From the Great Flood to the fiery destruction of the city of Sodom to the killing of Shechem to the eradication of Amalek, Canaan and Midyan, the Torah seems to take a very militant approach to dealing with sinners.  Aren’t we the people of the book not the people of the sword?  How do we explain the Torah’s surprising attachment to violence and the promotion of it?  The answer might surprise you.