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Bravely Fighting Evil
Parshat Ki Teizei: Deuteronomy 21:10-
25:19; Isaiah 54:1-54:10.
p
erhaps the most prominent
mitzvot in the Torah portion
of Ki Teitzei which has
the distinction of containing more
commandments than any other Torah
portion — relate to issues of
soldiers and war, beginning
with the unit of the female
war captive and conclud-
ing with the war against
Amalek.
In light of our proxim-
ity to the recently con-
cluded military campaign
Protective Edge in Israel, it
is appropriate to address a
particular Torah perspec-
tive on waging war. In
Chapter 7 of Laws of Kings,
Maimonides states:
"When a Jewish soldier enters into
battle, he must put his faith in the
Savior of Israel and must concentrate
on the fact that he is waging war for
the sake of God. He must push away
fear and dread and not think of his
wife and children, but rather erase
them from his mind and focus all his
attention on the battle.
"One who entertains distracting
thoughts, which might bring him to
fear, violates the Torah verse 'Let your
hearts not be faint; you shall not be
afraid, and you shall not be alarmed,
and you shall not be terrified because
of them: (Deuteronomy 20:3)."
Is it really possible for a soldier to
erase fear from his mind when facing
the possibility of death? In the sum-
mer of 1927, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak
Schneersohn, the sixth Lubavitcher
Rebbe, was arrested and sentenced to
death for his activities of spreading
Judaism in the former Soviet Union.
He resisted all attempts to elicit the
information about his activities and
the names of those who worked with
him.
At one point, one of his interroga-
tors pointed a gun at him and sneered,
"This toy has opened many people:'
Calmly, the Rebbe responded, "This
toy can 'open people who have one
—
world and many gods; it will have no
impact on those who have one God
and two worlds:'
When children are raised and
educated with a belief in God and
the eternity of the Jewish
soul, they are enabled and
empowered to transcend
fear. During the last few
months, Jews in Israel wit-
nessed daily an extraordi-
nary level of Divine protec-
tion. Thousands of missiles
were shot toward civilian
populations, with minimal
casualties, and many open
miracles were recorded.
The bravery, sensitivity and
moral compass of the IDF
are unsurpassed in military
history. We are especially proud of our
Detroiters, many who are products of
the Jewish day school system, who dis-
tinguished themselves in Gaza.
Our rabbis explain that the opening
words of the Torah portion — "when
you go out to war over your enemies"
— also refer to the daily battle we all
wage against the evil within and the
evil without, a battle that can only be
won with courage, fortitude and per-
sistence.
We find ourselves now in the month
of Elul, preparing for Rosh Hashanah
and the High Holidays, a time of intro-
spection when we attempt to reveal the
treasures within our God-given souls
— the power of faith, courage and self-
sacrifice.
The young men who fought so
bravely on behalf of their Jewish breth-
ren, some giving up life and limb for
Israel, inspire us to strengthen our-
selves in our battle to destroy evil and
to bring goodness and kindness and
Godliness into the world around us.
In their merit, may we all be
inscribed in the Book of Life and sal-
vation.
ir
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Elimelech Silberberg is a rabbi at Sara and
Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center
in West Bloomfield.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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September 4 • 201
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