PARSHAS KI SEITZEI | 9 ELUL 5769 | 29 AUGUST 2009

Parsha Perspectives RABB I B IN YOMIN AD LER

story. The story is told of the Chassid whose

‫כי תצא למלחמה על איביך ונתנו ה' אלקיך‬ neighbor once asked him about the necessity
‫בידך ושבית וראית בשביה אשת יפת תאר‬ of his travels to the Rebbe. “Is it not enough,”
asked the neighbor, “to pore over the
‫וחשקת בה ולקחת לך לאשה‬ Chassidic and mussar (character and spiritual
“When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your G- development) literature in your own home?”
The Chassid responded, “When I sit in my
d, will deliver him into your hand, and you will capture his captivity; and house with a book and begin to study, the
you will see among its captivity a woman who is beautiful of form, and Evil Inclination eventually gets up and begins
to dance on my table, and then kicks my
you will desire her, and you may take her to yourself for a book open to the chapter that discusses the
inherent weakness of man and how one
wife.” (Deuteronomy 21:10-11) must exert himself to overcome the Evil

T his week’s parsha, Ki Seitzei, commences with the laws regarding the
Jewish People going out to battle. Rashi writes that the battle referred
to here is a discretionary battle, i.e. initiated for the purpose of
territorial expansion which was authorized by the Beis Din HaGadol (the
Court of Seventy-One Judges).
Inclination. Upon reading this chapter, I
become forlorn and overcome with
uncertainty about my ability to best the Evil
Inclination. When I travel to the Rebbe,
however, he knows exactly what I am lacking
and what I need to repair my faults. He
strengthens me and gives me the tikkun, the
rectification that my soul needs.”

Rather, the battle is one in which the nation
chooses in order to expand its territory. It is
regarding this battle that the Torah instructs
the Jew how to deal with the eishes yifas
toar, the beautiful gentile woman who is
captured in battle.
The commentators cite a Medrash that offers
a different interpretation of this battle. They
write that this battle is referred to as a
milchemes hayeitzer, a battle against the Evil
Inclination. While we may all be familiar with
this struggle, one must wonder why the Torah
alludes to this battle by stating that one goes
out to wage battle against the Evil Inclination.
In fact, it would seem that the opposite is
true. When one is outside his safe
environment and is confronted by the
temptation to sin, he should escape inside,
similar to the statement in the Talmud
(Sukkah 52b) that when one sees the
“repulsive one,” i.e. the Evil Inclination, he
should drag him into the study hall. What,
then, is the meaning of the Medrash that
states that one should “go out” to battle his
Evil Inclination?
Perhaps we can understand the parallel easier
with a teaching from the author of Lev
Simcha, the Gerrer Rebbe (1898-1992). It is
said (Isaiah 55:12) ki vismicha seitzeiu, you
will “go out” with joy. Lev Simcha interprets
this verse homiletically to mean that one can
exit his state of depression and worries by
being in a state with joy. Let us delve into this
deceptively simple statement.
What is the biggest obstacle that prevents a
person from accomplishing his goals in this
world? Some may suggest that it is lack of
discipline and focus, but in truth, there is even
a larger component at play. The real barrier
between us and our potential
accomplishments is a lack of joy.
We can illustrate the idea that this lack affects
one’s accomplishments with the following
We can similarly suggest that in doing better
with our Evil Inclination, we need to “go out”
from or leave behind the somber approach.
One can certainly spend time philosophizing
about what is preventing him from serving G-
d properly, he is stilled mired in the mud of
his misdeeds and character faults. When one
serves G-d with joy, however, he leaves or
goes out of his state of depression and can
truly serve G-d with joy. This task of serving G-
d with joy should be in our minds in the
month of Elul, as we approach the High Holy
Days, when we will stand before G-d in
judgment for the past year’s deeds.
Although we must approach the upcoming
period with awe, there must also be a sense
of joy; we are confident that G-d will be kind
to us in his judgment and bless us with a
good year.
Rabbi Adler can be reached at:
parsha@partnersintorah.org
Talking Points
1. REAL WARRIORS
“When you go out to war against your enemy
and Hashem will give him in your hands and you
will take a captive. And you see among the
prisoners a beautifully formed woman; if you
desire her, you may take her as your wife.”
21:10, 11
You may take her as your wife - The Torah does not
condone this behavior, but speaks only as an antidote
to man’s evil inclination, for if the Holy One, blessed is
He, would not permit her, he would cohabit with her
illicitly. Indeed, if he does marry her, ultimately their
marriage will not be a satisfying one and he will
despise her. He will also produce from her a wayward,
rebellious son. This is why this chapter, and that of the
wayward son, adjoins one another. - Rashi
And Hashem will give him in your hands – This
special permission was only granted once the battle
had already been won. During the heat of the battle, it
was absolutely forbidden for one to take a captive
woman, for all his energies had to be channeled
toward winning the war. – HeEmek Davar (Rabbi Naftali
Zvi Yehuda Berlin)
When you go out to war – This allowance was limited
only to wars which were optional, not mandatory wars
such as the battle to conquer the Land of Israel. – Rashi
The commentators point out that a war waged by the
instructions of the Almighty carried with it a spiritual
protection against illicit behavior so no such special
dispensation was granted.
In Maayan Beis HaShoeiva, Rabbi Shimon
Schwab zt”l explained that this parsha is not just
the Torah “giving in” to the evil inclination. Rather,
by making such an allowance, the Torah actually
weakens the evil inclination and limits his ability
to entrap a Jew in this sin. Indeed, there never
actually occurred an incident of a common man
availing himself of this dispensation. [There was
an incident with King David – however, this was
an exception based upon unique circumstance.]
Rather than view this parsha as a sign of our
weakness and penchant for sin, it is actually
testimony to our greatness and spiritual might
that we have never succumbed to one of the
prevailing temptations of the battlefield.
2. GET AWAY
“When a man marries a woman and
consummates with her, if she is displeasing to
him or if he has evidence of infidelity on her part,
he shall write her a bill of divorce and place it in
her hand, thus releasing her from his household.”
24:1
KI SEITZEI
Or if he has evidence of infidelity – In this case, it is
strongly recommended that he divorce her, so that she
should not find favor in his eyes, for her character is
severely lacking. – Rashi
He shall write her - The verse is discussing a situation
wherein the husband knows that his wife was
unfaithful, but lacks the requisite evidence to prove it in
Beis Din. Thus, although he is not technically obligated
to divorce her, the Torah recommends it nevertheless. –
Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra, 12th century, Spain)
A bill of divorce – This bill of divorce is called a “Get.”
Rabbeinu Bachya explains the reason for this name is
because the numerical value of the word is 12, and the
law is that a Get must be written in exactly twelve lines.
It is also said in the name of the Gaon of Vilna that the
letters Gimel and Tet that comprise this word are the
only two letters that are never found adjacent to one
another throughout the entire Torah. As such, they are
symbolic of a couple that is not able to reside together
in peace and harmony.
The Talmud [Tractate Gittin 90b] says, “One who
divorces his first wife [i.e. the wife of his youth –
Rashi], even the Altar sheds tears over him.” In
Tractate Kesubos [10b], the Talmud explains that
the Hebrew word for Altar is Mitzbeach, which is
an acronym for the words, Mazin - sustains,
Maziach – gains atonement and eradicates evil
decrees, Mechaper – atones for sins, because of
the tremendous outpouring of blessing that
resulted from the Altar. Ben Yehoyada explains
that when one divorces his wife without cause,
he drives the primary source of blessing out of
the home and is left without a significant source
of his blessing. In this manner, it is as if he has
crippled his own personal Altar.
3. GLORY OF GOOD
“When you gather the fruit from your olive tree,
you may not strip its glory from it [i.e. do not
pick the last remaining fruit] behind you, since it
must be left for the foreigner, orphan and
widow…Remember that you were a slave in the
land of Egypt and that is why I am commanding
you to do this thing.” 24:20-22
Do not pick the last remaining fruit – Do not remove
its glory from it. From here we derive that one must not
harvest the outer edge of the tree. – Rashi
Behind you – What do these words teach us? That the
law of Shikchah applies [i.e. if one forgot to harvest
certain olives from there tree, he may not turn back and
collect them. Rather, he must leave them for the poor].
– Talmud, Tractate Chullin 131b
Behind you – The seemingly superfluous presence of
these words alludes to the notion of leaving these olives
RABB I ELAZAR MEISELS
that are destined for the poor, to one’s inheritors
instead. In this context, “behind you” refers to those
who will be left after you, and the verse warns that one
must give charity, and not worry about how much he
will be able to leave over for his children if he supports
the indigent. Don’t worry about it, says the verse. Think
about the present and the fact that these people don’t
have the ability to feed their own families today. What
about the fact that your children may one day need
your inheritance? In response to this the verse
continues, “Remember that you were a slave in the
land of Egypt; that is why I am commanding you to do
this thing.” In Egypt, we had nothing. We were
downtrodden slaves without a hope for the future. Yet,
the Almighty ensured that we and our offspring had
more than sufficient resources to carry us through forty
years in the desert and beyond. – Kli Yakar (Rabbi
Ephraim Luntshitz of Lemberg 1550-1619)
Yalkut Shimoni explains the verse as follows: “Do
not act glorious or haughty toward the
impoverished whom you allow into your fields to
collect the olives.” Rabbeinu Bachya explains that
one who gives charity has no right or reason to
proclaim it to the world simply to collect
accolades. That is not the way of a G-d-fearing
individual who understands that this is mitzvah
and not something that should be done for
personal gain or honor.
Rabbi Meisels can be reached at:
rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org
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DEAR RABBI ELUL
Introduction
Last week’s edition of Parsha Partner discussed the basics
of Elul and its role in the preparation for the High
Holidays. Allow me to share with our readers some
practical suggestions on how to best accomplish this goal.
During the month of Elul, Jews would
mentally prepare themselves for the Day
of Judgment that Rosh Hashanah
represents by involving themselves in
additional prayer, Torah study, and good
deeds. In many towns and cities with
sizeable Jewish populations, there was
an urgency in the air that manifested the
seriousness that this part of the year
deserves.
The month of Elul is Kabbalistically
associated with the verse, ‫וצדקה תהיה‬
‫לנו כי‬, “And it will be considered
charitable kindness for us, because
…” (Deuteronomy 6:25). While the
deeper significance of the
correspondence between this verse and
the month of Elul is clearly esoteric,
there is perhaps a surface meaning that
has practical application to us. The verse
could be referring to the special Divine
kindness that we seek on the Day of
Judgment, which immediately follows
the conclusion of this month. In
essence, G-d will be kind and charitable
in His judgment because __________
… and we are given the opportunity to
fill in the blank, so to speak. This means
that Elul provides an opportunity for
each individual to search within himself
and choose an area on which to
improve. The effort will be generously
considered on the Day of Judgment. For
example, a person may feel that he or
she angers too quickly or too often and
may decide to use this month as a
means to uproot the source of this anger
and to make a conscious effort to
contain it. By so doing, the person can
present a basis to appeal for Divine
mercy when being judged by G-d—the
individual can then point to the
improvement made and, so to speak,
argue, “If my circumstances are
maintained for this coming year, I will
use the opportunity to improve myself
further.”
The beauty of the month of Elul is that it
is individualized. No two people have
the same life circumstances nor are they
in the same place regarding in their
spiritual path. The month of Elul is an
ideal time for an individual to make a
resolution to improve in a specific way;
tailored to his or her circumstances.
Unlike New Year’s resolutions that are
made on January 1st, a Jew makes his
resolutions a full month before our New
Year, in order to bring an improved self
into the coming year.
Allow me to provide a short list of areas
to which many individuals gravitate
when looking to improve:
• Becoming a more giving person.
RABB I REUVEN DRUCKER
• Developing a greater sensitivity to
others’ needs.
• Avoiding being judgmental of
others.
• Making oneself a more elevated
individual through one’s speech and
how one eats.
• Developing a greater ability to
express appreciation for others.
• Being able to bring more joy in the
lives of others.
I wish you all great success in taking
advantage of this precious gift of the
month of Elul. May we, and the entire
Jewish people, use it wisely, so that we
are all sealed in the Book of health,
peace, prosperity, and Torah.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Reuven Drucker
Rabbi Drucker can be reached at:
rabbidrucker@partnersintorah.org
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TABLE TALK
FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE
RABBI LABEL LAM
“If you build a new house, you shall make
a fence for your roof, so that you will not
place blood in your house if a faller falls
from it.” (Devarim 22:8)
seemingly logical commandment to put a
guard rail on one’s roof to prevent an
accident. The “curve ball” is at the end of
the verse. The “would be” victim of the
homeowner’s personal negligence in this
case is referred to as a “faller.” Rashi
notes that one who falls is viewed as if he
was meant to fall, and the unfortunate
result was a match made in heaven
between the negligent home owner and
the one deserving of a fall. The Torah
seems to imply that on some supernal
plane, the tragic fall was no accident at all.
‫)א‬
Doesn’t this notion
diminish the responsibility of the
one who failed to secure his roof?
‫)ב‬
If falling victims somehow deserve
their fate, why is the onus placed
on the homeowner to prevent
something that is ‘meant’ to happen?
Rabbi Lam can be reached at:
parsha@partnersintorah.org
Soul Talk
We learn an important lesson about the
Torah’s view of marriage from the mitzvah
of‫ְתּוֹ‬‫ִשׁ‬‫ֶת־א‬‫ַח א‬ ‫ִמּ‬
‫ְשׂ‬‫ו‬, “to gladden one’s
wife” in the first year of marriage. Marriage
is not a ‘‘give-and-take’’ relationship, but
rather a ‘‘give and give’’ relationship. Let
us study the words of Rashi on this
mitzvah:
This is a learning how to gladden her, they will
Rashi states that the printed text of
Targum on our verse, ‫ֵהּ‬ ‫ְת‬‫ִתּ‬
‫ָת א‬ ‫ֵי י‬ ‫ְדּ‬‫ַח‬
‫ְי‬‫ו‬,
“he shall gladden his wife,” is the correct
version. But he who renders it as ‫ֵי‬ ‫ְדּ‬
‫ַח‬‫ְי‬
‫ו‬
‫ֵהּ‬
‫ְת‬‫ִתּ‬‫ִם א‬ ‫ע‬, “he shall be glad ‘with’ his
wife,” is mistaken.
The Kotzker Rebbe used to say: Rashi is
not only telling us the correct version of
this verse’s translation; he is giving us
deeper insight into the essence of this
mitzvah. One who thinks that the mitzvah
is to be glad with his wife will approach
his first year of marriage accordingly,
thinking ‘‘How can we derive as much
pleasure together as possible?’’ But this is
somehow
a fundamental mistake. This attitude is
one of selfishness, of one looking for what
he can get out of the marriage. He may
realize that the only way he will get his
desires fulfilled is by giving as well, but
such a person is still, in his heart, a
‘‘taker,’’ and has completely
misunderstood the Torah’s perspective on
marriage.
The Torah tells us clearly that it is the
husband’s obligation to make his wife
happy — ‫ְתּוֹ‬ ‫ִשׁ‬‫ֶת־א‬‫ַח א‬ ‫ִמּ‬‫ְשׂ‬
‫ו‬, “he shall
gladden his wife.” He is the one charged
with the task of making the house one of
harmony and tranquility. If, at this initial
delicate time of their marriage, he
concentrates on fulfilling her needs and
enjoy a very successful marriage together
and will not lack for anything.
The Torah is implying with this message
that man cannot experience true joy
unless he brings joy to others, and he
must focus on others first.
The same is true regarding the mitzvah
of ‫ַג‬ ‫ַת ה‬
‫ַח‬ ‫ְח‬‫ִמ‬
‫שׂ‬, to be happy on festivals.
The Torah tells us (16:14): ָ ‫ֶך‬
‫ַגּ‬‫ְח‬
‫ָ בּ‬‫ְתּ‬‫ַח‬
‫ָמ‬‫ְשׂ‬
‫ו‬
‫ֶך‬
ָ ‫ָת‬
‫ֲמ‬‫ַא‬‫ָ ו‬ ‫ְך‬
‫ְדּ‬‫ַב‬
‫ְע‬‫ָ ו‬ ‫ֶך‬
‫ִתּ‬‫ָ וּב‬‫ְך‬
‫ִנ‬‫ָה וּב‬ ‫אַתּ‬,
“You shall rejoice on your festival — you,
your son, your daughter, your slave, your
maidservant etc.” The Talmud tells us that
this obligation is not incumbent upon
women, as it is a mitzvah dependent on
time (‫ָא‬ ‫ָמ‬
‫ְר‬‫ַן ג‬ ‫ְמ‬
‫ַזּ‬‫ֶה‬
‫ֵה שׁ‬ ‫ֲשׂ‬
‫ַת ע‬‫ְו‬
‫ִצ‬‫)מ‬. Rather,
it is the obligation of the man to make his
wife and all his dependents happy (see
Kiddushin 37b). However, the fact is that
if one fulfills this mitzvah properly, he will
be happy as well. To achieve true joy, one
must gladden the people around him.
With permission from Artscroll’s Daily Dose