Parshat Ki Teitzei (When You Will Go Out)
CARLSBAD, California — This week we read the portion titled, “Ki Teitzei,” which means “When you will go out.” The laws about how to treat a female captive are then shared. Later in the portion we are introduced to the idea of a “Milchamat Rishut,” an optional war.
There were different types of war that the Jewish people would engage in. Those wars that entitled conquering the Holy Land were called, “Milchamot Mitzvah,” “Mitzvah” wars, as it was a positive commandment to conquer the land and expel the Canaanites, who were exceedingly evil people. Lest we accuse the Israelites of being colonialists it is appropriate to remember that the Canaanites had driven off the offspring of Noah’s son Shem, from whom the Jewish people trace our roots. In other words, the Jews were simply repatriating the land that belonged to them and which the Almighty had given in a bequest to Abraham our father.
Astonishingly we learn about a different type of war – a war that was optional. The Torah explains that under certain circumstances the Jewish people would be allowed to expand the borders of Israel and fight wars with her neighbors in order to conquer additional lands. Now this does seem like colonialism! Additionally, we understand that war is a dangerous business. Do we not view life as being the ultimate currency? Are we not commanded to transgress almost the entire Torah (other than idol worship, murder, and adultery) to save a life?
This begs the question: why would the Torah allow an optional war?
The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory, offers us profound insights into the nature of the relationship of a people to its land as well as the intense human desire to own land, and any other material thing for that matter.
The teaching is based upon the critical premise that reality in this world is a reflection of the desires of G-d; that our reality is a reflection of and emanates from the spiritual reality. When the Creator formed the world and created humanity to populate it, in His perfect wisdom, He created specific lands that were aligned with specific peoples. It was no accident that, for example, the Egyptians populated Egypt, the Babylonians populated Babylon, and the Israelites populated Israel. Each land was conducive to the specific people to whom it was given. Each respective people would bring out the best in its designated land and vice versa. This means that each people had the tools as well as the potential to reveal the G-dliness within its particular land.
This explanation seems to strengthen our question! If a particular people is placed in a particular land who are we to choose to dislodge that people and conquer that land?
We see that the Jewish people were exiled from the Holy Land not once, but multiple times. Why? The exiles were caused by our people not fulfilling their destiny and neglecting to reveal the sparks of G-dliness found within our particular patch of land at a given time. In a manner of speaking, the land itself expunged us. This is how the Torah says it would be and the Prophets also emphasize this point numerous times.
In this regard the surrounding nations mirrored the Children of Israel. There were times when they neglected to fulfill their divinely mandated mission thusly failing to reveal the sparks of holiness within their land. It then became incumbent upon the Jewish people to conquer that land – the optional war was born.
This explanation can be extended to help us understand a very powerful drive with which we are imbued. Most people are driven to own material possessions. From houses to cars to clothing to gadgets we all want more, bigger, better. Most of us realize the need to curb our enthusiasm for material wealth lest we become enslaved to material pursuits at the cost of our spiritual health. The proverbial tail wagging the dog is not viewed in a positive light. But this explanation helps us understand that the underpinnings of this drive are not necessarily evil. When we understand that this drive is created from our desire to reveal the G-dliness found within the material we begin to grasp the massive potential we have to elevate the physical realm!
In order to keep these desires harnessed, to make sure that we view the material world and its riches as a means to an end rather than the end itself we need the direction of the Torah. Our desire to accrue material wealth does not trump the laws of the Torah which describe how we are to attain wealth legally. We may not steal, and if we do (Heaven forfend), that G-dly spark in that bit of material wealth will not be elevated. On the other hand, when we follow the rules, for example when we have fair weights and measures, and when we have the right intention, meaning to generously share our accrued material wealth with those less fortunate, we are promised success to a degree that borders on the miraculous. Thereby we have successfully navigated the sea of materialism gleaning the best from the world around us and harnessing it to reveal its underlying holiness.
When we can do this we have revealed our G-dly spark and we literally uplifted our material surroundings demonstrating the truth – that the Almighty is indeed right here!
Wishing everyone an uplifting, joyous, and healthy Shabbos!
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Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort is Director of Coastal Chabads and Chabad at La Costa. Rabbi Eilfort welcomes readers’ comments and questions and may be reached at RabbiE@ChabadatLaCosta.com.