Category: Teachings on Devarim (Deuteronomy)
Philosophers and scientists have been toiling with the question of the origin of the universe since the beginning of human history. Aristotle believed that the universe is as eternal as God Himself. Scientists to this very day have not yet decided if the cosmos has a beginning or it is infinite. As the nation of Israel who received Torah on Sinai, the question of an infinite universe does not exist in our lexicon. From Time immemorial Israel has believed in an Infinite Creator who has created a finite universe. The first three words of the Torah say it all – “Birashit barah ELokim” – in the beginning G-D created the heavens and earth.
Understanding a little about the sfirot (Divine emanations) mentioned in our ancient esoteric teachings of Torah we can clarify and put the three above approaches into their proper perspectives. According to Kabbala, everything in the created world is made up of ten Sfirot. The Sfirot are ten Divine emanations that serve as a transition connecting the infinite light of G-D to a finite reality. The first three Sfirot are: Keter – crown, chochmah – wisdom, and Binah – understanding. There is another Sfirah which is called Da’at meaning knowledge. Da’at in reality is the same Sfirah as Keter. It is another dimension of a single force of Divine energy. Therefore, in Kabalistic literature one will find either the Sefirah of crown mentioned or its counterpart the sfirah of knowledge. They will never be mentioned together since there are ten not eleven Sfirot. The sfirah of Keter crown is the highest sfirah which in Hebrew has three meanings: to wait, a crown, and to surround. Waiting refers to faith this represents the highest level of Keter waiting for Hashem to reveal Himself. The sin of the Golden calf came about as a result of not waiting for Moshe to come down from the mountain. Lack of patience shows a lack of faith. The crown situated on one’s head symbolizes being adorned with the radiance of the Divine allowing it to seep into one’s consciousness. The meaning surrounding refers to the power of the will –the word for will in Hebrew is called Ratzon רצון)) the letters in Hebrew are the same letters as Tzinor צינור)) which means a pipe. This pipe channels the Divine Will into all aspects of life. (See psams 145:16) “G-D opens up His Hands and bestows upon all creations Will” In other words Keter reflects the highest connection we have with Hashem. The next Sfirah is called Chochma wisdom. Chocmah refers to the ability of looking deeply into something and trying to bring it to the surface. For example sometimes people experience a sudden burst of light entering their brain giving them an insight into something. At this point, they still may not work out all the details but they have a first general picture of some abstract idea. It can be likened to an architect sketching a general plan of a building. The next sfirah to follow is Binah – understanding. It is where an idea that originated from chochmah is broken down into details forming an entire picture. As we mentioned before, if the sefirah of Keter is not mentioned then Da’at (knowledge) replaces the Keter – but it follows Binah (understanding). The sfirah of Da’at (knowledge), as the other side of Keter, brings wisdom and understanding down to another level and allows us to recognize and connect with the concepts that were achieved in wisdom and understanding. It therefore is also the source of our emotions.
After this small introduction, we can now try and explain how Torah, philosophy, and science all connect.
The word philosophy originates from the Greek word “philo” meaning love and Sophos meaning wisdom. In other words, philosophers are connected to the sfirah of wisdom. They attempt to draw a general picture of the universe relying on their intellect. Perfection, according to them would be the development of the intellect to its highest capacity. Science comes from the Latin work Scientia meaning knowledge. Science by definition bases itself on establishing theories after repeated observation and testing. For them seeing is believing. This is connected to the sefirah of knowledge – in order for them to grasp the universe they must see it for themselves. Otherwise, they cannot become emotionally attached to it. Philosophy and science share in common their total dependency on the human intellect in order to achieve or accomplish their goals. We must remember, however, that they are both entirely human creations. Torah on the other hand, is not a creation of man. Just as Hashem created the world in an instant the same way He gave the Torah to Israel. This is reflected the sfirah of Keter. Science, philosophy and other man made religions lack the Keter – the crown. The crown represents the revealing of the Divine presence to the world. Human intellect is a vital part of a health society but not enough. We need Hashem to place a crown on our intellect allowing us to connect to Him. This can only come through the study and living a life of Torah. This is why we don’t find any great philosophers and scientists experiencing prophecy. Only those that are pious G-D fearing individuals crowned with the crown of Torah can prophesize.
This week’s Torah portion opens up with “listen Heavens and I will speak and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” Moshe Rabeynu is revealing a beautiful song to the people of Israel before his death. He chooses as his witnesses the heavens and earth who will be around long after those that have toiled and struggled to try and paint a picture of the universe using their human logic and intellect.
“When I call out the name of the Hashem, ascribe greatness to our God.” (Deuteronomy 3:3) The time will come when the entire universe will testify to the existence of G-D!
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
As the hour draws closer to our New Year which will mark the end of the sabbatical year, there is a feeling in the air that something big is about to happen. The reason for this impression comes from the fact that man was created on Rosh Hashanah. This unique day is not just a time of recollection but in reality it is happening all over again. This coming Monday man will be created for the 5776th time! The year 5775 will be remembered as a year of chaos and turmoil. The bloody battles in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Africa have left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced many more. Thousands of migrants have lost their lives at sea trying to seek refuge. Israel as usual faces many difficult challenges. The newest one being the signing the nuclear agreement between America and Iran. The European Union continues in full force in their attempt to delegitimize Israel’s right to the land of Israel. Just this week fresh out of the oven came the latest European Union decision of marking Israeli products made in Judea, Samaria, Golan, and Jerusalem. The Jewish community throughout the world is threatened with the rise in antisemitism.
This is not surprising, as our tradition has it that a Sabbatical year can be marked by war and turmoil and that it has the potential to be followed by the coming of Messiah. Why does the Sabbatical year have the power to bring about such upheaval and turmoil? Why is there so much suffering and evil in the world? Is all this necessary for the coming of the Messiah? How can we have a positive influence on the situation?
Looking into this week’s portion, which happens to always comes out the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana, we can shed light on some of these important questions. Parashat Nizavim opens up with the forming of another covenant between Israel and Hashem. Before we explain what the meaning of what this covenant is all about, I want to review the different covenants mentioned in the Torah between Hashem and His servants until this week’s portion – Nizavim. A covenant is an agreement between two sides. Both sides have the responsibility of upholding their part of the contract. A sign is chosen as a reminder that the covenant is binding. Examining the different covenants brought down in the Torah we see an interesting phenomenon. Gradually, through the forming of these different covenants the world is being brought to maturity as the Divine plan of creation unravels. Each covenant marks a turning point in History.
After the evil generation of the flood which was marked by extreme immorality, the time had come for mankind to begin to rectify itself. At this point in history, G-D was patient with man and all he wanted was a world that would refrain from evil and build a society based on a basic moral code. This is what the first covenant with Noah was all about. Hashem agreed never to bring another flood of destruction to mankind and Noah was to focus on populating the world and teaching them the seven basic laws of ethics. The rainbow was chosen as a symbol of this agreement.
As the world continued to grow and develop Hashem saw that the time had come for another stage of the Divine plan to unfold. This was the task of Abraham. The second covenant between Hashem and man is known as the “Brit Beyn Habitarim. Hashem promises to Abraham that a nation will rise from his loins and that he will inherit the land of Israel. Abraham’s response was “How will I know that I will inherit the land”? Hashem’s immediate reaction is setting up a covenant with Abraham. Abraham is asked to take three animals and two birds. The animals were cut in two while the birds are to remain intact. The animals and birds represent the kingdoms that will rule throughout history until the final redemption. Hashem promises that although the children of Israel will suffer a test of faith through a long exile of 400 years eventually, they will make it to the land of Israel their everlasting inheritance. The lesson we learn from this covenant is that even during the darkest periods of exile we must continue to have faith in Hashem that he will redeem us and return us to the land. Abraham’s questioning the fruition of the Divine promise can be interpreted as a weakness of faith. It wasn’t enough for mankind to remain complacent with a simple moral code now the time has come to draw closer to the creator by demonstrating their total reliance on Him. Relying on Hashem can make the impossible a reality. Abraham’s whole life was a proof of how the impossible becomes doable if you put your total devotion to G-D. The miraculous birth of Isaac is a perfect example of this. Who would ever dream that two elderly individuals can have a child? It is interesting that this covenant of faith is coupled with the promise to inherit the land. In other words, only from the land of Israel can this level of faith be truly attained. Hashem wants Abraham to set up a nation centered on faith in the land of Israel.
The next covenant mentioned in the Torah is another one formed between Hashem and Abraham. It is the famous covenant of circumcision. Here, not only Hashem reinforces the fact that Israel will inherit the land, but that Hashem will be our G-D. Abraham must take upon himself not only the mitzvah of circumcision but also to be a father to many nations. Faith has to be tested through positive actions. The male reproductive organ represents the greatest gift to man – the ability to create life. Human beings emulate the creator by bringing new lives in the world. On the other hand, miss use of this gift can lead to the worst of iniquity. By undergoing circumcision we are testifying to Hashem that we will use this gift morally and sanctify ourselves. This is a giant step forward for humanity that is constantly tempted through this aspect of life. Only the holy can overcome the dangers of temptation. This becomes clear later on with Joseph the great grandson of Abraham proving to all how this is ingrained in Abraham’s seed. This covenant was also marked by the giving an additional letter to Abraham’s name and earning the title – father of many nations. This means that it wasn’t enough to give birth to the people of Israel but his offspring would be responsible for being a light to the nations. This mission could be achieved only after this chosen nation would be born. The result of Abrahams entering into this covenant leads to the birth of the nation of Israel!
This leads us to the next “Brit” that took place when the newly formed nation of Israel received Torah on Sinai. Israel took upon itself to fulfill the entire 613 commandments of the Torah. G-D betrothed His chosen people who responded – “we will do and listen”! Sinai was likened to a bridle canopy covering over the bride and groom. The Torah was the contract of matrimony and the land of Israel was to be their home and the temple was their private quarters. This would seem to be the height of the Divine plan – the formation of a chosen people that follow Torah in the land of Israel.
Unfortunately, things did not go so smoothly. Immediately after receiving Torah, the nation committed the sin of the Golden Calf. Hashem tells Moshe that he wants to destroy Israel and that he will make Moshe Rabeynu into a great nation as he promised. This is similar to the generation of the flood that was destroyed and Noah was chosen to serve as the continuation of humanity. Moshe Rabeynu, as a true leader, is not willing to give up on the nation of Israel. He prays to Hashem and requests two things: that G-D will not destroy Israel that he will not continue to be angry with them. Hashem agrees not to destroy His nation but does not yet relinquish His anger. Moshe Rabeynu then breaks the two tablets and burns and grinds the calf into powder. He then scatters the dust on the water and makes Israel drink it. Our tradition teaches us that this is likened to the bitter water that the Sotah must drink. Three thousand Israelites are killed. Moshe Rabeynu ascends Mt. Sinai again and prays for a second time for Hashem’s forgiveness. Moshe Rabeynu requests to be erased from the book of life if G-D will not forgive His people. Hashem accepts Moshe Rabynu’s supplication to some extent but not completely. Hashem tells Moshe to lead the nation into the land of Israel and that G-D will send and angel to help him. On the other hand, he sends a plague to the nation. (The Torah does not elaborate on this plague) The sending of the angel was a sign that Hashem Himself at this time is still not willing to go with Israel. Although, this is a punishment this was for Israel’s benefit since Israel is a stiff necked people having Hashem Himself lead us into the land could awaken His wrath. Nevertheless, the nation is not pleased with this and mourns by not adorning any jewelry. G-D then tells Israel not to adorn jewelry even after the mourning period. This symbolizes that the true adornment is the Shechinah – the Divine Presence. Israel will settle for nothing less! Moshe Rabeynu sets up his tent outside the camp and the Divine presence resides in his tent. This is a sign that Israel repented and that although the Divine Presence still does not reside amongst them directly – it is in their eyes view. Moshe Rabeybu continues to pray and Hashem agrees to lead Israel Himself and not send an angel. He is asked to prepare a second set of tablets and a new covenant is made. The last 40 days Moshe spends on the mountain in deep prayers are the 30 days of the month of Elul and the ten days of repentance. He comes down with the new set of tablets on Yom Kippur. The next day he announces the collection of the half a shekel for the building of the tabernacle – the place where the Divine presence will reside again. G-D has forgiven His people!
The important message of this covenant is the tremendous power of repentance through the 13 attributes of mercy. In addition it stresses the everlasting relationship between Hashem and the people of Israel that can never be severed. Even if we stumble Hashem will always leave the door open for us to rectify.
This week’s portion opens up with another covenant adding another dimension to the picture. It is called the covenant of responsibility – Areyvut in Hebrew. Before Moshe Rabeynu passes away he brings us into another level of spirituality marked by an additional covenant, the last one mentioned in the five books of the Torah. Here the people of Israel are taught that we are not in this alone. The religion of Israel is not like other religions that are based on personal relationships between each individual and Hashem. In reality all of Israel is one organism that works as a team. This special connection is called Kinneset Yisrael. Everyone of Israel is part of a painting that provides a unique color to the masterpiece. If one color is lacking the entire painting will be unfinished. It is like a human body that if one limb is hurting the entire body goes into distress. This can be seen in the book of Joshua when Achan sins by taking of the spoils of Jericho – G-D blames all of Israel for sinning. This is why the portion is called Nitzavim – which means standing in Hebrew. All of Israel stands together as one unit in covenant. Moshe Rabeynu is bringing this new covenant to the house of Israel before he leaves the world. This covenant will only take effect in the land of Israel. The covenant is set into motion by crossing the Jordan River and standing on Mt. Grizim and Aval together with the building of the alter and writing the Torah in 70 languages. We learn from this that being a light to the nations depends on Israel taking responsibly for one another just as Judah did for Benjamin. The Divine plan wants all of humanity to know Hashem. This will only happen when Israel will build Hashem’s Kingdom in the land of Israel.
The result of this covenant is that if Israel does not unite with one another the painting is left unfinished. Not only does the entire house of Israel suffer but the entire world as well. Leaving this covenant unfulfilled will send waves throughout the world causing chaos and turmoil. The nations turn against Israel. All this happens because Hashem wants us to finish the masterpiece. He wants us to unite as one nation in the land and fulfill our goal as a light to the nations.
The Sabbatical year adds another dimension to the picture. Like the covenant of Shabbat, which is a time of rest and reflection, so is the Shmitah year. Shabbat always brings a blessing over of the past week of labor. By resting be are confirming that Hashem created the world and that all the blessing of our labor is from Him. In a similar way, the Sabbatical year is the end of 6 years of hard agricultural labor. Our refraining from working the land testifies to our covenant of faith in Hashem. By doing so we are declaring that all blessing of livelihood comes from Him. When the Shabbat and the Sabatical year are not observed as they should be this awakens judgment from the heavens and it sends its waves throughout the world. This is why the nations come against Israel. Hashem wants to clarify our connection and endless devotion to Him and the land of Israel. Claiming that other people have a right to the land of Israel, is in other words an attempt to break the covenant between Israel, the land, and Hashem. G-D wants the people of Israel and all those that love Him to stand up for truth and not let the covenant be broken. The Divine plan will be achieved only when all these covenants are upheld. Every year we must all make an accounting both on a national and individual scale to see how we are adding our unique part to the masterpiece of the Divine plan.
This is what Rosh Hashana – the Day of Judgement – the day G-D created man is all about. G-D judges us for not being ourselves. G-D will ask us – why haven’t we finished adding our unique color to the painting? Judgment is the comparison of where a person is to where he should be. This explains why we blow the Shofar as well. By sounding the shofar we draw on our innermost part of our souls trying to bring our potential into fruition. Eventually we will achieve the goal of the Divine plan and we will all rejoice in the light of Hashem. The world will be a beautiful place to live in and all of humanity will know Hashem. This is summed up perfectly by the prophet Jerimiah.
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will form a covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, a new covenant. Not like the covenant that I formed with their forefathers on the day I took them by the hand to take them out of the land of Egypt, that they broke My covenant, although I was a lord over them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will form with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will place My law in their midst and I will inscribe it upon their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people. And no longer shall one teach his neighbor or [shall] one [teach] his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember. (Jerimiah 31:30-33)
Shanah Tovah Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
Living on Itamar in the Shomron mountain range we have the amazing privilege of being able to witness every day the mountains of the blessing and the curse Har Grizim and Har Aval. This week’s portion describes in detail the instructions regarding this event that took place when Joshua led the people of Israel into the land. (See Joshua chapter 8). This amazing event sometimes shadows over another very important occurrence that took place at the same time and place- the setting up of the altar on Mt. Aval and the writing of the Torah on the stones. (See Deuteronomy chapter 27). In this week’s essay I want to focus mainly on the writing of the Torah on the stones. I hope to shed light on some important questions. How and why was the Torah written on stones? Where did these stones come from? It is a known Jewish law that a Kosher Torah must be written on parchment from kosher animals with ink. Why then does Hashem command the nation to write the Torah on stones? (Before you continue this essay I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the verses that discuss this topic see Deuteronomy chapter 27 and Joshua chapters 4 and 8.)
When the Jewish people crossed over the Jordan and entered the land of Israel they were commanded to take stones out of the Jordan River and set them up as a monument in their encampment at Gilgal. These stones served as a memorial for generations to come to remember the miraculous event of crossing over the Jordan River. In addition, Joshua set up stones under the feet of the Cohanim that stood in the river as the nation crossed into the land. Moreover, on Mt Eval Joshua followed the instruction mentioned in our portion and wrote the entire Torah on stone and built an altar on Mt. Aval. Our tradition holds that the same stones that were taken out of the Jordan River were used for writing the Torah and the building of the altar of Joshua on Mt. Avel. These stones were later brought to the Israeli encampment at Gilgal and set up as the monument mentioned above. Writing the Torah on stone did not begin with Joshua. Let us remember that the Ten Commandments were written in stone. In addition, something that is a lot less known, is Moshe Rabeynu wrote the Torah on stone in the land of Moav before he passed away. Our sages add that the entire Torah was written by Moshe not only in Hebrew but in the seventy languages of the Nations. Joshua similarly wrote the Torah on Mt. Aval in 70 languages.
In order to clarify these facts we must learn a small passage of Talmud in the tractate Sotah 35B. The Talmud brings down a discussion between two Rabbis – Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Yehuda. The Rabbis discuss two different possibilities of understanding how the Torah was written on the stones. According to Rabbi Yehuda the Torah was written on the stones and then covered over with plaster. Rabbi Shimon asked Rabbi Yehuda “if this the case how did the nations learn the Torah?” Rabbi Yehudah answers – “G-D gave them the insight to call their professional scribes and were able to peel off the plaster and take the Torah with them. For this reason they were punished because they should have studied the Torah instead of transgressing it.” Rabbi Shimon, on the other hand, explains that the Torah was written on top of the plaster so that all the nations could see it clearly. On the bottom the huge stones containing the Torah the following verse was written again for emphasis – so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against Hashem your God. (Deuteronomy 20:18) This verse explains Israel’s moral and legitimate right to go to war against the seven nations. If the Nations do not accept Israel’s call for peace (see verse (ibid 20:11)) which includes taking upon themselves the moral code of Noach, Israel will go to battle. We see from here that if the nations would have repented they would have been allowed to stay in the land.
In other words, before Joshua began the wars against the 31 kings to capture the land of Israel the Torah was put on display before the nations. Hashem wanted the nations to be inspired by the light of the Torah and repent. For this same reason, as mentioned before Moshe while in Moav, before passing away, wrote the Torah in 70 languages. Moshe began the process of reaching out to the nations with the light of the Torah. Joshua was told to do the same thing on the other side of the Jordan on Mt. Aval. It is important to note that this is not the first time the nations had an opportunity to accept the Torah. On Mt. Sinai we learned that Hashem offered the Torah to every nation on earth but they refused to accept it. We see a clear Divine plan that the nations must eventually be rectified through Torah. According to Rabbi Yehuda in the Talmudic passage above, we see that although the Torah was displayed to the nations it still was covered up with plaster. A possible deep meaning of this is that the Torah was teaching us that to study and learn Torah one has to work hard and carefully peel away the different layers that are blocking us from seeing the truth. In addition it is teaches us that the Torah is extremely deep and one has to sweat over it in order to understand the depth of it. Rabbi Shimon that says that the Torah was written clearly – presents us another approach that one has to bring someone close to the Torah slowly first by teaching him the most simplest of things that are as clear as day. We see that in both instances the nations failed to repent and rectify themselves. The writing of the Torah on stone teaches us that the spiritual light of the Torah descending from the highest places above has the power to turn even the most inanimate of creation into life. The Hebrew word for stone is “Even” ((אבן which has the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet – “alphabet” – comes from Aleph Beit. The letter Nun has the numerical value of fifty. This represents the fifty gates of understanding the Torah that is communicated through the Aleph Beit. Stones are referred to as letters in our esoteric teachings. “Even” also stands for the relationship between parent and child. Aleph is the first letter of the word for mother and father in Hebrew and Beit Nun “Ben” is the child. This is reflected in Jacob taking stones and placing his head upon them before leaving the land of Israel. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. (Genesis 28:11) Jacob before going to exile needed to charge his spiritual batteries by connecting with the stones of the land of Israel. With all that is contained in them.
In summery the event on Har Grizim and Aval included three fundamental threads coming together. The Torah, the land, and the people. Standing on the mountain of Aval united through the Torah the land symbolized the establishment of the long awaited kingdom of Israel. By twining these threads together they created a powerful rope that was meant to tug the nations out of the mud of idolatry. What did not succeed for a second time, we are promised will succeed in the end of days. As described by our prophets – “Now it will come about that in the end of days The mountain of the house of the Hashem will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Hashem, to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of the Hashem from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2)
“Thus says G-D of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
You will arise and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the appointed time has come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor its dust. (Psalms 102)
This week’s Torah portion Parashat Ki Tezeh opens up with a topic that is difficult to grasp – the laws of “Eyshet Yifat Toar” (literally a women of a beautiful looks)
“When you go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go to her and be intimate with her, and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.”
Since the beginning of history, it is a known fact that invading armies have raped and taken captive the women of their enemies. It is interesting that just recently Israeli soldiers were accused of racism by Arab leaders, BDS members and other left wing supporters. Their claim was that there was no reported rapes of Arab women in Gaza during the last Israeli military operation. There explanation of this unusual occurrence was that Israeli soldiers were racist and did not want to touch an Arab woman. In other words, even in modern times, apparently this is the expected norm of society when going to war. Putting aside this anti-Semitic claim against our soldiers – the Torah seems to prepare Israeli society for possible immoral acts of behavior from its soldiers during battle. Instead of ignoring reality, the Torah is very down to earth and presents a plan for coping with human nature. At the same time, it puts up boundaries and doesn’t allow complete chaotic behavior on part of its soldiers. Some of the difficult moral challenges that surface here when delving into these laws in more detail are the fact that even married women are included in the law of a “Yifat Toar”. In addition, according to many opinions, intimacy is permitted at first without the restrictions mentioned in the verses. Moreover, the women obviously are not asked if they want an intimate relationship with the soldier they seem to have to accept the reality that has befallen them. On the other hand, after the first sexual act boundaries are put into motion. From then on, it is no longer permitted to be intimate with the “Yifat Toar” until the process in complete. The process is outlined in fine details in our oral teachings. If the “Yifat Toar” decides to convert then immediately the couple are allowed to be married. If the woman does not want to convert yet, then she must shave her head and trim her fingernails and sit in the soldier’s home for a month mourning her parents. If at the end of the process he does not want to marry her then he must let her go. The Rambam mentions that if she doesn’t want to convert after a month then she is given a 12 month option to see if she is willing to change her mind. If not she must accept the basic 7 Noachide laws. These laws include the prohibitions of: idol worship, sexual offences, murder, theft, blaspheming God, eating of a live animal, and the requirement of setting up a court system. If the Yifat Toar is not willing to convert than she must leave the soldiers home since he can only marry her if she is 100 percent Jewish. To sum things up we see that on one hand the Torah is allowing an outlet for possible human weakness during battle but at the same time in the long run there is a detailed plan of rectifying this relationship. An attempt to turn this into holiness through a proper marriage and spiritually rectifying the pagan beliefs of the “Yifat Toar”.
The famous Rabbi Chaim Ben Atar (1696-1743) in his magnum Opus the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh has a very interesting approach to this topic. He begins by asking how the Torah could allow such seemingly repulsive behavior on part of its soldiers. While engaged in battle, when men are endangering their lives, we would expect from our soldiers the highest ethical conduct possible. How can we expect G-D to do miracles for us in battle when we are giving into our physical desires? The Ohr Hachaim explains that there is something much deeper then what meets the eye. He explains that after the sin of the first man in the Garden of Eden many Jewish souls got trapped into the net of the “dark side”. These are the souls of the converts. We see how many righteous people from the nations have joined the house of Israel. Like Rahav, Ruth, Jethro, Shemaiah, Avtalyon, Onkelos Hager, and the list goes on. He mentions two possibilities of rectifying souls that have been taken captive into the other side. Sometimes there is a holy soul is trapped within an unclean soul. The soul needs assistance from the outside to free itself from slavery. He gives the example of Shechem Ben Hamor.
“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.” Genesis 34:2
According to our esoteric teachings the soul of the famous 2nd century Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon, one of the “Ten Martyrs” killed by the Romans for teaching Torah was trapped inside Shechem Ben Hamor and wasn’t able to pull away on its own. By cleaving to Dena the soul was released from its imprisonment. Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon was a decedent of Dina and Shechem Ben Hamor. This is hinted in verse Genesis 34: 21
“These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
The Hebrew expression “the land is large enough” is spelled רחבת which is an acronym for Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon.
In addition, he explains how in certain instances a soul is able to free itself on its own. These are the souls of converts. By cleaving to Hashem through embracing Judaism they are able to cleanse the impurities that were attached to their souls freeing them from the dark side.
The Ohr Hachaim goes on to say that when a person is involved in doing a mitzvah nothing bad can come out of his actions. The mitzvah has the power to protect them. It goes without saying, that soldiers in battle are doing a tremendous mitzvah of defending the people of Israel. Therefore, it would not make sense to say that their encounter with the Yifat Toar was motivated by their physical desires alone. There must be something much greater that drew the attention of the soldier to the “Yifat Toar”. He explains that the soul within the Yifat Toar is seeking a way of releasing itself from the dark side.
As we mentioned before there are two possibilities of freeing trapped Jewish souls. In the first instance like that of Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon the trapped soul needs a onetime bonding with another Jewish soul to free it from its bondage. This aligns itself perfectly with the verse – “If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes.” In this particular instance the souls needed to cleave to one another only once. At that moment the trapped soul was set free. That explains why the relationship between the soldier and the yifat toar did not continue beyond a onetime intimate relationship. The Yifat toar no longer carried the Jewish soul and therefore was allowed to go. The other possibility is that the Yifat Toar is baring a Jewish soul in its entirety but it needs to be cleansed and purged from its impurities. These are the souls of converts! By marrying the soldier she cleanses herself of her pagan impurities and has now returned to the house of Israel. This also aligns itself perfectly with the verse – After that you may go to her and be intimate with her, and she shall be your wife.
It is very important to clarify that we are talking in the essay about Jewish souls that were taken captive and have a tremendous desire to return home. We are not at all, referring to the souls of the seventy nations that Hashem created them for their own purpose as well. This topic is extremely deep and it requires a lot more research to understand it. This concept is not confined to the Yifat toah alone. We see that in Genesis 19:31-38 “Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him that we may preserve our family through our father. So they made their father drink wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. On the following day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine tonight also; then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve our family through our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
We all know that out of this incestuous relationship Ruth was born a great grandmother of King David. Eventually the Messiah will come from this line. In other word, sometimes Hashem works in ways that it is hard for us as humans to grasp.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
