Selflessness in Sacred Battle

במדרש אילו רצה מרע"ה לחיות כמה שנים הי' חי שכ' נקום כו' אחר תאסף אלא להגיד שבחו של משה רבינו ע"ה שאמר בשביל שאחי' יתעכב נקמת ישראל כו'

In the Midrash it is taught: Had Moshe Rabbeinu wished to live many years, he would have lived, for the verse states, "Take vengeance for Bnei Yisrael against the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people" (Bamidbar 31:2). Yet he acted otherwise, in order to tell the praise of Moshe Rabbeinu, who said that even though his own death would thereby be hastened, the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael must come first.

The Midrash teaches that Moshe could have lived longer by delaying the war against Midian, since his death was to follow it, yet he placed the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael first — and this is recorded as his praise.

וצריך ביאור למה לי' האי טעמא והלא מצווה ועומד הוא

This requires explanation: why does Moshe need this reasoning at all? It was already a standing obligation incumbent upon him to carry out the war.

The Sfas Emes asks why Moshe needs any special motivation, since the war was a mitzvah he was already commanded to perform.

נקום

"Take vengeance."

This is the opening words of the verse commanding the vengeance against Midian.

אבל הענין הוא כי הרוצין לנקום וללחום מלחמת מצוה צריך להיות בלי שום נגיעה אפילו משהו

But the matter is as follows: those who come to take vengeance and to wage a milchemes mitzvah must do so without any personal interest whatsoever, not even the slightest measure of self-concern.

He answers that one who wages a milchemes mitzvah must be entirely free of any personal stake, even the tiniest trace.

וכשיש להם משהו נגיעה אינם יכולין לעמוד במלחמה

And when they have even the slightest measure of personal interest, they are unable to stand firm in the war.

Any trace of self-interest weakens a person so that he cannot prevail in battle.

כי ארדוף אויבי ואשיגם הוא מעלה העליונה מכל המעלות

For "I will pursue my enemy and overtake him" (Shemos 15:9) is the loftiest level of all levels.

Pursuing one's enemy wholeheartedly, as in the Shiras HaYam, represents the very highest spiritual level.

וחלילה להסתפק שהי' מרע"ה מתעכב בשביל שיחי'

And chalilah to entertain the doubt that Moshe Rabbeinu would have delayed the war merely so that he might continue to live.

It would be improper to suspect that Moshe would actually have stalled the war just to prolong his own life.

רק הכוונה שאם לא הי' גובר בו נקמת בנ"י יותר מכל חיי נפשו

Rather, the intent is that had the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael not overpowered within him every consideration of his own life,

Rather, the point is that only because the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael completely overrode his concern for his own life was he free of any taint.

הי' ממילא בו קצת נגיעה

there would automatically have been within him some small measure of personal interest,

Had it not, some small self-interest would inevitably have crept in.

ואז לא היה עולה יפה בידו הנקמה

and then the vengeance would not have succeeded properly at his hand.

And with even that small self-interest, the vengeance would not have come out well in his hands.

וכזה נפרש ג"כ מ"ש במד' ביהושע דכ' ימים רבים עשה כו' מלחמה ע"י שרצה להאריך ימים ולכן נחסר לו י' שנים ע"ש

And in this same way we may also explain what the Midrash says concerning Yehoshua: that the verse writes "For many days Yehoshua waged war" (Yehoshua 11:18), because he wished to lengthen his days, and therefore ten years were subtracted from him; see there.

The same idea explains the Midrash on Yehoshua, whose war lasted many days because he wished to prolong his life, costing him ten years.

והוא פלא לומר כן על יהושע

And it is astonishing to say such a thing about Yehoshua.

It seems shocking to attribute such a motive to a tzaddik like Yehoshua.

ותו קשה דהא כתיב ימים רבים עשה א"כ לא הלך בטל ממלחמה ומה שייך בזמן המלחמה להאריך ולקצר

Moreover there is a further difficulty: for it is written "For many days he waged war" — if so, he did not sit idle from the war, so what relevance does lengthening or shortening have during the time of the war itself?

And it is puzzling, since the verse says he was actively fighting many days, so the war was not being stalled — how does prolonging or shortening apply during active fighting?

אבל הענין יתבאר כנ"ל ע"י שהי' בו קצת נגיעה שעלה במחשבה שימי חייו תלוין בזה

But the matter is explained as above: through there having been within him some small measure of personal interest, in that it arose in his thought that the days of his life were dependent upon this war,

The answer is that a faint self-interest entered his mind, the thought that his lifespan hinged on this war.

שוב לא הי' יכול להלחם בנקל והי' לו מלחמה בעצמו ימים רבים של צער

he was thereafter no longer able to wage the war with ease, and he had a war within himself for many days of distress.

That thought made the fighting harder, turning it into an inner struggle that dragged on through many painful days.

ולכן מסיים המד' רבות מחשבות בלב איש

And therefore the Midrash concludes, "Many are the thoughts in the heart of a man" (Mishlei 19:21),

The Midrash's closing verse, "Many are the thoughts in the heart of a man," points to this.

לומר שלא הי' כאן שום חטא רק איזהו הרהור וזה ההרהור הי' עיכוב שלא הי' [*יכול] להלחם ברגע אחת

to say that there was here no sin at all, only a certain stray thought, and this stray thought was the very delay that prevented him from being able to wage the war in a single moment.

It signals there was no actual sin, only a fleeting thought, yet that very thought is what prevented him from finishing the war instantly.

והשי"ת הוא בוחן לבות וכליות כדאיתא במדרשים

And Hashem Yisborach is He who examines hearts and innermost feelings, as is brought in the Midrashim,

Hashem examines the deepest recesses of the heart, as the Midrashim teach.

שאפילו המחשבות שהאדם בעצמו אינו מרגיש בהם גלוין הם לפניו ית"ש

that even the thoughts which a person himself does not sense within him are revealed before Him, Yisborach Shemo.

Even thoughts a person is not himself aware of are fully exposed before Hashem.

וזהו הי' שבחו של מרע"ה שלא הי' מרגיש שום נגיעה כלל

And this was the praise of Moshe Rabbeinu: that he did not sense any personal interest within him at all.

Moshe's greatness was that he genuinely felt no self-interest within himself whatsoever.

וכ"כ המפרשים פי' הפסוק החלצו מאתכם

And so too the commentators explained the verse "Arm men from among yourselves" (Bamidbar 31:3),

The commentators read the verse "Arm men from among yourselves" in this light.

שאנשי המלחמה צריכין לחלוץ כל נגיעות עצמותן למס"נ למלחמות ה' וכ' וימסרו מאלפי ישראל כו'

that the men of war must strip away all the personal interests of their own selves in order to give themselves over with mesirus nefesh to the wars of Hashem; and it is written, "And there were handed over from the thousands of Bnei Yisrael" (Bamidbar 31:5).

The soldiers had to strip away every self-interest in order to give themselves over with mesirus nefesh to Hashem's wars, and so they were "handed over" from among Bnei Yisrael.

פרש"י כיון ששמעו במיתתו של משה כו'

Rashi explains: since they heard of the death of Moshe that would follow upon this war.

Rashi explains the passive language: they hesitated because they knew Moshe's death would follow the war.

שהם הי' להם נגיעה בזה

For they had a personal interest in the matter.

Their hesitation came from their personal stake in the outcome.

אבל משה רבינו ע"ה באמרו החלצו מאתכם

But Moshe Rabbeinu, in saying "Arm men from among yourselves,"

But Moshe, with the words "Arm men from among yourselves,"

ביטל מהם כל הנגיעות ונמסרו בע"כ ונמשכו אחר דרכו של משה רבינו ע"ה:

nullified from them all the personal interests, and they were handed over against their will and were drawn after the way of Moshe Rabbeinu.

stripped away all their self-interest, so they were handed over even against their will and drawn after Moshe's path of pure selflessness.

Summary: The Sfas Emes asks why Moshe Rabbeinu needed any special motivation to wage the milchemes mitzvah against Midian, since he was already commanded. He answers that one who fights Hashem's wars must be utterly free of personal interest — even the slightest trace of self-concern weakens a person and prevents the vengeance from succeeding. Moshe's praise was that the vengeance of Bnei Yisrael so completely overrode his concern for his own life that no taint of self-interest remained, even though his death was to follow the war. By contrast, the Midrash on Yehoshua shows that a mere fleeting thought that his lifespan depended on the war — no sin at all — made his battle drag on for many painful days, since Hashem examines even thoughts a person cannot sense within himself. With the call "Arm men from among yourselves," Moshe nullified the soldiers' self-interest so they were handed over to fight with mesirus nefesh, drawn after his own path of complete selflessness.