YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ki Tetze
Translated by Hillel Fendel
The scene is an IDF base somewhere in the Negev, featuring the last day of an intensive training course for new artillery cadets, including a hesder yeshiva soldier named Uziyah. The day began with each soldier practicing on his own, one at a time, on "dry" – that is, without real ammunition. For long and tiring hours under the hot sun, the soldiers run, direct their weapons again at the cardboard targets, yell, "Fire! Fire!", fall, jump up again, run, shoot - over and over and over.
Then comes the climax: The exercise is held on "wet." One after the other, the soldiers approach the commander, who guides each one through the exercise as they run and storm ahead and fire real bullets. Uziyah watches as the soldier before him roars battle cries and storms forward with full force towards the cardboard stands. He smiles to himself at his friend's battle-cries and over-enthusiasm. And then it's his turn. Uziyah lies down at the opening position, inserts a loaded magazine, and carefully aims his rifle at the targets. The commander touches his shoulder and asks, "OK, ready? You'll get them?"
Uziyah, the delicate yeshiva boy, answers characteristically, "I hope so, with G-d's help." The commander turns red with rage: "You HOPE!? There's a Hizbullah cell in front of you! You're gonna mow them down?! You'll fight the way you have to?!"
Suddenly, a different and new emotion surges inside Uziyah's heart. It is suddenly crystal clear to him that the way one behaves in yeshiva is not the same as when fighting a war. War requires forces of courage, daring and breaking out to strike at and smash the enemies of G-d and Israel. Uziyah finds himself roaring like his comrades before him, "I'll smash them, I'll get them, I'll mow them down!", jumping up like a tiger to storm the targets before him.
This week's portion is Ki Tetzei, "When you go out to war against your enemies…" Going to battle means "going out," leaving our regular routine and habits. The Torah educates us to gentle behavior, to making concessions, and certainly not to kill – under normal circumstances. But in wartime, killing Israel's enemies is a mitzvah, and requires one to become nearly a different person, one with great strength and aggressiveness. These are traits that can cause a person to lose the proper balance.
We know that when a child draws "out of the lines," it is often because he is drawing with abandon, without control – and this causes him to burst past the boundaries. This is what is required, on a much large scale, in wartime – but the danger then arises that he will "burst the boundaries" in other areas as well. He may be more prone to sinning with women, for instance, for he is in a state of releasing his powerful life forces.
And this is why this Torah portion begins with, "When you go out to war… and see a beautiful woman in captivity." The Torah does not require the soldier in this situation to stifle his urges, but rather to direct them in a positive direction. He is permitted to take this woman - but only with several restrictions, including not touching her until a full month has passed and he marries her properly. The Torah, in this case, addresses itself to the soldier's negative urges, and requires that they be channeled correctly.
The Torah teaches us to develop strengths and forces for wartime - and then not to let them run wild with no restrictions.
We learn other important lessons as well from this unique chapter. For one thing, the ethics of war are not the same as those of peacetime. This is particularly important nowadays, when there are those who unfortunately seek to apply regular moral standards to the unique situation of wartime. Such an approach of "being merciful to the cruel" leads, in the end, to "being cruel to the merciful," as our Sages teach, and to the loss of innocent lives on the Jewish side.
Secondly, a Jew must serve G-d at all times, in the specific manner appropriate for each situation. Just as we blow the shofar on Rosh HaShanah and sit in a Sukkah on Sukkot, and certainly not the opposite, so too regarding our character traits: We must always seek out the proper mode of behavior for each setting.
May we merit during this month of Elul to succeed in directing our life forces in the most appropriate manner, so as to serve G-d the best way possible.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
The scene is an IDF base somewhere in the Negev, featuring the last day of an intensive training course for new artillery cadets, including a hesder yeshiva soldier named Uziyah. The day began with each soldier practicing on his own, one at a time, on "dry" – that is, without real ammunition. For long and tiring hours under the hot sun, the soldiers run, direct their weapons again at the cardboard targets, yell, "Fire! Fire!", fall, jump up again, run, shoot - over and over and over.
Then comes the climax: The exercise is held on "wet." One after the other, the soldiers approach the commander, who guides each one through the exercise as they run and storm ahead and fire real bullets. Uziyah watches as the soldier before him roars battle cries and storms forward with full force towards the cardboard stands. He smiles to himself at his friend's battle-cries and over-enthusiasm. And then it's his turn. Uziyah lies down at the opening position, inserts a loaded magazine, and carefully aims his rifle at the targets. The commander touches his shoulder and asks, "OK, ready? You'll get them?"
Uziyah, the delicate yeshiva boy, answers characteristically, "I hope so, with G-d's help." The commander turns red with rage: "You HOPE!? There's a Hizbullah cell in front of you! You're gonna mow them down?! You'll fight the way you have to?!"
Suddenly, a different and new emotion surges inside Uziyah's heart. It is suddenly crystal clear to him that the way one behaves in yeshiva is not the same as when fighting a war. War requires forces of courage, daring and breaking out to strike at and smash the enemies of G-d and Israel. Uziyah finds himself roaring like his comrades before him, "I'll smash them, I'll get them, I'll mow them down!", jumping up like a tiger to storm the targets before him.
This week's portion is Ki Tetzei, "When you go out to war against your enemies…" Going to battle means "going out," leaving our regular routine and habits. The Torah educates us to gentle behavior, to making concessions, and certainly not to kill – under normal circumstances. But in wartime, killing Israel's enemies is a mitzvah, and requires one to become nearly a different person, one with great strength and aggressiveness. These are traits that can cause a person to lose the proper balance.
We know that when a child draws "out of the lines," it is often because he is drawing with abandon, without control – and this causes him to burst past the boundaries. This is what is required, on a much large scale, in wartime – but the danger then arises that he will "burst the boundaries" in other areas as well. He may be more prone to sinning with women, for instance, for he is in a state of releasing his powerful life forces.
And this is why this Torah portion begins with, "When you go out to war… and see a beautiful woman in captivity." The Torah does not require the soldier in this situation to stifle his urges, but rather to direct them in a positive direction. He is permitted to take this woman - but only with several restrictions, including not touching her until a full month has passed and he marries her properly. The Torah, in this case, addresses itself to the soldier's negative urges, and requires that they be channeled correctly.
The Torah teaches us to develop strengths and forces for wartime - and then not to let them run wild with no restrictions.
We learn other important lessons as well from this unique chapter. For one thing, the ethics of war are not the same as those of peacetime. This is particularly important nowadays, when there are those who unfortunately seek to apply regular moral standards to the unique situation of wartime. Such an approach of "being merciful to the cruel" leads, in the end, to "being cruel to the merciful," as our Sages teach, and to the loss of innocent lives on the Jewish side.
Secondly, a Jew must serve G-d at all times, in the specific manner appropriate for each situation. Just as we blow the shofar on Rosh HaShanah and sit in a Sukkah on Sukkot, and certainly not the opposite, so too regarding our character traits: We must always seek out the proper mode of behavior for each setting.
May we merit during this month of Elul to succeed in directing our life forces in the most appropriate manner, so as to serve G-d the best way possible.
In order to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox every week, subscribe to the Israel National Torah newsletter here.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
