what it might come to and was not disillusioned at all about what he was preparing for. He knew this could potentially be a bloody war and he faced it head on.

His tefillah follows his preparation, it is not instead of it. He teaches that faith untested by responsibility is not faith at all, and that bitachon is not the absence of fear but the ability to act upon it, knowing that God will give you the courage and strength to face challenges head-on. Bitachon is not waiting for someone else to do something, it is getting up and saying that there is a threat in front of me, and I am trusting God that He will leave me victorious because I am fighting for His will. Strategy and fighting, for Yaakov, was Avodat Hashem in that moment, not a compromise of belief, but its realization.

I could go on and on with many examples of Jewish leaders who have reached the heights of spirituality and who have also been thoroughly battle-tested. Here are three such examples:

The Torah presents Yehoshua as the model of faith translated into action. 

“וַיִּלָּחֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עִם עֲמָלֵק,” “And Yehoshua fought with Amalek” (Shemot 17:13). 

He doesn’t delegate or spiritualize the problem, he steps into it. His battle in this scenario is not about conquest but continuity, preserving the covenant in real space and time. Yehoshua teaches that leaders don’t just teach values and preach sermons, they lead in all realms, including the physical.

David HaMelech is perhaps the most complete expression of Torah and courage coexisting, because he wrote Tehillim, the poetry of the soul, and also led armies with strategy and discipline. King David is probably the best reminder that strength and spirituality are not opposites, they are different expressions of the same covenantal duty.

This next one is for the ladies. (See, I am not a misogynistic jerk.)
 

At a time of national paralysis, it was a prophetess, not a general, who reignited Israel’s resolve.

 “וַתִּשְׁלַח וַתִּקְרָא לְבָרָק בֶּן־אֲבִינֹעַם… וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הֲלֹא צִוָּה ה’ אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵךְ וּמָשַׁכְתָּ אֶל־הַר תָּבוֹר,” “She sent and summoned Barak son of Avinoam and said to him, Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you: Go, gather your men to Mount Tabor?” (Shoftim 4:6)

Devorah didn’t ask for a miracle, she demanded action. Her words ,”קוּם בָּרָק”” were faith turned into action, a reminder that belief without initiative isn’t faith at all, it’s stupidity.

When we say Torah protects, we mean that spirituality shapes reality. Torah and moral conviction change the way we live in the world. 

Values become infrastructure.

Belief becomes behavior. 

Spiritual life defines priorities. 

But protection isn’t passive, and holiness that hides from the world is incomplete. It is our job to embody Torah and its values in the physical realm and make the world a better place. The Torah’s heroes weren’t cowards or too holy to do “the dirty work.” They built, led, and fought when needed. Faith was never an excuse to avoid responsibility, it was the reason to take it. To live by Torah is not to avoid the world, it is to elevate it. And if they could do it, so can we. Not because the State demands it, but because the Torah expects it.