Rabbi David Etengoff
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Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Eliezer ben Sarah, Anshul Pinchas ben Chaya and Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.

 
 
Our parasha begins with the following pasuk (verse): “If you go out to war against your enemies, and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives. (Sefer Devarim 21:10, this and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  Basing himself upon the Midrash Sifrei on our pasuk, Rashi (1040-1105) notes that our verse refers to the common practice of taking captives during the course of a standard war scenario.
 
Most of the classic meforshim (commentators) follow Rashi’s lead and employ it as the basis of their analyses. A very different approach, however, is offered by the kabbalistic work, Zohar Chadash, in its commentary on our verse which emphasizes our ability to conquer the yetzer harah (the evil inclination) in spiritual battle:

And regarding the matter, “if you go forth against your enemies,” − this refers to none other than the yetzer harah [whose power] we are obligated to remove [from ruling over us]. [The most efficacious manner of so doing] is through acceptance of the Torah’s words, in order to fight against it. [If we are successful in this endeavor, then] he [i.e. the yetzer harah] will [finally be] under the hegemony of mankind. As the text states: “…and the L-rd, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives.” (Parashat Ki Tetze, 96a, translation and brackets my own)
 
In many ways, the Zohar Chadash’s ethically-infused explication of our pasuk is precisely what we need during this period of the year. After all, we are in the middle of Chodesh Elul, the Hebrew month that preeminently represents our desire to draw closer to Hashem and reinvigorate our relationship with Him. Once again, we are preparing ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we will stand before the Master of the Universe and beg Him for long and healthy lives, successful and honest livelihoods, and the overall happiness of our families, friends, and entire nation. As our passage notes, laser-sharp focus upon the Torah and its mitzvot will enable us to overcome the yetzer harah and its beguiling temptations, and bring us closer to achieving the physical and spiritual outcomes that are first and foremost on our minds during this time of  teshuvah (repentance).
 
In a complementary presentation, the Talmud Bavli, Berachot presents the practical steps that an individual must undertake in order to win the spiritual and ethical war against the yetzer harah:

Rabbi Levi bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish (Reish Lakish): At all times an individual must rouse the yetzer tov (positive inclination) [to do battle against] the yetzer harah. As the text states: “Bestir yourselves and do not sin…” (This and the following Bible quotations, Sefer Tehillim 4:5) If one is successful [by following this approach], then all is good. If not, one must occupy oneself with Torah study. As the text states: “say in your hearts [i.e. your minds].” If one is successful [by following this approach,] then all is good. If not, one must occupy oneself with the recitation of Kriat Sh’ma (Sh’ma Yisrael). As the text states: “upon your beds” [− similar to the wording of Kriat Sh’ma]. If one is successful [by following this approach,] then all is good. If not, one must remember that someday in the future one will ultimately encounter one’s day of death. As the text states: “and be silent forever.” (5a, translation and brackets my own)
 
In Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish’s estimation, the steps for achieving complete victory over the yetzer harah are quite clear:

• Rousing the yetzer tov over the yetzer harah
• Torah study (re-establish correct priorities)
• Kriat Sh’ma (refocus upon Hashem’s presence and existence)
• Reflecting upon the notion that one day we will pass from this world to the next (and stand in judgment before the Almighty)

 
Fascinatingly, Reish Lakish provides us with four different modalities for going to war against the yetzer harah. With deep psychological and spiritual insight, he recognizes that teshuvah is not a “one size fits all experience.” Instead, each step and its successor is designed to reach the heart, mind and soul of a particular group of people and encourage them to re-examine and re-fortify their relationship with the Almighty. Perhaps, this is the underlying rationale as to why the celebrated pasuk, “Restore us to You, O L-rd, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old,” (Megillat Eichah 5:21) is stated in the plural − to teach us that there are many different paths to bring us closer to our Creator. With Hashem’s help and our fervent desire, may we each find our own. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Eliezer ben Sarah, Anshul Pinchas ben Chaya and Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
 
Our parasha contains the celebrated verse, “Justice (tzedek), justice (tzedek) shall you pursue (tirdof), [in order] that you may live and possess the land the L-rd, your G-d, is giving you.” (Sefer Devarim 16:20, Bible and Rashi translations except where noted, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach)  In his Commentary on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105), basing himself on a variety of Rabbinic sources, explains the words, “justice, justice shall you pursue,” as referring to one’s obligation to “seek out a good court,” in order to ensure that true and abiding justice will be achieved. Given his stature in Jewish thought, this has become the classic way of understanding our phrase.
 
Rabbi Benjamin Yudin shlita, Rav in Fairlawn, New Jersey, and Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University, once made reference to a different application of “tzedek, tzedek tirdof” that focuses upon “affirming with certainty that what’s yours is really yours:”

Alexander the Great once visited the community of Afriki and wished to observe its judicial system. Two men came before the king for justice. The first said, “I purchased a plot of land from this man, and when I dug to lay the foundation of a home, I found a treasure buried there. I only bought the land, not the treasure, therefore it is not mine.” The seller said, “I, too, am fearful of the biblical prohibition of ‘lo tigzol’- ‘do not steal’ and I, too, do not want it back unless it is definitely mine.” The king (judge) asked the buyer if he had a son, he answered “yes.” The seller answered positively to having a daughter. “Wonderful,” said the king, “let them marry and share the treasure.” (Midrash Vayikra Rabbah, 27:1, http://torahweb.org/torah/2009/parsha/ryud_shoftim.html)
 
Like the story in this Midrash, Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa (Rabbeinu Behaye, 1340 – 1255) stresses the importance of tzedek in all of our actions. In so doing, he explains our phrase’s repetition of “tzedek” in a highly original manner:

One must be particularly careful to infuse both his actions and words with justice; for it is precisely these matters wherein it is possible for a person to harm himself and others. Therefore, the verse states “tzedek” twice, once to refer to him and once to refer to others…As such, it is fitting and proper for each and every person among the Jewish people to ensure that their words and actions are permeated with justice. As the text states: “The remnant of Israel shall neither commit injustice nor speak lies; neither shall deceitful speech be found in their mouth, for they shall graze and lie down, with no one to cause them to shudder.” (Sefer Tzephaniah 3:13, Rabbeinu Behaye translation and underlining my own)
 
Without a doubt, the expression, “tzedek, tzedek tirdof” has become a watchword among the Jewish people. This concept was given powerful voice in our own time by United States Associate Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in her stirring speech at the Capitol Rotunda on Holocaust Memorial Day, April 22, 2004:

My heritage as a Jew and my occupation as a judge fit together symmetrically. The demand for justice runs through the entirety of Jewish history and Jewish tradition. I take pride in and draw strength from my heritage, as signs in my chambers attest: a large silver mezuzah on my door post, … on three walls, in artists’ renditions of Hebrew letters, the command from Deuteronomy: “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof” — “Justice, justice shall you pursue.” (http://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance/past-days-of-remembrance/2004-days-of-remembrance/ruth-bader-ginsburg)
 
With Hashem’s help, may we each pursue the noble goal of tzedek, tzedek tirdof, in order that we may ever be counted among those who “neither commit injustice nor speak lies.” If we can achieve this lofty goal, we will be well on our way to fulfilling the prophet Micha’s ancient words: “O man, what is good, and what does the L-rd demand of you; but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your G-d.” (Sefer Micha 6:8, translation my own)  May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
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Shabbat Shalom
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.

​
 
Rabbi David Etengoff
 
Dedicated to the sacred memories of my mother, Miriam Tovah bat Aharon Hakohen, father-in-law, Levi ben Yitzhak, sister-in-law, Ruchama Rivka Sondra bat Yechiel, sister, Shulamit bat Menachem, Chaim Mordechai Hakohen ben Natan Yitzchak, Yehonatan Binyamin ben Mordechai Meir Halevi, Avraham Yechezkel ben Yaakov Halevy, Shayna Yehudit bat Avraham Manes and Rivka, and Shoshana Elka bat Avraham, the refuah shlaimah of Yakir Ephraim ben Rachel Devorah, Eliezer ben Sarah, Anshul Pinchas ben Chaya and Tzvi Yoel ben Yocheved and the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world.
 
Our parasha contains the obligation to physically destroy all objects used in the act of avodah zarah (idol worship):

You shall utterly destroy from all the places where the nations, that you shall possess, worshipped their gods, upon the lofty mountains and upon the hills, and under every lush tree. And you shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their asherim [living trees worshipped as idols] with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place. (Sefer Devarim 12:2-3; these and all Bible translations, The Judaica Press Complete Tanach.)
 
Destruction of this nature must be total and without compromise. Every trace of avodah zarah must be expunged from every corner of Eretz Yisrael.
 
In stark contrast to these verses, we are enjoined to treat the Almighty's holy places in a decidedly different manner: “You shall not do so to the L-rd, your G-d.” (Sefer Devarim 12:4)  One of the specific laws that is derived from this verse is the prohibition of physically obliterating even one letter of Hashem’s name. As such, we find the following statement in the Sifrei, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Devarim:

Rabbi Yishmael asked: “From where do we know that destroying even one letter of Hashem’s name causes an individual to violate a negative Torah prohibition? [This may be derived from the juxtaposition of:] ‘…and destroy their name from that place’ to ‘You shall not do so to the L-rd, your G-d.’” (Section 61, translation my own)
 
Paradoxically, however, Sefer Bamidbar, 5:11-26 presents us with the obligation to destroy Hashem’s name. Part of the Sotah process (determining the status of a woman accused of marital infidelity) discussed in these verses entails writing the Megillat Sotah, a document that contains the name of the Almighty. The Rambam (Maimonides, 1135-1204) in Sefer Mishneh Torah, basing himself upon Talmud Bavli, Sotah 17a, stresses that the name of Hashem, in its complete written form, is erased in the bitter waters of the Sotah ritual:

Afterwards, a scroll of ritually acceptable leather is brought forth...Upon this scroll is written all of the oaths that the kohen had her take letter-by-letter and word-by-word. In addition, the name of G-d is written thereupon as it is written in the Torah… and the Sotah scroll that was written specifically for her is crushed therein [i.e. in the bitter waters] The crushing of this scroll must be totally thorough so that there does not remain any impression whatsoever upon it. (Sefer Nashim, Hilchot Sotah 3:8 and 10, translation and underlining my own.)
 
We are met with a true contradiction. On the one hand, in our parasha, the Torah commands us to treat the Name of Hashem with all the holiness it deserves. We are warned against destroying even one letter of His holy Name. Yet, the Sotah process mandates the destruction of that very Name! How are we to understand this challenging inconsistency?
 
Not surprisingly, Chazal (our Sages of blessed memory) wrestled with this problem. In my estimation, one of their clearest resolutions is found in Talmud Yerushalmi, Sotah 1:4, where a conversation between Rabbi Meir and his students is recorded regarding a disturbing scene they witnessed between a woman and their beloved teacher. The students felt that their august rabbi had been woefully mistreated. Rabbi Meir, however, understood the interaction in an entirely different manner. He knew that the seemingly disparaging behavior that his students witnessed ultimately served a holy purpose – the reunion of the woman and her husband. He therefore responded to them:

The honor of Meir [i.e. he was speaking about himself in the third person without his rabbinic title] cannot be viewed as being on the same level as that of his Creator. As such, in regards to the Holy Name that was written in total holiness (kedushah), the Torah states that one [nonetheless] must obliterate it in the [bitter] waters in order to bring about peace between a husband and his wife, all the more so should we not act in the same manner regarding the honor of Meir? [i.e., can I possibly be “more important” than Hashem?] (Translation and underlining my own)
 
Rabbi Meir’s response to his students enables us to view the Sotah ritual, and its concomitant obliteration of Hashem’s name, in an entirely new light. Though at first glance it may appear to be a trial by ordeal, nothing could be further from the truth. In the vast majority of cases, the authentic purpose of the Sotah process was to reunite a couple in shalom bayit (marital harmony). Given the holy purpose of reconciliation of  husband and wife, nothing could or should stand in the way. Even the destruction of the Divine Name itself is a small price to pay to achieve marital harmony and peace.
 
The Rambam applies Rabbi Meir’s explanation to clarify how one should act in the following halachic dilemma: “What should one do when there are insufficient funds to buy oil for both the Shabbat lights and the Chanukiah (Menorah)?”  He answers in the following fashion:

The Shabbat lights take precedence since they bring about marital harmony. After all,
G-d’s Name itself is obliterated [in the Sotah process] in order to bring about peace between a man and his wife. Great is peace (shalom), since the entire Torah was given to bring about peace in the world.  (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Zemanim, Hilchot Chanukah 4:14, translation and emphasis my own.)
 
Once again, peace in its broadest sense, and shalom bayit in particular, are prime imperatives within the authentic Jewish mindset.
 
The connection between the unique holiness of Hashem’s Name and the pursuit of shalom is a natural one, for as Chazal teach us, one of the names of G-d is “Shalom.” (Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 10b). In his commentary on this Talmudic phrase, Rabbi Shmuel Eidels (1555 – 1631) explains that this is the case, since:
​
…this behavioral characteristic [i.e. shalom] is not found in man in any sense whatsoever. As such, the Name of the Holy One, may He be blessed, is quite fittingly Shalom because it is He and He alone who makes peace in our world. (Maharsha, Chidushei Aggadot, Shabbat 10b, translation and brackets my own)
 
Rav Eidels’ words are reminiscent of the concluding words of the Kaddish that have echoed throughout the ages: “May He who makes peace in His high places, make peace for us and all Israel” (The Koren Siddur, translation and commentary, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks)  With Hashem’s blessing and help, may this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.
 
Shabbat Shalom
 
Past drashot may be found at my blog-website: http://reparashathashavuah.org
They may also be found on http://www.yutorah.org/ using the search criteria of Etengoff and the parasha’s name.
 
The email list, b’chasdei Hashem, has expanded to hundreds of people. I am always happy to add more members to the list. If you have family or friends you would like to have added, please do not hesitate to contact me via email mailto:[email protected].
 
*** My audio shiurim for Women on the topics of Tefilah and Tanach may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/8hsdpyd
 
*** I have posted 164 of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s English language audio shiurim (MP3 format) spanning the years 1958-1984. Please click on the highlighted link.