Milkhemet Mitzvah

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Milḥemet mitzvah or in Tiberian Hebrew milḥemeth miṣwah (Hebrew: מלחמת מצווה,lit. "war by commandment", or what is often termed a "religious war", a "war of obligation," a "war of duty"^[1] or a "commanded war") is the term for a war during the times of the Tanakh when a king (of the Kingdom of Israel) would go to war in order to fulfill something based on, and required by, the Torah without needing approval from a Sanhedrin, such as war against Amalek.^[2][3] In contrast, a milkhemet reshut (מלחמת רשות, "authorized war") is a discretionary war, which according to Jewish law requires the permission of a Sanhedrin.

Unlike milkhemet reshut wars, which tended to be fought to expand territory or for economic reasons and had exemption clauses, milhemet mitzvah tended to be invoked in defensive wars, when vital interests were at risk.