The War Behind the War: The Rabbis Redefining Israel’s Battlefield Morality

Since the outbreak of the “Swords of Iron” war, while soldiers battled on the frontlines, a different kind of war has been waging behind the scenes – a moral and ethical one conducted by "Torat HaMedina".

Torat HaMedina is a Beit Midrash and research institute located in Yerushalim that has been working intensively to shape a contemporary Jewish code of warfare that rooted in Torah values.

Leading the organization are Rabbi Yaakov Yakir and Rabbi Yair Kartman, who have never settled for teaching Torah alone. Over the past decade, they have built an impressive record of shaping strategic frameworks for Jewish public leadership — in fields such as family law, halacha, the rabbinical court system, and the place of Judaism within the Israeli public sphere.

The two have long stood at the forefront of efforts to defend the honor of Torah and the rabbinate against attempts by left-wing organizations and the judiciary to restrict their influence and subvert the Jewishness of Israel.

A Jewish Ethical Code to Replace a Western One

At the heart of their work lies one profound question: What does a moral war look like through a Jewish lens?

Instead of the non-effective existing IDF ethical code, the organization proposes alternatives based on halachic, philosophical, and national thought. Their goal: to offer a moral framework that speaks the language of Jewish sovereignty and identity, not one borrowed from Leftist Western Academia as the has been IDF following for the last 50 years.

Policy Papers, Public Discourse, and Government Outreach

In the midst of combat in Gaza, the organization has released a series of research and policy papers on some of the most complex and controversial issues of the war, including:

These were distributed to Members of Knesset, senior IDF officers, rabbis, yeshiva heads, and public policy influencers, making Torat HaMedina an unexpected but impactful player in the national decision-making process.

From the Talmud to YouTube

In addition to their scholarly and policy work, the organization is active across the public arena and their materials have been featured in mainstream and religious media outlets, including Israel National News, Tchumin, and Hashiloach. They’ve also appeared in podcasts, YouTube videos, and lectures – bridging the gap between the Beit Midrash and the broader Israeli public.

A Vision for the Future

The organization is currently preparing to publish a comprehensive volume outlining the ethical foundations of Jewish warfare – a step toward a full alternative code of conduct for the IDF.

For Torat HaMedina, this isn’t just about wartime it's about shaping the very soul of the Jewish state in the aftermath of crisis and providing for a better future.