Ki Seitzei
Rabbi Jablinowitz
This week's parsha is full of mitzvoth, twenty seven positive commands, and forty seven negative commands. Yet precisely in this parsha of legal details we find in the sefarim many homiletic explanations to these laws. This is particularly true in the beginning of the parsha. Why is it that precisely in such a legalistic parsha we have so many metaphorical explanations of the laws?
Our parsha begins with the mitzvah of the "Yefas To'ar" which applies during an optional war. The Zohar teaches that the enemy referred to in the pasuk is the yetzer hara, the evil impulse and the desire to sin. Rav Simcha Bunim of P'shischa takes this idea a step further and teaches that this is actually the simple meaning of the pasuk. The pasuk states (Chapter 21, Pasuk 10), Ki Seitzei La'Milchama al Oyvecha, when you go to war against your enemy. The enemy is the yetzer hara .And the pausk continues, U'nesano Hashem Elokecha Beyadech, And Hashem shall place the enemy in your hands. The words Hashem Elokecha are understood to be a reference to the Torah. The way to defeat the enemy which is the yetzer hara is by studying Torah. When we are involved in Torah study then the yetzer hara will be in our hands and we will vanquish him.
This idea is taken a step further a few pasukim later. The pasuk states (Chapter 21, Pasuk 22), V'Chi Yihyeh V'Ish Cheit Mishpat Maves V'Humas, V'Salisa Oso al Eitz. When there is to a man a sin for which he is killed (by Sekilah) he is hung on a tree. Rav Tzadok teaches that it is recorded that the Arizal used this pasuk to eulogize Rav Moshe Cardovero. He explained it to mean the following. When the pasuk speaks of a man, it uses the word "Ish" whichimplies a tzadik. And the word "Cheit", which means sin, he uses in the sense of lacking or missing which is another meaning of the word "Cheit". Together this means, when you see a tzadik who is totally lacking of any sin for which he should die, and yet V'Humas, he dies, the only explanation is V'Salisa Oso al Eitz. You must attribute his death to the tree, i.e. the sin of eating from the Eitz Ha'Da'as. It is the yetzer hara inherent in man as a result of the sin of Adam Harishon that causes all to die, even such a great tzadik.
This is the reason why in a parsha with so many mitzvoth there are so many references to the yetzer hara. It is only because of the yetzer hara that man sins and that man dies even if he doesn't deserve to die, as we learn in the parsha of Ben Sorer U'Moreh who doesn't commit a sin for which he should die. And this is why Rav Simcha Bunim learns that this metaphor is simple p'shat. All of our sedra is based on the battle with the yetzer hara.
In the very next pasuk we learn of the mitzvoth of returning a lost object and of helping someone load up his animal when it is struggling under its load. In both cases the pasuk says V'Hisalamta Meihem. The simple meaning of this is that you should not see the lost object or the struggling animal and ignore it and make believe as if you didn't see it. Retrieve the lost item and help the owner load up his animal.
The Sfas Emes teaches that the repetition of these mitzvoth and of not ignoring his needs is the Torah teaching us to be sensitive of our friend's needs. And this is not limited to physical objects but includes his spiritual needs as well. We can't ignore our friend's need for spiritual assistance either. We must be used to looking out for others and not ignoring our fellow Jew.
He adds that this is particularly true for ourselves. We must be aware of our own shortcomings and improve them. We must not violate the prohibition of V'Hisalamta Meihem regarding ourselves as well. We learn from what we taught above that all of us have a basic desire for sin that must be kept in check. And if we are obligated to help others spiritually as well as financially, surely we must work on ourselves first. And only when we face our shortcomings and refuse to accept them, and are not willing to continue our own unacceptable behavior, can we be helpful to others as well.
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