Ki Teitze תרל”א 4
כי תצא מחנה כו’ ונשמרת כו’ ה”א מתהלך כו’ ולא יראה בך ע”ד ושב כו’
When the pasuk (Devarim 23:10) commands the laws of going to battle, and how to act modestly in protecting oneself during moments of impurity and necessary bodily functions. The Torah says when you do these things you will be protected. ונשמרת
הול”ל ושמרת.
However the correct word seemingly should be ושמרת you shall protect yourself, with the focus on the future. Whereas the word ונשמרת implies that you are already protected?
וי”ל כי המלחמה באמת נותנת שמירה לאדם.
The answer is that the actual action of going out to battle is the protection. Even before the danger has come, the mere fact that one goes out to battle is in and of itself a protection.
This is not only referring to a national battle but also to each individual person’s battle against the yetzer hara. As will be explained. That the motion of going to battle itself, affords one protection.
ובספרי כי תצא לא תצא אלא במחנה.
The Sifri says when you go out to battle only go out with the entire camp.
חז”ל דרשו בקרב מחניך הם האיברים של האדם
Chazal explained this to mean in the midst of your camp as the limbs of a person…
[כן הגיד אא”ז מו”ר ז”ל וכן בילקוט בקרב כל אחד ע”ש] וזה תצא מחנה.
This is the meaning of in the midst of your camp
שיקבץ אדם באמת כל רצונות שבו וכל נפשו למסור עבור רצון המקום
The ‘entire camp’ means that a person should gather all of his will and his entire soul (נפש-his desires) and devote it all to the Will of HaShem.
ואם מאסף כל כחותיו בעשיות מצוה וכדומה לסור מרע בהתאספות כל החיות.
And then when one gathers all of his strength to do the mitzvah or whatever he is doing, for the sake of HaShem with all of his life force. (There are different levels of mesiras nefesh, but just giving up one’s desires is also a form of mesirus nefesh)
עי”ז עצמו ונשמרת
Through this desire he will automatically be in a state of protection-ונשמרת
ששוב אין מקום להיות מתבלבל ע”י דברי שטות מאחר שמרוצה למסור נפשו ואין דבר חביב מנפשו.
For there is no longer any room for confusion, through all nonsense (that the yetzer Hara confuses us with), because since he is willing to give up his desire, which is the most precious thing, therefore he is not open to confusion.
וכן איתא עצה זו בשם הבעש”ט ז”ל.
This advice is also given in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov
ה”א מתהלך. מהלך לא כתי’.
The pasuk continues, because HaShem your G-d goes among you. מתהלך. It does not use the word מהלך, which is the usual way of saying to go amongst one, whereas the word מתהלך means He is lead amongst you.
רק ביד האדם לזכות לזה לעורר חיות הש”י שיש בנשמת האדם
This teaches us that it is within our power to merit to awaken this life force of HaShem that is within our soul.
(There are different levels of the soul, and even though one may not be consciously aware of them, nevertheless he is affected by them, and he can affect them too since they are all connected. [מזל]. When one does actions in this world it can awaken much higher levels of the soul that in turn affect him down below. This is what is being referred to here, awakening the life force that is within one.)
ולא יראה בך פי’ חז”ל לבו רואה הערוה אסור.
‘And you shall not see something uncovered’ we learn from here that if one’s heart (upper part of the body) can ‘see’ one’s lower part, and there is no separation between them, one cannot pray. It does not say to think about something forbidden but even not to see something forbidden.
והוא דבר גדול לבד שלא לחשוב ח”ו בדבר ערוה רק שלא יוכל הלב לראות ולהסתכל בשום דבר שאינו להשי”ת.
This is a great thing (good advice) that not only should a person not think about impure things (one’s mind) but his heart shouldn’t even be able to see anything that is not focused on HaShem.
כמ”ש קדושים תהיו:
This is part of the commandment ‘you shall be holy’. That not only is it a commandment but also a promise that one can reach such a high level of holiness and closeness to HaShem that he becomes an item of holiness, as the pasuk continues כי קדוש אני ה’ אלוקיכם just as I (HaShem) am holy.
