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The Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, is primarily a theological text, the basis of revealed Jewish faith. However, as an inherently political document, the Tanakh can also be read as a strategic text, recounting the successes and failures of a small political unit surrounded by empires in a dangerous corner of the world. This seminar will identify five major themes: the moral status of violence, the role of deception in warfare, the nature and justification for preemption, the necessity of intelligence, and the reality of great-power politics. In each case, a biblical narrative will be compared to an incident in Israeli military history, allowing students to grapple with political, ethical, and strategic themes from historical, religious, and philosophical viewpoints.