milchemet reshut
nounEtymology Borrowed from Hebrew מִלְחֶמֶת רְשׁוּת.
1
Judaism A war commanded by a ruler rather than God.
2
Judaism A war not fought out of necessity.
- The war in Southeast Asia, far from being a milchemet chovah in the defense of South Vietnam, is a milchemet reshut against the entire civilian population of all Vietnam.1995, Moses Rischin, edited by Jeffrey S. Gurock and Marc Lee Raphael, An Inventory of Promises: Essays on American Jewish History, Carlson Pub, →ISBN: