How do we hold onto our humanity when we are fighting for our survival?

In this rigorous lecture at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Community Leadership Program, Shalom Hartman Institute President Donniel Hartman explores the agonizing tension between being a mensch (a person of moral decency) and a warrior in the post-October 7th era. Beginning with the creation story in Genesis, Donniel unpacks what it truly means to be created in the “image of God”. He explains how Jewish tradition uses Mitzvah (commandments) not just as rituals, but as a behavioral training system designed to overcome human mediocrity, proving that “the heart follows the actions”. Applying these ancient texts to modern warfare, Donniel dives into the “Spirit of the IDF”—the Israeli military’s code of ethics. He discusses why fear is the ultimate enemy of morality, and why insisting that soldiers fight a “just war justly” is the defining battle for the soul of the Jewish State today.

For the sources visit: https://shalomhartman.org/hartman_d_h…