Toxic People Don’t Need Help Destroying Themselves | Parsha Shiur Shoftim 5785

The Rambam writes that no war may ever be waged by the Jews without first offering the other side a peaceful solution. This according to the Rambam applies even to Amalek.But why? Why offer our arch enemies a way to make peace with us? The Midrash insists that this was Moshes’s initiative. After he seemingly deviated from Hashem’s instructions and offered Sichon a peaceful option, Hashem swore that from now on every war fought by every Jew must be waged this way.

מקורות

רמב״ם הלכות מלכים פרק ו׳ הלכות א׳ וד׳

פרשת שופטים דברים פרק כ׳ פסוקים י׳ - י״ב

פירוש רש״י על פסוק י׳

מדרש רבה דברים פרשה ה׳ פיסקא י״ג

מדרש רבה שמות פרשה מ״ו פיסקא א׳