Go Out To War

Rabbi Moshe Shalit

The declaration, "When you go out to war against your enemy" [Devarim 21:10], is interpreted by the author of the Tanya as the "Divine soul" going out to battle against the evil inclination – the "animal soul." Rebbes of Chabad who followed him expanded this basic idea by finding new details in the verse that refer to this war. The following are some examples of their comments.   "When you go out" – By the very fact that it arrived in this world, the soul left its natural habitat, high and exalted directly under the Throne of Glory. The act of leaving is in itself an act of war. If we left and have arrived in this world, we are already in this war. It is important for us to recognize this fact.   On the other hand, we must take into account that we must always feel that we are on the move – leaving our natural place and going into "enemy territory" because this is G-d's will. The only way we can win the war is to continue to "be led" by our close clinging to G-d, to feel that this world is external to our natural place, but we must always remember that we have been placed exactly where G-d wants us to be. We have not come here in order to float above reality and to withdraw from humanity, we are searching for "close contact," and we want to be active and have an effect on the world.   "To war" – Even though the ultimate goal is not to shatter the evil inclination but rather to refine it and mend it – to achieve a situation where the evil inclination also loves G-d – we must wage war along the way to the exalted goal. The evil inclination will never reach a stage when it changes direction and accepts our way if it does not first suffer from painful blows. The war must change it into a "tool" for refinement and mending.   "Over your enemy" – What is written is not "against" your enemy but rather "over" your enemy. You are definitely on top, because you come with the power of a Divine soul which is "part of the G-d above."   There is another and deeper explanation. Remind your adversary what is "above your enemy" – what is above him, his own spiritual root. In this way, you will remove the basis of the evil. The foundation of the animal soul stems from the beasts that are mentioned in the legends of creation. The foundation of the enemies, according to mystic lore, is the separation from divinity, whose goal is to create a fire of yearning that will lead to a renewed closeness. As time passed and the worlds descended lower and lower, the distance for the purpose of becoming closer became a void and was blocked. When we awaken the animal soul from its foundation, "over your enemy," the possibility will arise to overturn it and to bring it into our forces. "When man began to fight the war, the opposite side lost its force." "And you will capture its captive" – Aside from the victory itself, there are other bonuses. The captives are Divine sparks which exist within the shells and the evil inclination, and now they return home, to become holy.   The captive entity from the evil inclination is still called "its captive." It is still related to evil, because within it there are still special powers, like the extra merit that those who have repented have over the entirely righteous people. The sparks have unique strengths, and the novelty stems from the fact that they reach us as a result of our waging war.   The Holy One, Blessed be He, gave the shells strength, and this is strong and true power. He also gave us strong and true power, in order to be able to conquer them. This is not a victory over a meaningless void, because the Holy One, Blessed be He, created them with great power in order to oppose sanctity, but we are able to capture this strength from them! And when we capture such strength, the novelty is great and prominent.