You are standing on a hilltop, watching children play soccer on a dusty patch of dirt in the valley below. Hours earlier, that same field had been too dangerous for anyone to cross. What changed? Not diplomacy. Not negotiations. The presence of American military strength had created a bubble of safety where life could flourish again. This scene captures the nature of protection and peace. On this Veterans Day, I would like to share a truth that runs through our tradition, the Jewish warrior as a sacred calling. Toward the end of Deuteronomy (31:6), Moses speaks these words to the Israelites:
Chizku v’emtzu ahl-tiru v’ahl-taahrtsu meepnahem
“Be strong and resolute, be not in fear or in dread of them; for the Lord your God Himself marches with you: He will not fail you or forsake you.”
These words aren’t just for encouragement. They were a commissioning, a sacred charge that echoes through Jewish service in the armed forces.
Our sages teach us that pikuach nefesh, the saving of human life, overrides almost every other commandment. Shabbat rules can be bent to save a life; non-kosher food can be eaten if necessary for survival; the Yom Kippur fast can be broken in the event of illness or declining health. The preservation of life takes precedence over nearly everything else in Jewish law. Military service is pikuach nefesh on a national level. When Jewish service members deploy overseas, when they stand watch around the world and at home, when they train for hazardous missions—they are fulfilling one of Judaism’s highest callings.
As a rabbi, I served as a military chaplain in the U.S. Air Force for more than 25 years. Though I have held many roles in my life, in family and profession, my time in the military is one I look back on with fondness, patriotism and pride.
Military chaplains, in particular, are uniquely called to “serve those who serve.”
The chaplain’s role is to advise leadership and provide a moral and spiritual compass in places of extreme complexity.
Early in my career, I had the privilege of being the assigned chaplain to an F-16 fighter squadron. Every week or 10 days, I would visit with the maintainers, pilots and crew chiefs just to see how things were going, to show a presence, stating, “I am here for you.” As part of my routine, I would pay a courtesy call to the commander and senior NCO (non-commissioned officer) to let them know I was “roaming their buildings.”
Each time I would stop by, the commander would disengage from whatever tasks, phone calls or discussions to escort me on my rounds. After the third or fourth time, I said, “Sir, I can’t help but feel that I interrupt your day and create a distraction for you when I visit the squadron.”
He took a long pause, raised his hand flat and said, “As a pilot, I have been taught about thrust, lift and vector.” He rocked his hand from side to side, mimicking a plane flying through the air. He flipped his hand, palm up and continued, “But I know that God holds my plane in the palm of His hand—and you’re His representative.
“You remind me that I need to look after my folks.”
Pikuach nefesh on the grand scale.
The same God who was with David when he faced Goliath, who was with the Maccabees when they reclaimed the Temple, has been with Jewish service members in the jungles of Vietnam, the deserts of Iraq, the mountains of Afghanistan and the trials of the home front. The battlefields of war and of personal struggle do not separate one from God. Often, it becomes a sacred space and an expression of our highest faith. It is the place where God’s presence is most real.
One of the deepest expressions of love and service is to stand between evil and innocence with the resolve and the strength to make a difference. All soldiers and veterans understand this principle—with pride and patriotism—and often served as guardians of life and the protectors of the innocent.
The Hebrew word gibbor, often translated to “warrior,” is frequently used to describe service members. But it means so much more than simply someone who fights. In its fullest sense, the word means “the strong, or powerful; one who protects the weak.” Those who have served, both living and dead, encompass every facet of what it means to be gibborim.
Just as every parent who protects their children from harm, every citizen who refuses to be a bystander when others are threatened, America’s veterans stand tall as mighty defenders throughout God’s world.
On this Veterans Day, we remember the service of soldiers, sailors and airmen who represent Judaism’s highest callings—the protection of life, the defense of freedom and the preservation of human dignity. Military service is a form of worship and a testimony to faith. The God who commanded us to be strong and courageous, may He continue to strengthen our hands and our hearts for the work of justice and peace.
Yevarechecha Adonai v’yishmerecha. May the Lord bless you and keep you, especially those who have kept watch over others. Chazak v’ematz. Be strong and courageous. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
