During the Second Lebanon War, Israeli troops foundthemselves on Lebanese soil, required to carry out their mission without basic equipment. Some soldiers were ordered to either carry army rations, which was difficult, or to forage in the villages. Soldiers reported that in some cases they had to arrange food for themselves. One of my colleagues, a reservist captain in an elite unit, described to me how his unit baked pitas and cooked rice in an Arab village using local facilities.A serious question arose regarding non-kosher food. Obviously, in a situation of pikuah nefesh, one is permitted and even required to eat non-kosher food; however, there are sources in halakha that indicate that there is a unique leniency in wartime for doing so.
(י) וְהָיָ֞ה כִּ֥י יְבִיאֲךָ֣ ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֜רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לָ֣תֶת לָ֑ךְ עָרִ֛ים גְּדֹלֹ֥ת וְטֹבֹ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־בָנִֽיתָ׃ (יא) וּבָ֨תִּ֜ים מְלֵאִ֣ים כׇּל־טוּב֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־מִלֵּ֒אתָ֒ וּבֹרֹ֤ת חֲצוּבִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־חָצַ֔בְתָּ כְּרָמִ֥ים וְזֵיתִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־נָטָ֑עְתָּ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָֽעְתָּ׃
(10) When your God יהוה brings you into the land that was sworn to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be assigned to you—great and flourishing cities that you did not build, (11) houses full of all good things that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and you eat your fill,
(א) וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְגוֹ', יַזְכִּיר בְּכָאן כִּי בִּרְבוֹת הַטּוֹבָה יִזְכֹּר יְמֵי עָנְיוֹ וּמְרוּדוֹ שֶׁהָיָה עֶבֶד בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְלֹא יִשְׁכַּח אֶת הַשֵּׁם שֶׁהוֹצִיאוֹ מִן הָעַבְדוּת הַהוּא לַטּוֹבָה הַזֹּאת, אֲבָל יִזְכֹּר חֲסָדָיו תָּמִיד וְיִירָא אוֹתוֹ וְיַעֲבֹד לְפָנָיו כְּעֶבֶד לַאֲדוֹנָיו. וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (חולין יז) יִרְמֹז עוֹד כִּי הַטּוֹב הַהוּא אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא בַּבָּתִּים הַמְּלֵאִים מֻתָּר, אֲפִלּוּ הָיוּ שָׁם דְּבָרִים הַנֶּאֱסָרִים בַּתּוֹרָה, כְּגוֹן קָדְלֵי דַּחֲזִירֵי אוֹ כְּרָמִים נְטוּעִים כִּלְאַיִם אוֹ עָרְלָה, וַאֲפִלּוּ בַּבּוֹרוֹת יִתָּכֵן שֶׁהָיָה בַּחֲצִיבָתָן דְּבַר אִסּוּר בַּטִּיחַ אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶן, אוֹ הִזְכִּיר הַבּוֹרוֹת דֶּרֶךְ מְלִיצָה לְהַזְכִּיר רִבּוּי הַטּוֹבָה, וְהִשְׁלִיט אוֹתָם בְּכָל הַנִּמְצָא בָּאָרֶץ, בַּמֻּתָּר וּבָאָסוּר. וְהִנֵּה הֻתְּרוּ לָהֶן כָּל הָאִסּוּרִין זוּלָתִי אִסּוּר ע"ז, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיְּבָאֵר עוֹד (דברים ז':כ"ה) לֹא תַחְמֹד כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב עֲלֵיהֶם וְלָקַחְתָּ לָךְ וְגוֹ', וּלְכָךְ יַזְכִּיר כָּאן בַּפָּרָשָׁה שֶׁאַחֲרֵי כֵן (דברים ז':ה') מִזְבְּחוֹתֵיהֶם תִּתֹּצוּ וְגוֹ', לְאַבֵּד ע"ז וּמְשַׁמְּשֶׁיהָ, וּשְׁאָר כָּל הַנִּמְצָא בָּאָרֶץ מֻתָּר. וְהָיָה הַהֶתֵּר הַזֶּה עַד שֶׁאָכְלוּ שְׁלַל אוֹיְבֵיהֶם. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים בְּשֶׁבַע שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ, וְכֵן נִרְאֶה בַּגְּמָרָא בְּפֶרֶק רִאשׁוֹן מִמַּסֶּכֶת חֻלִּין (שם). וְהָרַב כָּתַב בְּהִלְכוֹת מְלָכִים וּמִלְחֲמוֹתֵיהֶם (רמב"ם פ"ח ה"א), חֲלוּצֵי צָבָא מִשֶּׁיִּכָּנְסוּ בִּגְבוּל הַגּוֹיִם וְיִשְׁבּוּ מֵהֶם מֻתָּר לָהֶם לֶאֱכֹל נְבֵלוֹת וּטְרֵפוֹת וּבְשַׂר חֲזִיר וְכַיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ אִם רָעַב וְלֹא מָצָא מַה יֹּאכַל אֶלָּא מַאֲכָלִים אֵלּוּ הָאֲסוּרִים, וְכֵן שׁוֹתֶה יֵין נֶסֶךְ, וּמִפִּי הַשְּׁמוּעָה לָמְדוּ וּבָתִּים מְלֵאִים כָּל טוּב עָרְפֵי חֲזִירִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. וְאֵין זֶה נָכוֹן, שֶׁלֹּא בִּשְׁבִיל פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ אוֹ רְעָבוֹן בִּלְבַד הֻתַּר בִּשְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה אֶלָּא לְאַחַר שֶׁכָּבְשׁוּ הֶעָרִים הַגְּדוֹלוֹת וְהַטּוֹבוֹת וְיָשְׁבוּ בָּהֶן הִתִּיר לָהֶם שְׁלַל אוֹיְבֵיהֶם, וְלֹא בְּכָל חֲלוּצֵי צָבָא אֶלָּא בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ לָתֵת לָנוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בָּעִנְיָן. וְכֵן יֵין נֶסֶךְ שֶׁהִזְכִּיר אֵינוֹ אֱמֶת, שֶׁבְּכָל אִסּוּרֵי ע"ז הִיא עַצְמָהּ וּמְשַׁמְּשֶׁיהָ וְתִקְרֹבֶת שֶׁלָּהּ הַכֹּל אָסוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ז':כ"ו) שַׁקֵּץ תְּשַׁקְּצֶנּוּ וְתַעֵב תְּתַעֲבֶנּוּ כִּי חֵרֶם הוּא. וְאִם לֹא נִתְכַּוֵּן הָרַב אֶלָּא לְהַתִּיר סְתָם יֵינָן בְּמִלְחָמָה, וְכִי לָמָּה הֻצְרַכְנוּ לְדָבָר זֶה, אִסּוּרֵי תּוֹרָה הֻתְּרוּ, גְּזֵרוֹת שֶׁל דִּבְרֵיהֶם יִהְיוּ אֲסוּרוֹת:
(1) Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Laws of the Kings and their Wars:276Rambam’s Mishneh Torah (or Yad Hachazakah) encompasses the whole scope of Jewish law and consists of fourteen books, with each book divided into chapters. The Laws of the Kings and their Wars is found at the end of the fourteenth book. The text quoted is in 8:1. “Armed soldiers, when they enter the border of the nations and loot from them, are permitted to eat n’veiloth and treifoth277See Vol. IV, p. 347, Note 14. the flesh of swine and the like if they are hungry and do not find anything to eat except for these forbidden foods [i.e., only in the case of emergency are they permitted to eat these foods]. Similarly they may drink yayin nesech (wine dedicated to an idol). From tradition the Rabbis have learned: ‘And houses full of all good things267Verse 11. — the necks of swine and the like.’” But this is not correct. For it is not because of danger to life or of hunger alone in time of war that [forbidden foods] were made permissible; rather, after they captured the large and wealthy cities and settled in them, was the spoil of their enemies permitted to them. And not to all armed soldiers [in any war throughout does this law apply as the Rabbi seems to hold], but only to [those who conquered] the Land which He swore to [give to] our fathers, as is explained in the subject before us. [Rabbi Moshe’s ruling that the dispensation applies to] yayin nesech is also incorrect, for all forbidden articles pertaining to idolatry — the idols themselves, their appurtenances, and their offerings — are all forbidden as it is said, thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it, for it is a doomed thing.278Further, 7:26. And if the Rabbi’s intent was to permit in wartime only wine which was merely under suspicion of having been dedicated to idolatrous worship [which is a Rabbinic prohibition] — why do we need a Scriptural interpretation for this? If Scriptural prohibitions were permitted [to them], could subjects of a Rabbinic decree be forbidden?!
Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik attempts to explain the dispute.* The Rambam, he says, understands that the Torah's heter is based on war, while the Ramban understands that it is the food itself (the heftza, or object) which is permitted at the time of entry to the Land of Israel.This explanation justifies the Rambam's application of the heter to soldiers only, as well as the reason this law applies to all wars; however, it does not necessarily explain why the Rambam limits the heter to situations when the soldiers are hungry.
The Application of the Heter in the PastRabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Hafetz Hayim; Russian Empire, 1839-1933) wrote the first halakhic work for Jewish soldiers, Mahaneh Yisrael. His audience was made up of Jewish draftees in the army of Czarist Russia.In his book, he strongly opposes the idea of eating non-kosher foodduring military service." He argues that one can survive without eating non-kosher meat. He also encourages the Jewish communities to open their homes to the soldiers and offer them kosher food.During World War II, Chief Rabbi Herzog was asked whether the soldiers of the Jewish Brigade were allowed to eat non-kosher food. In his responsum, he quotes the above sources and argues that even according to the Rambam's opinion, there is no room for leniency. His reason is that the Rambam's heter applies only in a war conducted completely by Jews; however, in World War II, Jewish soldiers were only part of a coalition fighting a global war. He then adds a significant remark that should be noted: although World War II was not a "classic" Jewish war, Rabbi Herzog argues, it was still important to participate in it, as the enemy was a cruel one aiming to destroy the Jewish people.Rabbi Avraham Avidan, deputy chief rabbi of the IDF, addressed a question which came up during the First Lebanon War. He was asked by soldiers whether they were allowed to eat the fruits and vegetables growing in the local villages of Lebanon. Although his responsum deals with different questions than ours (the main question is theft), he does mention our halakha. He quotes the above view of Rabbi Yosef Karo in the Kesef Mishneh as well as Rabbi Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik's explanation of the Rambam, and he concludes that these opinions lead us to the ruling that the special needs of war permit soldiers to eat non-kosher food even if they are not in life-threatening situations.In his book, Rabbi Mordechai Halpern, an expert in medical ethics and a former IDF chaplain, discusses a situation in which an elite unit that was deep behind enemy lines found a warehouse of non-kosher food. In this specific case, the soldiers had their own army rations with them. Would they still have been allowed to eat the non-kosher food?First, he mentions that this question exists only according to the Rambam's opinion. According to the Ramban, the rule does not apply today. This fact makes our question a mahloket between Rishonim. The matter is of biblical nature. In cases in which we face a halakhic dilemma due to a safek (doubt), the rule is to follow the more stringent opinion for biblical issues. This itself is reason to prohibit eating the non-kosher food. However, Rabbi Halpern argues that even according to the Ram-bam, it would be prohibited; he understands (as explained above) that the Rambam's heter is only bediavad. He thus concludes that, according to all opinions, the soldiers are not allowed to eat the non-kosher food unless they are in a situation of pikuah nefesh.