The factual question is whether Israel is really abusing its power. “Abuse” is in some ways a subjective term, in the sense that many factors weigh on whether the use of force is excessive. Are there plausible alternatives to using force? Is it restrained by considerations of domestic law and respect for innocent life? Is it proportionate to its objective, and is the objective worth the cost? How would other states, including other democracies, respond in similar situations — that is, if rockets fired by a terrorist group began raining down by the thousands on their own cities and towns?
More recently, the critique is that Israel is too strong for its own good — and for the good of the Jewish soul. Some American Jews on the ideological left feel ashamed of Israel: ashamed that it hasn’t created a Palestinian state, that it continues to build settlements, that it uses what they see as excessive military force against its enemies, that it fails to empathize enough with Palestinian suffering, that it has forged strong ties with morally unsavory foreign actors (from evangelical Christians to Donald Trump), and so on. Many of these Jewish critics wear this shame as if their own moral reputations and personal well-being rested on it. Implicitly, they buy into the antisemitic slander that every Jew is on the hook for the misbehavior — real or perceived — of any Jew. Brett Stephens, "the Necessity of Jewish Power"
or put false hopes in robbery;
if force bears fruit pay it no mind.
To have self-control than to conquer a city.
Let not the wise glory in their wisdom;
Let not the strong glory in their strength;
Let not the rich glory in their riches.
And your pruning hooks into spears.
Let even the weakling say, “I am strong.”
(א) בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט) מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִּי. אֵיזֶהוּ גִבּוֹר, הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז) טוֹב אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם מִגִּבּוֹר וּמשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ מִלֹּכֵד עִיר. אֵיזֶהוּ עָשִׁיר, הַשָּׂמֵחַ בְּחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קכח) יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ. אַשְׁרֶיךָ, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. וְטוֹב לָךְ, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. אֵיזֶהוּ מְכֻבָּד, הַמְכַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א ב) כִּי מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ:
(1) Ben Zoma said: Who is wise? He who learns from every man, as it is said: “From all who taught me have I gained understanding” (Psalms 119:99). Who is mighty? He who subdues his [evil] inclination, as it is said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2) “You shall be happy” in this world, “and you shall prosper” in the world to come. Who is he that is honored? He who honors his fellow human beings as it is said: “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored” (I Samuel 2:30).
(א) היאך ירגיל אדם עצמו במדת הגבורה: דַּע כִּי כָל פְּעֻלּוֹת הִתְעוֹרְרוּת יֵצֶר הָרַע הֵם מַמָּשׁ מְעוֹרְרוֹת הַגְּבוּרוֹת הַחֲזָקוֹת, לְכָךְ לֹא יִתְנוֹעֵעַ יֵצֶר הָרַע שֶׁלֹּא יְעוֹרֵר גְּבוּרָה. וְהַטַּעַם שֶׁהָאָדָם נוֹצָר בִּשְׁתֵּי יְצִירוֹת יֵצֶר טוֹב וְיֵצֶר הָרָע, זֶה חֶסֶד וְזֶה גְבוּרָה, אָמְנָם פֵּרְשׁוּ בַּזֹּהַר בְּפָרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית (דַּף מט.) שֶׁיֵּצֶר טוֹב נִבְרָא לָאָדָם עַצְמוֹ לְצָרְכּוֹ, וְיֵצֶר הָרַע לְצֹרֶךְ אִשְׁתּוֹ. רְאֵה כַּמָּה מְתוּקִים דְּבָרָיו הֲרֵי הַתִּפְאֶרֶת בַּעַל הַחֶסֶד נוֹטֶה אֶל הַיְּמִין, וְכָל הַנְהָגוֹתָיו בַּיָּמִין - יֵצֶר טוֹב. וְהַנְּקֵבָה שְׂמָאלִית וְכָל הַנְהָגוֹתֶיהָ בַּגְּבוּרָה אִם כֵּן רָאוּי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְעוֹרֵר יֵצֶר הָרַע לְתוֹעֶלֶת עַצְמוֹ שֶׁהֲרֵי מְעוֹרֵר אָדָם הָעֶלְיוֹן בַּגְּבוּרָה וּמְאַבֵּד הָעוֹלָם. אִם כֵּן כָּל מִדּוֹת שֶׁיְּעוֹרֵר הָאָדָם לְעַצְמוֹ לְצַד הַגְּבוּרָה וְיֵצֶר הָרַע פּוֹגֵם הָאָדָם הָעֶלְיוֹן, וּמִכָּאן יִרְאֶה כַּמָּה מְגֻנֶּה הַכַּעַס וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ שֶׁהוּא מַגְבִּיר הַגְּבוּרוֹת הַקָּשׁוֹת, אָמְנָם יֵצֶר הָרַע צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת קָשׁוּר וְאָסוּר לְבִלְתִּי יִתְעוֹרֵר לְשׁוּם פְּעֻלָּה שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם מִפְּעֻלּוֹת גּוּפוֹ לֹא לְחִמּוּד בִּיאָה וְלֹא לְחֶמְדַּת מָמוֹן וְלֹא לְצַד כַּעַס וְלֹא לְצַד כָּבוֹד כְּלָל.
(1) Chapter 6 - How a person can accustom himself with the trait of severity (gevurah): Know that all actions of the arousal of the evil impulse truly arouse the strong severities. Hence he should not activate his evil impulse, so that he not arouse Severity. And the explanation is that a man is created with two impulses - the good impulse and the evil impulse, this is Kindness and that is Severity. However they explained in the Zohar in Parshat Bereishit (p. 49a) that the good impulse was created for the man himself for his need, and the evil impulse was created for the need of his wife. See how sweet are its words - Splendor, which is the husband of Kindness inclines to the right; and all of His actions are with the right, the good impulse. And the Female (Kingship) is to the left and all of Its actions are with Severity. If so, it is fitting not to arouse the evil impulse for his own sake; as he so arouses the Highest Man in Severity and destroys the world. If so, any traits that a man arouses for himself that are from the side of severity harms the Highest Man. And from this, he should see how disgraceful anger and anything like it is - as it intensifies the harsh severities. Indeed, the evil impulse must be tied and bound, that it not arouse any action in the world, from the actions of his body - not for the desire for intercourse, nor for the desire for money, and not from the angle of anger and the angle of honor at all.
(ז) הגבורה תפתה את האדם. בראותו את עצמו כי הוא בין חביריו ככפיר בעדרי צאן, ויבטח בעוצם כחו, אם יקומו עליו וינצח אותם, אינו מכיר חסד השם אשר הצילו מידם, ולא יהלל וישבח, רק יאמר בכח ידי עשיתי, ומהשם יסור לבו ויכפור בעיקר, כמו שאירע לגולית הפלשתי שחירף אלהי מערכות ישראל.
(ח) רפואתו כיצד. ישיב אל לבו ויתבונן כמה גבורים נכשלו בגבורתם, וגרמה להם שעה ונפלו ביד חלשים. וכי אין גבור שיוכל להמלט מן הפגעים, כגון שתגף באבן רגלו, או יפול מן הגג, או יטבע בנהר, או יחלה, או שאר פגעים כיוצא באלו שאין לגבורה עסק בהם, ואין לאדם מושיע ומציל מהם, כי אם השם ב"ה אשר לו הישועה. וישים אל לבו שיר של פגעים, ויראה כי אין לו מחסה ולא מסתור כי אם סתר עליון, ולא מחסה אם לא יחסה בו. ומי הוא זה ואיזה הוא גבור כגולית, ולפי שסמך על גבורתו ובטח בכלי זיינו וכובע נחשת בראשו וחניתו כמנוד אורגים, ויבז את דוד, לכן נפל בידו, ודוד, שבטח בשם אשר לו הגבורה, גזל החרב מידו והתיז את ראשו, וכן אמ' לו בגשתו אליו, אתה בא אלי בחרב וגו'. כאשר יסתכל ויתבונן האדם בטעמים האלה ובפרטיהם, תתחונן דעתו עליו, ויפקיד רוחו ביד אלהי הרוחות לכל בשר הנותן לאדם כח לעשות חיל, ואז ישח גבהות לבו וישפל רום עיניו, והבוטח בשם חסד יסובבנהו.
(7) Strength seduces a person. When he sees about himself that, among his fellows, he is like a lion among flocks of sheep, he will trust in the power of his strength: If they rise up against him and he defeats them, he will not recognize the hand of God that saved him from their hand, so he will not hail and praise [God]. Rather, he will say, "I did it with the strength of my hand." So his heart will turn from God and he will deny a major principle, as happened with Goliath the Philistine, who blasphemed the God of the Jewish war encampments.
(8) What is its antidote? He should put into his heart and contemplate how many strong men failed with their strength; due to the circumstances, they fell into the hands of weaker ones. [Likewise should one contmplate] that there is no strong man who can escape accidents, like hitting his foot on a rock, falling from the roof, drowning in a river, getting sick or other accidents that are similar to this, that have no connection to strength. So the only salvation and rescue for someone from them is God, may He be blessed, who has the salvation. He should attach a poem of accidents to his heart, and see that he has no protections and no shelter other than the supernal Shelter; and that he has no protection if he does not seek protection from Him. For 'who is the one and which one is it' who is as strong as Goliath? But because he relied upon his strength and trusted in his weapons and the copper helmet on his head and his spear, that was like a weaver's shaft, he disparaged David; that is why he fell into his hand. Whereas David who trusted in God, who was his strength, stole the spear from his hand and severed his head. And likewise did he say to him when he approached him (I Samuel 17:45), "You come to me with the sword, etc." When a person looks at and contemplates these things and their particulars, he will place his mind towards Him and plant his spirit in the hand of the 'God of the spirits of all flesh,' 'who gives strength to men to establish power.' And then the haughtiness of his heart will bow down and he will lower his uppity eyes. But 'kindness will surround the one who trusts in God.'
(ז) כְּשֶׁצָּרִין עַל עִיר לְתָפְשָׂהּ. אֵין מַקִּיפִין אוֹתָהּ מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹתֶיהָ אֶלָּא מִשָּׁלֹשׁ רוּחוֹתֶיהָ. וּמַנִּיחִין מָקוֹם לַבּוֹרֵחַ וּלְכָל מִי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה לְהִמָּלֵט עַל נַפְשׁוֹ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר לא, ז) "וַיִּצְבְּאוּ עַל מִדְיָן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת משֶׁה". מִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ שֶׁבְּכָךְ צִוָּהוּ:
(7) When a siege is placed around a city to conquer it, it should not be surrounded on all four sides, only on three. A place should be left for the inhabitants to flee and for all those who desire, to escape with their lives, as it is written Numbers 31:7: 'And they besieged Midian as God commanded Moses.' According to tradition, He commanded them to array the siege as described.
In her seminal 2007 book, Jews and Power, Ruth Wisse notes that the Hebrew prophets “linked a nation’s potency to its moral strength, putting the Jews on perpetual trial for their political actions before a supreme judge.”