War and the Military in Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach’s Halakhic Decisions

Abstract

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (1910–1995) was one of the most influential Halakhic authorities of the twentieth century. Although he was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Rabbi Auerbach dealt with the complexity of army and military life. This article shows that he possessed of a clear “operational way of thinking,” reflecting deeply on the unique needs of the military of the Jewish State. Additionally, the article examines various approaches of filling the normative gap in issues of war and the military. Rabbi Auerbach based his specification of the Halakhah on his personal understanding and his own S’vara , that is, Halakhic logic.