The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #17
Torah Study: Redeeming the Captive Soul
Parshas Ki Tetzei
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
(Devarim 21: 10-13) When you go out to war on your enemies and Hashem your G-d will deliver him [i.e. your enemies] into your hand and you will retake the one he took captive. And you see a beautiful woman and you desire her and take her for a wife. And you bring her into your house and she uncovers her head and grows her nails. And she removes her dress of captivity from her and she sits in your house and cries over her father and mother for a month and afterward this you can come to her and become her husband and she your wife.
In this week's portion many of the commentators suggest that the verses above have allegoric meaning. The 'enemy' is the evil inclination who we are instructed to wage war with. The source for this novel interpretation can be found in the Zohar Chadash on this week's portion. The following is a free-style translation of how the Zohar interprets these verses. Rebbi Shimon says that the verse refers to a time when the people neglect their good inclination, the yeitzer hatov in favor of the yeitzer harah – the evil inclination. As a result, our neshama - soul becomes a captive. In such circumstances, says Rebbi Shimon, the verse instructs us to go to battle armed with the words of Torah to redeem our captive soul. Rebbi Shimon explains that there is nothing that can break the yeitzer harah and release his grip on our captive soul other than the words of Torah. Rebbi Shimon cites the verse in the Shema that we recite every day. "And these words [of the Torah] should be upon your heart[s]." [The Hebrew word for heart is written in a form that indicates there are two hearts. One is the 'good' heart the other is the 'bad' heart.] When we place the words of Torah upon both hearts Hashem promises to help us redeem the captive soul from the clutches of the yeitzer harah. Rebbi Yehuda remarked that while he could understand why Torah study needs to be used against the yeitzer harah, it seems perplexing why Torah needs to be applied to the yeitzer hatov as well! Rebbi Shimon answered him that in order to be victorious in this battle it is necessary to apply the study of Torah to both the good and bad inclinations. While the Torah adorns the yeitzer hatov with a crown it forces the yeitzer harah to surrender.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin clarifies this teaching of the Zohar. The verses in our parsha do not explicitly mention Torah study as the preferred weapon in this battle. Where does the Zohar derive this from? Rav Tzadok explains that the Zohar understood that if the first verse in our parsha is really a metaphor for our struggle with the yeitzer harah, then there must be some hint in the Torah how to be victorious in this battle. Rav Tzadok explains that it is alluded to in the first verse of the parsha "Hashem your G-d will deliver him [the enemy] into your hand". The two words "Hashem Elokecho" are the clue that the Zohar picked up on to interpret the verse in our parsha. These two words: Hashem Elokecho are identical to the two words that appear in the second line of the Shema: "And you shall love Hashem Elokecho [your G-d] with all of your heart[s], all of your soul, and all of your strength. And these words that I command you today should be upon your heart[s]. And you should teach them to your children and discuss them, etc." These verses, which we recite daily in the Shema, refer to the study of Torah. They teach us that we should put the words of Torah in our hearts and teach them to our children, and discuss and talk about them always.
Another clue is the fact that the verses in the Shema refer to the heart in the plural form. Clearly the Torah is not telling us that we have two physical hearts. Rather, the verses in the Shema use the heart as symbolic of our desires and inclinations. Once we cut through all the camouflage we can reduce our drives down to two: good and bad. In our hearts we have two directions, two desires, two inclinations: yeitzer hatov and yeitzer harah. So the Zohar drew the conclusion that the first verse in our parsha which metaphorically refers to the battle against the yeitzer harah, and the subsequent verses of the Shema are intimately connected. After drawing the correlation between the verses in the Shema and the first verse of our parsha the Zohar interprets the verse in our parsha in this vein. "When you go out to war on your enemies, i.e. yeitzer harah; Hashem Elokecho, i.e. the study of Torah, will deliver the enemy in your hand".
Rav Tzadok goes on to expand on this idea in greater depth. "And these words [of the Torah] should be upon your heart[s], i.e. both your 'good heart and your 'bad' heart. The totality of our being is comprised of two antithetical drives. Part of us is filled with the desire to love and fear Hashem and to do that which is moral and righteous. But there is another part of our being that pushes us in a totally different direction. These are the two 'hearts' that the verse refers to. In our parsha the Torah uses allegory to describe the struggle between these two 'enemies'. The good and the bad within us are in a constant battle. The Torah advises us to approach this struggle as an army would plan a rescue mission to redeem its soldiers that fell into enemy hands. It also teaches us which weapons to prepare ourselves with for the battle. If we want to succeed in this internal struggle we must be willing to go to war. Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that the most important thing to wage war about is the good and evil within us.
In addition to our firm commitment to the battle we will need a powerful weapon. The Torah teaches us that the only weapon that will suffice is the study of Torah. Through intense Torah study the words of the Torah penetrate our heart[s]. Both the yeitzer harah and the yeitzer hatov, who dwell in our heart, are affected by Torah study. The yeitzer harah will be broken and subdued by the sanctity of Torah. But why does the yeitzer hatov need Torah? To this Rebbi Shimon in the Zohar explains that the yeitzer hatov acquires a crown through Torah study. The crown is a symbol of a monarch. Through Torah study we become intimately attached to Hashem the King of kings. The yeitzer hatov with a crown on its head is an imposing figure to which the yeitzer harah has no choice but to surrender. The crown of Torah on our heads turns us into princes. When the prince is in trouble the King will come to his aid.
Rav Tzadok then poses an interesting question. Isn't our 'good' side naturally inclined to goodness and morality? Can't we rely on our own instinctive goodness to prevail as Rav Yosef Karo prescribes in the Shulchan Aruch 1:1? "When a person puts [all of the following] into his heart: that the great King the Holy One may he be blessed, who fills the universe with his glory, stands upon him and sees his deeds as the verse in Jeremiah 23:24 states "Can a person hide in concealment and I will not see?? So says Hashem." Due to this awareness, the person will immediately acquire a sense of awe and surrender in fear of Hashem may He be blessed and [the person will also] feel a sense of shame from Hashem always". This is also the meaning of what the Talmud in Brachos 5a teaches us: "a person should always excite his yeitzer hatov over his yeitzer harah".
Rav Tzadok explains that although the Talmud is certainly giving us sound advice, unfortunately, it does not always work. The reason for this is that in order to win we need to be cognizant of the yeitzer hatov's existence. The yeitzer harah possesses an awesome power. It can cause temporary amnesia, i.e. to make us forget that we even have a yeitzer hatov. At the time when the passion of temptation consumes us we tend to forget that there is another side of our being; the good heart. At such times we are powerless to arouse our yeitzer hatov because we are momentarily oblivious to its existence. The only way out of this dismal situation is Torah study. Our sages teach us this principle in the Talmud. "Rebbi Shimon ben Lakish says [when a person battles with his yeitzer harah] he should always excite his yeitzer hatov over his yeitzer harah if that works, it is wonderful. However, if this approach does not work then he should involve himself in intense Torah study." (tractate Brachos 5a) "Rebbi Yishmael says: If that ugly one [the yeitzer harah] attacks you, draw him into the beis medrash – the house of Torah study; if it [the yeitzer harah] is a rock it will dissolve; if it is iron it will burst" (tractate Kiddushin 30b).
Rav Tzadok brings another fascinating Zohar on our parsha (verse 21:13) "…and she will cry over her father and mother for a month, etc." The Zohar interprets the verse like this. The woman who is crying is our neshama – soul. The month of her crying refers to the month of Ellul. Her father and mother, refer to Hashem and the Torah that the soul has neglected. The month of Ellul is the portal to Rosh Hashana. It is a time that we should dedicate ourselves to intensive introspection and soul searching. There can be no better place to accomplish this than the beis medrash. So grab a sefer and a chavrusah – study partner, and win the battle!
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
(Devarim 21: 10-13) When you go out to war on your enemies and Hashem your G-d will deliver him [i.e. your enemies] into your hand and you will retake the one he took captive. And you see a beautiful woman and you desire her and take her for a wife. And you bring her into your house and she uncovers her head and grows her nails. And she removes her dress of captivity from her and she sits in your house and cries over her father and mother for a month and afterward this you can come to her and become her husband and she your wife.
In this week's portion many of the commentators suggest that the verses above have allegoric meaning. The 'enemy' is the evil inclination who we are instructed to wage war with. The source for this novel interpretation can be found in the Zohar Chadash on this week's portion. The following is a free-style translation of how the Zohar interprets these verses. Rebbi Shimon says that the verse refers to a time when the people neglect their good inclination, the yeitzer hatov in favor of the yeitzer harah – the evil inclination. As a result, our neshama - soul becomes a captive. In such circumstances, says Rebbi Shimon, the verse instructs us to go to battle armed with the words of Torah to redeem our captive soul. Rebbi Shimon explains that there is nothing that can break the yeitzer harah and release his grip on our captive soul other than the words of Torah. Rebbi Shimon cites the verse in the Shema that we recite every day. "And these words [of the Torah] should be upon your heart[s]." [The Hebrew word for heart is written in a form that indicates there are two hearts. One is the 'good' heart the other is the 'bad' heart.] When we place the words of Torah upon both hearts Hashem promises to help us redeem the captive soul from the clutches of the yeitzer harah. Rebbi Yehuda remarked that while he could understand why Torah study needs to be used against the yeitzer harah, it seems perplexing why Torah needs to be applied to the yeitzer hatov as well! Rebbi Shimon answered him that in order to be victorious in this battle it is necessary to apply the study of Torah to both the good and bad inclinations. While the Torah adorns the yeitzer hatov with a crown it forces the yeitzer harah to surrender.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin clarifies this teaching of the Zohar. The verses in our parsha do not explicitly mention Torah study as the preferred weapon in this battle. Where does the Zohar derive this from? Rav Tzadok explains that the Zohar understood that if the first verse in our parsha is really a metaphor for our struggle with the yeitzer harah, then there must be some hint in the Torah how to be victorious in this battle. Rav Tzadok explains that it is alluded to in the first verse of the parsha "Hashem your G-d will deliver him [the enemy] into your hand". The two words "Hashem Elokecho" are the clue that the Zohar picked up on to interpret the verse in our parsha. These two words: Hashem Elokecho are identical to the two words that appear in the second line of the Shema: "And you shall love Hashem Elokecho [your G-d] with all of your heart[s], all of your soul, and all of your strength. And these words that I command you today should be upon your heart[s]. And you should teach them to your children and discuss them, etc." These verses, which we recite daily in the Shema, refer to the study of Torah. They teach us that we should put the words of Torah in our hearts and teach them to our children, and discuss and talk about them always.
Another clue is the fact that the verses in the Shema refer to the heart in the plural form. Clearly the Torah is not telling us that we have two physical hearts. Rather, the verses in the Shema use the heart as symbolic of our desires and inclinations. Once we cut through all the camouflage we can reduce our drives down to two: good and bad. In our hearts we have two directions, two desires, two inclinations: yeitzer hatov and yeitzer harah. So the Zohar drew the conclusion that the first verse in our parsha which metaphorically refers to the battle against the yeitzer harah, and the subsequent verses of the Shema are intimately connected. After drawing the correlation between the verses in the Shema and the first verse of our parsha the Zohar interprets the verse in our parsha in this vein. "When you go out to war on your enemies, i.e. yeitzer harah; Hashem Elokecho, i.e. the study of Torah, will deliver the enemy in your hand".
Rav Tzadok goes on to expand on this idea in greater depth. "And these words [of the Torah] should be upon your heart[s], i.e. both your 'good heart and your 'bad' heart. The totality of our being is comprised of two antithetical drives. Part of us is filled with the desire to love and fear Hashem and to do that which is moral and righteous. But there is another part of our being that pushes us in a totally different direction. These are the two 'hearts' that the verse refers to. In our parsha the Torah uses allegory to describe the struggle between these two 'enemies'. The good and the bad within us are in a constant battle. The Torah advises us to approach this struggle as an army would plan a rescue mission to redeem its soldiers that fell into enemy hands. It also teaches us which weapons to prepare ourselves with for the battle. If we want to succeed in this internal struggle we must be willing to go to war. Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that the most important thing to wage war about is the good and evil within us.
In addition to our firm commitment to the battle we will need a powerful weapon. The Torah teaches us that the only weapon that will suffice is the study of Torah. Through intense Torah study the words of the Torah penetrate our heart[s]. Both the yeitzer harah and the yeitzer hatov, who dwell in our heart, are affected by Torah study. The yeitzer harah will be broken and subdued by the sanctity of Torah. But why does the yeitzer hatov need Torah? To this Rebbi Shimon in the Zohar explains that the yeitzer hatov acquires a crown through Torah study. The crown is a symbol of a monarch. Through Torah study we become intimately attached to Hashem the King of kings. The yeitzer hatov with a crown on its head is an imposing figure to which the yeitzer harah has no choice but to surrender. The crown of Torah on our heads turns us into princes. When the prince is in trouble the King will come to his aid.
Rav Tzadok then poses an interesting question. Isn't our 'good' side naturally inclined to goodness and morality? Can't we rely on our own instinctive goodness to prevail as Rav Yosef Karo prescribes in the Shulchan Aruch 1:1? "When a person puts [all of the following] into his heart: that the great King the Holy One may he be blessed, who fills the universe with his glory, stands upon him and sees his deeds as the verse in Jeremiah 23:24 states "Can a person hide in concealment and I will not see?? So says Hashem." Due to this awareness, the person will immediately acquire a sense of awe and surrender in fear of Hashem may He be blessed and [the person will also] feel a sense of shame from Hashem always". This is also the meaning of what the Talmud in Brachos 5a teaches us: "a person should always excite his yeitzer hatov over his yeitzer harah".
Rav Tzadok explains that although the Talmud is certainly giving us sound advice, unfortunately, it does not always work. The reason for this is that in order to win we need to be cognizant of the yeitzer hatov's existence. The yeitzer harah possesses an awesome power. It can cause temporary amnesia, i.e. to make us forget that we even have a yeitzer hatov. At the time when the passion of temptation consumes us we tend to forget that there is another side of our being; the good heart. At such times we are powerless to arouse our yeitzer hatov because we are momentarily oblivious to its existence. The only way out of this dismal situation is Torah study. Our sages teach us this principle in the Talmud. "Rebbi Shimon ben Lakish says [when a person battles with his yeitzer harah] he should always excite his yeitzer hatov over his yeitzer harah if that works, it is wonderful. However, if this approach does not work then he should involve himself in intense Torah study." (tractate Brachos 5a) "Rebbi Yishmael says: If that ugly one [the yeitzer harah] attacks you, draw him into the beis medrash – the house of Torah study; if it [the yeitzer harah] is a rock it will dissolve; if it is iron it will burst" (tractate Kiddushin 30b).
Rav Tzadok brings another fascinating Zohar on our parsha (verse 21:13) "…and she will cry over her father and mother for a month, etc." The Zohar interprets the verse like this. The woman who is crying is our neshama – soul. The month of her crying refers to the month of Ellul. Her father and mother, refer to Hashem and the Torah that the soul has neglected. The month of Ellul is the portal to Rosh Hashana. It is a time that we should dedicate ourselves to intensive introspection and soul searching. There can be no better place to accomplish this than the beis medrash. So grab a sefer and a chavrusah – study partner, and win the battle!
You can be a partner in disseminating these wonderful teachings.
Please contact us for dedication opportunities.