Parshas Shoftim 5786

Automatic transcript of the voice note (unedited) — Hebrew and Yiddish terms may be spelled phonetically.

The Velt has a little bit of a misimpression from the Psukim when we go out to the Melchama. The Velt thinks that because the Gemara in sight, the Mishnah Yisrael said to talk about whose chayza me'orcha Melchama, and it says, Yishayor verach aleva, who I know is a famous mechlekesh, someone who is yare menachet, someone who didn't have Erez, yare menachet, he should not fight in the battle. So it seems to be if a person has Averes, the Koresh Baruch Hu will punish him. And he's not going to be Masliach in his battle. In fact, the Salach has brought twice an Erechan. If you talk between Tfonshaya and Tfonshoresh, your Chayza or Erecheh will be a Melchama. Beis Lefle Gemara in Saita.

And that's the impression that people get. Averes, you're out. I heard once that the Meskilim wanted to make fun of the Netziv. And they said that they put on a Hatzaga, a play. And they said, when it comes in the future, There's going to be a Mahama, so they're going to announce who did this Avera, and they'll lose 50% of the army. Who did this Avera? They'll lose another 20%. So I said, but then they're dead. There's only going to be two people standing left, and it's Siv and maybe Rafael Shapiro. I don't know who else was there from Voloshin. So they told us over to Siv, and Siv just looked up and said, yeah, but they forgot to tell the end of the story. We win the war.

Anyway, it's the impression that we get, the impression of the culturally, of most people is to assume that if a person did not vary, he has to leave the war. But it couldn't be further from the truth. It says in this week's parasha, in parakh chaf, pasach gemu, v'amar alem sh'ma Yisro, the one who announces, mashruch muhammad, the one who announces to the soldiers what do he tells them shema yisroel listen listen today you're going to go out to battle with your enemies don't be afraid why next pasuk hashem is the one who is fighting with for you don't worry it's not about you says the medrash i should brings it why did mishuk I have to start with the word Shema Yisroel says Rashi even just

the Shema even just the Shema that's enough so here's we have people going out to war like a picture nowadays in Israel a picture going out to war let's say a platoon of I'm sorry to you they probably said Shema here and there, they probably got bar mitzvahs bar mitzvah most of their life is a secular life and full of different avarius, what's supposed to be the approach, the approach is they should all stop the army no no no no no Chazal Talas Mamish, the opposite over here they should know that even just saying Shema Yisrael, the smallest thing, Shema Yisrael, believe in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, there's a Muna that's enough, because at the end of the day it's not Hashem fighting, a few

psukem later it says he sent them back from the war and that's when he said somebody was afraid of their chet so I understand it would seem to be a very clear stira that's Pasek Chas another one Shema Yisrael is Pasek Gimo so they're very very close how do we shtim them how do we put these two things together the Torah says the one who's he's afraid of the he has. Meaning to say, if he's going out to war thinking Hashem's going to punish him, he's afraid of his Avera, he's going to be punished, he has to be pulled back from battle. It's not the way we go out to war. If they go out to war knowing that HaKadosh Baruch

is the one fighting the war for us, if we go out to war with the Munna and B'tochen and it's not me, it's all HaKadosh Baruch Hu, you should realize all you need is just Shema Yisroel. You just need that connection to Hashem. That's it. The bare minimum. So even though this is very local, nice to hear next to Sro, I have some neighborhood friends who are either in the army or their son-in-laws are in the army. There are different people that I deal with, people who I cross paths with all the time, and this is the message I always try to give over to them. But it also happens to be true for all of us who are not fighting in the army, which is that we know also from Chassidus Shasvarim,

mentioned, that Chassidus Shasvarim all say that we have to guard all our gates, our mouth and our ears. So the Chassidus Shaschor Moshe, Ketetzel HaMolchamol HaVechah, has in this week's parasha, when we start this whole speech, and also next week's parasha, it's all about going out to the war on the Yetzirah. So we go out to the war on the Yetzirah, it's the same exact idea as well. Don't think that we could fight and wage the battle without a Kadosh Baruch Hu. Our main feeling that we should always have is that our job is to connect to Hashem. Who's actually waging the battle? to Kaddash Baruch Hu. It's a fair Shagamar on Baruch Hu. It says,

Who I Kaddash Baruch Hu be'ezrui, if not for Kaddash Baruch Hu. Ha'abas says, no way that we'll be able to fight off the Sata Ma'ach HaMovetz. He's much greater, much stronger than us. V'yei Tzahara. Shabbos to try our best to remember, get that connection, whether it's the Shema Yisrael, whether it's the Shtayging and learning, get our connection, and at the end of the day, Kaddash Baruch Hu does the rest. Have a great Shabbos.