Parshat Ki Tetze
11 Elul 5764

August 28, 2004
Daf Yomi: Erachin 17

Guest Author:
Rabbi Mendel Kaufman

Young Israel of Briairwood, NY

 

Ki Tetze begins, "If you will go out to wage war upon your enemies and G-d, your G-d, will give him into your hands and you will capture a prisoner."

Some of the commentaries interpret this verse as referring to the eternal battle that each individual must wage with his own Yetzer Hara (evil inclination). The Torah is saying when you go out to do battle with your Yetzer Hara, with G-d's help you can prevail and control your Yetzer Hara.

This interpretation is indicated because the verse is in the singular. If it would only be referring to a war by the nation against it's enemies than the verse should have been in the plural, since to fight a national enemy requires an army.
In expanding this idea of individual conflict with one's own Yetzer Hara in a verse that in its plain meaning deals with a national struggle, the Torah reveals that victory in the individual struggle is important not only to the individual, but to the whole nation as well. In saying, Ki Tetze, "you will go out", the Torah is speaking to every person. You, no matter who you are, can have a salutary impact on the condition of the world. Just win a victory over your Yetzer Hara by fulfilling one more mitzvah and/or committing one less sin.

A certain Jew said to the Chofetz Chaim, "Rebbe, if there were ten Jews like me, then Moshiach would come tomorrow." "Really", the Chofetz Chaim asked, "and what about all the other Jews?" "They would be like you", the man replied.
By not feeling a sense of urgency in improving ourselves, we seem to perpetuate the attitude of that Jew, that only a whole nation of Chofetz Chaims (an unlikely prospect) can bring redemption. Our Sages teach us differently.

We can see this in what we are told about Noach and the flood.
At the beginning of the sidrah Noach, the Torah tells us, Noach was a righteous man - "Tamim haya b'dorosav" - perfect in his generation.

Rashi brings two interpretations of the phrase "in his generation".

There are those who say, "in his generation" is complimentary to Noach. That is, he was righteous in a generation of evildoers, how much more so would he be righteous in a generation of righteous people. Other said that "in his generation" disparaged Noach, that is, compared to the evildoers of his generation, he would be considered righteous, but put him in a generation of righteous people, he would not be significant.

This second opinion is puzzling. Our Sages tell us in Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers 1:16), "Judge everyone favorably". Here, with Noach, the Sages had a choice to judge him favorably or unfavorably. So why did certain of the Sages find it necessary to judge him unfavorably?

The answer, I would suggest, is that in disparaging Noach, the Sages were, in fact, teaching us a very profound and important lesson. Noach was not a "perfect" righteous man. Among other righteous people, he might be insignificant. Yet he saved the world! As long as Noach was better than his peers G-d considered him worthy.

The Sages are telling us that you don't have to be perfect. Just be better and you too can save the world.

The second opinion brought by Rashi is telling us that the Jew talking to the Chofetz Chaim was wrong. G-d isn't waiting for all of us to become Chofetz Chaims. He is just waiting for each and every one of us to become better.

The Rambam (Maimonides) codifies this idea in Hilchos Teshuva (3:4), quoting the Talmud (Kiddushin 40b), "Each person should see himself as if he is half guilty and half innocent, and so the whole world, half guilty and half innocent. If he committed one sin, he has tipped himself and the whole world to guilt and caused devastation. If he does one mitzvah, he has tipped himself and the whole world to merit and brought about salvation and rescue. As it says (Mishlei 10:25) "and the righteous are the foundation of the world. He who has made himself righteous has tipped the whole world to merit and has saved it."

It may be more than coincidence that Ki Tetze is always read during the month of Elul, the month of teshuva as preparation for the New Year. The sidrah is telling us, you can do battle with the mistakes and shortcomings of the past. You can overcome them and become better. Take this battle seriously and give it your best efforts and you too may be the one who can save the world.

In this, we should take the advice of the judge at the Old Barley Criminal Court in London.

A seventy-five year old career burglar had just been convicted of burglary for the ninth time. The judge sentenced him to forty-five years in jail.

The burglar said to the judge, "If I may ask m'lord a question?" "I'm seventy-five years old how does m'lord expect me to serve forty-five years?"

The judge replied, "Do the best you can."

In the month of Elul, let's do the best we can.

To receive a free e-mail subscription to NCYI�s weekly Torah Bulletin, send an email to: YI_Torah@lb.bcentral.com