Ki Seitzei – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

לא יבוא עמוני ומואבי בקהל ד'...על דבר אשר לא קדמו אתכם בלחם ובמים... לא תתעב מצרי כי גר היית בארצו

An Ammoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem… because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water… You shall not reject an Egyptian for you were a sojourner in their land. (23:4, 5, 8)

Gratitude plays an important role in Judaism. The Torah does not countenance ingratitude. It is considered an indication of selfishness and mean-spiritedness – character deficiencies which do not integrate well into the Jewish nation. Thus, members of the nations of Ammon and Moav, both descendants of Lot, whose lives were spared as a result of our Patriarch’s actions, are not accepted by members of the Jewish nation for marriage. They may convert, but their genes are unacceptable, due to their character flaw of ingratitude. The Egyptian, however, upon conversion, is accepted. Although we suffered greatly at the hands of the…

Home -> 5773 -> Ki Seitzei

כי ד' אלקיך מתהלך בקרב מחנך... והיה מחנך קדוש ולא יראה בך ערות דבר ושב מאחריך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5773

For Hashem, your G-d, walks in the midst of your camp… so your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing among you and turn away from behind you. (23:15)

Dressing and acting appropriately are prerequisites for Torah-oriented behavior. “Your camp shall be holy” applies not only to the “camp” in the wilderness; it also applies to our homes, schools, shuls – wherever observant Jews congregate. One’s personal camp should not be ignored either. This means that, although one may be respectful of the laws of tznius, modesty/chastity, upon entering a holy edifice, he should not forget that he is himself a holy camp. Thus, how one dresses represents his attitude with regard to Hashem. To dress in an immodest manner is to put G-d to shame and cause Him…

Home -> 5773 -> Ki Seitzei

כי יקח איש אשה חדשה... ושמח את אשתו אשר לקח

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5773

When a man marries a new wife… he shall gladden his wife whom he has married. (24:5)

During the first year of marriage man is exempt from being drafted into the army, because he is supposed to stay home to “gladden his wife.” The Torah writes, V’seemach es ishto, “He shall gladden his wife.” Rashi comments, “This pasuk is interpreted by Targum Onkelos as, v’yachdei yas itsei, “he shall gladden his wife,” but one who translates the pasuk as, v’yechdai im itsei, “he shall gladden with his wife,” is in error because this is not the translation of v’seemach, but rather, of v’samach.” In Rabbi Sholom Smith’s, A Vort From Rav Pam, he quotes the Rosh Yeshivah,…

Home -> 5773 -> Ki Seitzei

ואם לא יחפץ האיש לקחת את יבמתו... ואמרה מאן יבמי להקים לאחיו שם בישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5773

But if the man shall not wish to marry his sister-in-law… and she shall say, “My brother-in-law refuses to establish a name for his brother in Yisrael.” (25:7)

For whatever reason, the surviving brother refuses to perform yibum, levirate marriage with his sister-in-law. The woman comes before bais din and declares, Me’ein yevami l’hakim shem b’Yisrael, “My brother-in-law refuses to establish a name for his brother.” It seems from the text that no more is said, other than that he simply refuses to perform the mitzvah. Reasons are not discussed. We find another instance of miyun, refusal, in the Torah, when Yosef refused to succumb to the advances made by Potifar’s wife: Va’yimaen, vayomer, “He refused and he said” (Berachos 39:8). In this case, however, Yosef seems to…

Home -> 5772 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5772

“When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d, will deliver him into your hand, and you will capture its captives.” (21:10)

The pasuk’s text is enigmatic. It begins by referring to our enemies in the plural, “your enemies,” – but then it changes to the singular, saying, “And Hashem, your G-d, will deliver him into your hand.” Horav Mordechai Gifter, z.l., addresses this question and derives a profound lesson from the pasuk. Whether we realize it or not, we enter battle daily against all sorts of enemies or, rather, one enemy in the guise of many different enemies. The yetzer hara, evil-inclination, man’s archenemy is extremely cunning and seeks ways to destroy our spiritual development. He attacks us from all sides,…

Home -> 5772 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5772

“And you will see among its captivity a woman who is beautiful of form… If a man will have two wives, one beloved and one hated… If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son.” (21:11,15,18)

Chazal derive a valuable lesson from the juxtaposition of the laws of the ben sorer u’moreh, the rebellious son, to the case of the man who has two wives, one of whom he hates, and to the incident of the beautiful captive, in which the Torah gives a dispensation, a concession to human weakness, allowing the Jewish soldier to marry this woman. Chazal perceive this marriage, which serves to prevent worse manifestations of the unbridled passions of man, as the precursor of the disobedient and rebellious son. A wife taken in a such a manner will probably ultimately become an…

Home -> 5772 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5772

“And you will see among its captivity a woman who is beautiful of form, and you will desire her, you may take her to yourself for a wife.” (21:11)

The Torah recognizes that war wreaks havoc on a person’s emotions. The anxiety and breakdown of normal life leaves a person in an unusually depressed state, emotionally fragile and susceptible to the blandishments of the yetzer hara, evil-inclination. Under such conditions, the Jewish soldier might defer to his base desires. Upon seeing a woman among the enemy, he might feel an uncontrollable desire for her. Rather than risk sin that may lead to further spiritual pollution, the Torah provides an outlet for the lustful soldier. There is a process that the female captive must undergo, after which he may marry…

Home -> 5772 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5772

“He is unable to give the right of the firstborn to the son of the beloved one ahead of the son of the hated one, who is the firstborn.” (21:16)

The firstborn has an inviolable right to his share of his father’s inheritance. The Torah is teaching us that rivalries or animosities do not determine the laws of inheritance. There is a clearly defined halachah that the firstborn receive a double portion of his father’s inheritance. The fact that his father harbors a hatred for his mother does not give him license to deprive his firstborn son of his rightful share. In forbidding the father to give over a firstborn’s rights, the Torah uses a puzzling term. It says, lo yuchal, “He is unable to do so.” Why is the…

Home -> 5772 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5772

“Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” (22:10)

Being sensitive to the feelings of another human being is a requisite for defining mentchlichkeit, humanness. While many of us go out of our way to be kind and thoughtful when it affects the feelings of a prominent individual, we often ignore the sensitivities of a common person. The Torah provides us with a penetrating insight regarding this inappropriate practice. We are adjured not to plow with an ox and a donkey together. Although the Torah does not suggest a reason, the Daas Zekeinim explains that these two animals have two diverse habits for digesting their food. Because an ox…

Home -> 5771 -> Ki Seitzei

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Seitzei, 5771

When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d, will deliver them into your hands and you will capture its captivity. (21:10)

The Baal Shem Tov HaKadosh says that the war to which the Torah alludes is none other than the war of our lives – the daily battle which we wage against the blandishments of the yetzer hara, evil-inclination. The Torah is teaching us v’shavisa shivyo, “And you will capture its captivity,” essentially, we should grab the yetzer hara, take it captive, and learn from its strategy. Let one study the yetzer hara’s guile, how it ensnares us to sin, disregarding the type or severity of the sin. Who cares? As long as one sins, he is ensnared in the trap…

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Back to Home -> Ki Seitzei ->

לא יבוא עמוני ומואבי בקהל ד'...על דבר אשר לא קדמו אתכם בלחם ובמים... לא תתעב מצרי כי גר היית בארצו

An Ammoni or Moavi shall not enter the congregation of Hashem… because of the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water… You shall not reject an Egyptian for you were a sojourner in their land. (23:4, 5, 8)

כי ד' אלקיך מתהלך בקרב מחנך... והיה מחנך קדוש ולא יראה בך ערות דבר ושב מאחריך

For Hashem, your G-d, walks in the midst of your camp… so your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing among you and turn away from behind you. (23:15)

כי יקח איש אשה חדשה... ושמח את אשתו אשר לקח

When a man marries a new wife… he shall gladden his wife whom he has married. (24:5)

ואם לא יחפץ האיש לקחת את יבמתו... ואמרה מאן יבמי להקים לאחיו שם בישראל

But if the man shall not wish to marry his sister-in-law… and she shall say, “My brother-in-law refuses to establish a name for his brother in Yisrael.” (25:7)

“When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d, will deliver him into your hand, and you will capture its captives.” (21:10)

“And you will see among its captivity a woman who is beautiful of form… If a man will have two wives, one beloved and one hated… If a man will have a wayward and rebellious son.” (21:11,15,18)

“And you will see among its captivity a woman who is beautiful of form, and you will desire her, you may take her to yourself for a wife.” (21:11)

“He is unable to give the right of the firstborn to the son of the beloved one ahead of the son of the hated one, who is the firstborn.” (21:16)

“Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” (22:10)

When you will go out to war against your enemies, and Hashem, your G-d, will deliver them into your hands and you will capture its captivity. (21:10)

YEARS

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!