Of Rosh's main requirement for those who wish to join his band, Daniel says,
"Rosh asks of them all just one thing. They must hate the Romans, and be willing to go on fighting til the last cursed one of them is driven from the land and Israel is free" (Chapter 2).
Rosh is singleminded in his desire for vengeance against the Romans. He is driven by hatred, and nothing and no one will stand in the way of his goal. He fosters no sense of unity or comaraderie among his men; to him, they are nothing more than a means to an end, and if one of them should be captured while doing his bidding, he is essentially on his own. Rosh's cold-blooded attitude towards his men is illustrated when Joel is captured while following his orders. Rosh is unconcerned about Joel's fate, and refuses to send men to...
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help in securing his rescue.
Rosh professes to want to free the Israeli people from Roman oppression, but he cares little for those he plans to liberate on an individual level. He wantonly steals from the poor farmers and shepherds to feed his band and keep them armed, considering it their obligation to support those who purportedly would fight for them.
Rosh's main requirement for those who wish to join him is hate, and his whole mission is defined by a desire to exact vengeance. His basic philosophy, based on a lack of care or consideration for anything other than the violent cause is evidenced by his actions and those of the men who follow him, and it is not long before his organization is recognized for the ruthless, unprincipled band of thieves that it is.
What are Rosh's main requirements for joining his band?
One of Rosh's main requirements for the men and boys who join him is that they do not have "a soft streak." He accuses Daniel of having this when he helps the old man he accosted and stole from on the road early in the novel and then again when Daniel tries to warn Rosh that he is hurting rather than helping the Jews with his constant raids on their fields. Rosh tells Daniel,"There's a flaw in you, boy, a soft streak....Like a bad streak in a piece of metal....When the day comes there'll be no place for weakness" (110). Rosh defines "weakness" as caring for other people, which is what Jesus defines as "strength." This is one important difference that distinguishes the two leaders and by means of which Daniel must decide his own moral compass.
The easiest way to answer this question is to say that Rosh requires all his people follow his rule and do what he commands, no questions asked. Rosh is an arrogant and callous ruler, full of hate. He wants what he wants, and he cares little how it happens. The things his gang members are expected to do include to live in isolation with the band, to steal, to fight, and to commit themselves to the removal of the Romans from Israel.