Shoftim – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

הוא ינוס אל אחת הערים האלה וחי

He shall flee to one of these cities and live. (19:5)

The purpose of the city of refuge was to protect the inadvertent murderer from the wrath of the goel ha’dam, redeemer/close relative, who seeks to avenge the death of his relative. The word v’chai, “and live,” has a powerful connotation. Chazal teach (Makkos 10b), “If a student goes into exile, his rebbe goes with him; if a rebbe goes into exile, his yeshivah goes with him. Avid lei midi d’tihevei lei chiyussa, “Provide him with arrangements that will enable him to live.” Apparently, another rebbe would not suffice. The inadvertent murderer requires his personal rebbe from whom he had been…

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וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5776

They shall speak up and say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see.” (21:7)

Obviously, no one suspects the elders of participating in the murder of the individual whose corpse was found in the field. Rashi explains that they mean to say that they were unaware of this traveler and had no part in allowing him to go on his way, lonely, without food or escort. We derive from this statement that had they been aware of his presence and need, they would have been guilty of neglecting another Jew, so that there would be blood on their hands. This is the extent of responsibility demanded of a leader. Maharal m’Prague observes that the…

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לא תקים לך מצבה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5775

And you shall not erect for yourself a pillar. (16:22)

It is forbidden to set up a single stone for worship – even if it is in order to worship the true G-d, Hashem. He has despised these stones ever since the pagans decided to employ them as a means for their own worship. Only an altar comprised of numerous stones or of earth creates the proper modality of worship. Horav Levi Yitzchak, zl, m’Berditchev, renders this prohibition homiletically as referring to the most common form of worship: self-worship. Chazal state (Pirkei Avos 4), “This world is compared to a vestibule before Olam Habba, the World to Come.” Our world…

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לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5775

You shall not deviate from the word that they will tell you, right or left. (17:11)

Some individuals find it hard to follow the direction set forth by the Torah sages of each generation. They feel that the guidance of the gedolim, giants of Torah, must be consistent with their personal line of thinking. Accepting the sage advice of a Torah leader is a bit too much for them to handle. The ben Torah who conforms to the direction of the chachmei haTorah, wise men of Torah, lives a life of peace and calm, serene in the knowledge that he is following the path that Hashem has established for him. He realizes that, after all is…

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ואמר אליהם שמע ישראל אתם קרבים היום למלחמה על אויביכם אל ירך לבבכם אל תיראו ואל תחפזו ואל תערצו מפניהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5775

He shall say to them, “Hear, O Yisrael, today you are coming near to the battle against your enemies; let your heart not be faint; do not be afraid; do not panic and do not be broken before them. (20:3)

Chazal (Talmud Sotah 44) teach that, during a war, it is absolutely prohibited to run from the enemy. While today, outside of Eretz Yisrael, we cannot really say that the Jewish People are involved in a physical war, we are certainly embattled in a spiritual battle against an anti-Semitic world that does not want to see us observing Torah and mitzvos. What a sad commentary it is that anti-Semitic gentiles have a greater perception of the value of Torah and mitzvos to the Jew than do our secular brethren. They have long ago relegated our People’s treasure, Hashem’s Divinely authored…

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מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5775

Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? (20:8)

Prior to selecting those individuals who were to represent the nation in war, we find the Kohen Gadol asking all those who had just made family commitments– a new wife; a new house; a new vineyard– to leave the circle and return home. The Kohen left the scene, and the officers took charge. According to Rabbi Yosi HaGelili, the last declaration, which exhorted he who was afraid to leave, focuses on a person who is not as much a coward as he is afraid of dying. He is fearful of the impact that his sins will make on his successful…

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וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5775

They shall speak up and say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see.” (21:7)

The elders of the city closest to the unknown victim of a homicide declared, “Our hands have not spilled this (innocent) blood, and our eyes did not see.” Rashi explains that this does not mean that the elders are in any way suspected of homicidal intent. They lament that they had not seen the victim; thus, they had not sent him off properly with food and accompaniment, as is the appropriate procedure for sending off a welcome guest. It seems from Rashi’s explanation that had we accompanied the victim, he might not have become a victim. People pick on loners,…

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והאיש אשר יעשה בזדון... ומת האיש ההוא ובערת הרע מישראל. וכל העם ישמעו ויראו ולא יזידון עוד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5774

And the man that will act with willfulness… that man shall die, and if you shall destroy the evil from among Yisrael. The entire nation shall listen and fear, and they shall not act willfully anymore. (17:12,13)

How often – upon confronting a young Jewish boy or girl and inquiring why he or she has suddenly opted for living a life of spiritual risk, or of turning off completely to religious observance – will the response be, “I was turned off by the lack of truth, the dearth of intellectual honesty, the improper behavior such as chillul Hashem and hypocrisy”? Veritably, the response that we receive has a ring of truth to it. The system is perfect; the people, however, are human, and human beings err – some by not thinking, while others are simply dishonest. In…

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מי האיש אשר בנה בית חדש... ומי האיש אשר נטע כרם... ומי האיש אשר ארש אשה... מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5774

Who is the man who built a new house… and who is the man who has planted a vineyard… and who is the man who had betrothed a woman… who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house. (20:5,6,7,8)

The Torah’s sensitivity toward all Jews – regardless of background, personal status, or self-imposed emotional baggage – is evidenced in this parsha. Prior to the nation’s leaving for battle, the Kohen Gadol Mashuach Milchamah, High Priest anointed specifically for the purpose of leading the people in battle and serving as their spiritual advisor during this stressful time, made a declaration telling the troops that anyone who was not emotionally fit for fighting in a war should return home from the battlefield. The emotional toll on a person during such a period of adversity is enormous. If a soldier’s mind begins…

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מי האיש אשר בנה בית... מי האיש אשר נטע כרם... ומי האיש אשר ארש אשה... ילך וישב לביתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Shoftim, 5774

Who is the man who built a new house… and who is the man who has planted a vineyard… and who is the man who had betrothed a woman… Let him go and return to his house. (20:5,6,7,8)

The Torah exempts the fellow who has recently built a home, planted a vineyard, or betrothed a young woman from going into battle. These people will not be good soldiers, since their minds are preoccupied with what they have left at home. Interestingly, if someone owns a huge estate, has many orchards, or has a wife and seven children – he does not go home. Why? Does one who has great wealth and familial responsibilities have less on his mind than the poor fellow who has one small home, brand new vineyard, or has just become united with a woman?…

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הוא ינוס אל אחת הערים האלה וחי

He shall flee to one of these cities and live. (19:5)

וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו

They shall speak up and say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see.” (21:7)

לא תקים לך מצבה

And you shall not erect for yourself a pillar. (16:22)

לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

You shall not deviate from the word that they will tell you, right or left. (17:11)

ואמר אליהם שמע ישראל אתם קרבים היום למלחמה על אויביכם אל ירך לבבכם אל תיראו ואל תחפזו ואל תערצו מפניהם

He shall say to them, “Hear, O Yisrael, today you are coming near to the battle against your enemies; let your heart not be faint; do not be afraid; do not panic and do not be broken before them. (20:3)

מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב

Who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? (20:8)

וענו ואמרו ידינו לא שפכה את הדם הזה ועינינו לא ראו

They shall speak up and say, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, and our eyes did not see.” (21:7)

והאיש אשר יעשה בזדון... ומת האיש ההוא ובערת הרע מישראל. וכל העם ישמעו ויראו ולא יזידון עוד

And the man that will act with willfulness… that man shall die, and if you shall destroy the evil from among Yisrael. The entire nation shall listen and fear, and they shall not act willfully anymore. (17:12,13)

מי האיש אשר בנה בית חדש... ומי האיש אשר נטע כרם... ומי האיש אשר ארש אשה... מי האיש הירא ורך הלבב ילך וישב לביתו

Who is the man who built a new house… and who is the man who has planted a vineyard… and who is the man who had betrothed a woman… who is the man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house. (20:5,6,7,8)

מי האיש אשר בנה בית... מי האיש אשר נטע כרם... ומי האיש אשר ארש אשה... ילך וישב לביתו

Who is the man who built a new house… and who is the man who has planted a vineyard… and who is the man who had betrothed a woman… Let him go and return to his house. (20:5,6,7,8)

YEARS

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