Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Battle against the Yetzer Harah
11:15 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Lifelong battle
If you
go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem your G-d will deliver it into
your hands, and you take its captives (21:10)
The Zohar
says that our main enemy is the evil inclination, and if we make a point of
waging battle against it, Hashem will deliver it into our hands. Rav Moshe Schneider
zt”l always said that if we remain inactive the evil inclination will
succeed, and we can only hope to overcome it by engaging in combat tactics.
If we fail
to do teshuva Hashem
takes our Torah, mitzvos and prayers, and holds them "captive"
until we have achieved complete teshuva. Only when that happens are we re-credited
for all those good deeds.
However, the plain meaning of these pesukim requires
some explanation. Some people imagine that the Torah prefers that the soldier make
a "deal" with the yetzer horo, rather than give in to it
completely, since it would be difficult to overcome it altogether in a
situation of war. It is forbidden to countenance such an explanation, because Chazal
have told us that this yetzer can always be overcome by means of proper
Torah study. Furthermore, the type of war in question is a milchemes reshus
in which only the most righteous participate. Why would such people be faced
with a nisoyon of
the eshes yefas to’ar?
The Or
Hachayim on this section hints at the real explanation, which is offered by the
mekubolim. The possuk says that the soldier "desires"
her. This cheshek refers to an unnatural urge, and one that is untypical
for a person of this caliber, even in the circumstances of a war. His task is
to overcome it. If he still feels the same urge even after the captive has made
herself repulsive, and even after relations with her on a one-time basis, it may
be a divine sign that the unnatural urge has spiritual roots and this woman is
meant to be brought within the Jewish fold. Thereafter, if he wants to continue
to live with her, he has to convert her first.
Sechel and
middos
If a
man has a wayward and rebellious son (21:18)
The Ibn
Ezra says that a ben sorer umoreh is punishable by sekiloh because since his sole goal in this world
is to pursue the pleasures of food and drink he has acquired the status of an apikores. Why does such a person deserve the extreme appellation of an apikores?
A person who conducts himself in a completely unbridled manner without
any desire to achieve closeness to the Creator is presumed to eventually become
a robber, and is already currently considered to be an apikores (heretic) because he has two
disadvantages. Firstly, he does not believe that he will be held to account for
his actions before Hashem, and secondly, his actions of stealing from his
father and being a glutton indicate that his character traits are also corrupt.
Someone with only bad character traits and correct views can overcome his
corrupt nature with some intellectual effort, and someone with some positive
character traits can utilize those to improve his behavior, but a ben sorer umoreh,
who has neither advantage, has no
hope.
DOmestic harmony
His
father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of
his city (21:19)
The gemara
says that if the father comes without the mother their son does not acquire the
status of a sorer umoreh. This halocho seems puzzling at first
sight, but there is a deep psychological insight behind it. If the father comes
without his wife for such a crucial matter it is probably because they are
quarrelling and therefore the son's immoral behavior must be attributed to the
unsettling environment in the home, and is not due to his fault.
Harmony between parents is absolutely crucial
in the domestic arena, and, at the very least, there should these be no disagreement
or arguments chas vesholom in front of the children. This is an
elementary and indispensable obligation on the part of all parents. In any
case, it would not be appropriate to subject such a son to the death penalty in
the expectation of future wrongdoing, because the external cause of his current
behavior – his parents’ lack of harmony - may disappear, and in its wake, his
unacceptable behavior.
Protesting injustice
The
girl, because she did not cry out in the city (22:24)
The Torah deems silence in a situation where one could
have protested to be the equivalent of consent. The Chidushei Harim
proves from this possuk that anyone who is in a position to raise a
protest about a sin or injustice that needs to be rectified, and fails to do
so, is held responsible for his failure to act, and is deemed to agree and be
an accomplice to the crime that is being committed. This is an important
principle to bear in mind in our generation, which unfortunately does not lack
breaches of Torah laws or principles, which may not be overlooked.
Lack of consistency
Because
they did not greet you with bread and water on the way, when you left Egypt
The Dubna Magid zt”l
says that the Moabites claimed that they did not have the financial means to
provide us with bread and water, but Hashem will show them how they managed to
come up with money for all sorts of other purposes. Similarly, in our future
judgment, when we will be asked why we did not learn more, and we will respond
that we were too busy making a living, we will be shown how we managed to find
the time to engage in all sorts of superfluous activities, and upon being
questioned why we did not give more charity and we will respond that we did not
possess the wherewithal to do so, we will be shown how we spent our money on many
unnecessary things.
Amolek
And he
did not fear God (25:18)
Since
Amolek is the source of all tumo in the world, it seems strange that the
possuk would choose to focus specifically on this deficiency of a lack
of yiras shomayim. This shows the depths to which someone without fear
of Hashem can reach, as the possuk says, “Surely the fear of G-d is not
in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake”.
In recent generations we have witnessed the unprecedented
phenomenon of Jews who not only lack yiras shomayim but even deny the
very existence of a Creator, claiming that everything we experience can be
attributed to nature. This is the outlook preached by Amolek. However, such a phenomenon
should not surprise us, since Rav Moshe Kordovero zt”l already said that in the generation before moshiach
some members of the Jewish nation will adopt aspects of Amolek. We are enjoined
to love our fellow Jews, but not those who actively incite others to adopt this
philosophy of Amolek.
FOCUSSING on the positive
You
shall not despise an Egyptian, for you were a sojourner in his land (23:8)
This
commandment teaches us the extent to which we must feel gratitude even towards
those who have caused us so much harm and suffering. Although the Egyptians
behaved with such unspeakable cruelty during the time that they hosted us,
their negative traits did not necessarily pass down to their descendants, and we
are forbidden to despise them, due to the fact that even at the time they
served as our hosts.
If we make
a point in our daily lives of dwelling only on the positive aspects of those
with whom we come into contact, instead of concentrating on any negative ones,
Hashem will repay us in kind and will concentrate exclusively on our positive thoughts,
speech and actions, and they will protect us from, and counterbalance the
effect of, our negative points.
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