Mighty warriors holy amid corruption

בפסוק כמעשה ארץ מצרים כו' ל"ת ובמד' כשושנה בה"ח כו' קשה לבעליו ללקטו כו'.

On the pasuk, "Like the practice of the land of Mitzrayim… you shall not do" (Vayikra 18:3); and in the Midrash, "like a rose among the thorns" (Shir HaShirim 2:2) — it is hard for its owner to pluck it.

Bnei Yisrael are likened to a rose surrounded by thorns: just as it is difficult to pick a rose without being pricked, it is hard to draw out Bnei Yisrael from amid the corrupt nations around them.

דכ' ב"פ אני ה' אלקיכם.

For it is written twice, "I am Hashem your God."

The repetition of "I am Hashem your God" in the parsha signals two distinct forms of divine help.

שבנ"י צריכין עזר מקודש הן בסור מרע שלא להתערב במעשה הרשעים.

For Bnei Yisrael need help from the Holy One, both in "turning away from evil" — not to become intermingled in the deeds of the wicked.

The first "I am Hashem your God" promises divine assistance in the realm of "sur me-ra" — avoiding the corrupt practices of the surrounding nations.

וכמו שקשה יצ"מ להוציא את בנ"י מתערובת המצרים.

And just as the Exodus from Mitzrayim was difficult — to extract Bnei Yisrael from the admixture with the Egyptians.

Drawing Bnei Yisrael out of the moral contamination of Mitzrayim was itself a hard "plucking of the rose from the thorns."

כמו כן סיפא דקרא כתפוח בעצי היער כו' דודי בין הבנים שקשה להכיר את הקב"ה בעוה"ז הטבעיי.

So too the latter part of the verse, "like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my Beloved among the sons" (Shir HaShirim 2:3) — that it is difficult to recognize Hashem in this natural world.

Just as it is hard to single out one fruit tree in a wild forest, it is hard to perceive Hashem amid the "forest" of physical nature that conceals Him.

ולכן כתי' אני ה"א כמעשה א"מ כו' לא תעשו בזה הכח שנתן לנו הקב"ה מצות ל"ת.

Therefore it is written, "I am Hashem your God; like the practice of the land of Mitzrayim… you shall not do" — through this power that Hashem gave us, the mitzvos of "lo sa'aseh" (negative commandments).

Hashem gives us the strength of the negative mitzvos to resist the corrupt ways of the nations — the avodah of "turning from evil."

כמ"ש במד' שלשה שגבר עליהם יצרם ונשבעו.

As the Midrash says: three over whom their yetzer prevailed, and they took an oath [to resist].

The Midrash cites three figures who, when their yetzer hara threatened to overpower them, bound themselves by oath to withstand it.

כמ"ש מגדול עוז שם ה' בו ירוץ כו' ונשגב.

As it is written, "The Name of Hashem is a tower of strength; the righteous runs into it and is set on high (ve-nisgav)" (Mishlei 18:10).

By taking refuge in Hashem's Name, a person finds the strength to overcome the yetzer hara and is lifted beyond its reach.

וכמו כן משפטי תעשו כו' כתי' אני ה"א שמסייע לאיש ישראל שיוכל להתדבק בו ית' בעוה"ז בכח המצות עשה.

And likewise, "My statutes you shall do…" — it is written, "I am Hashem your God," for He assists a Jew so that he can cleave to Him in this world through the power of the positive mitzvos (mitzvos asei).

The second "I am Hashem your God" promises help in the realm of "asei tov" — actively cleaving to Hashem in this world through the positive mitzvos.

והקב"ה כביכול מתפאר בבנ"י שהם נשמרים בעוה"ז מתערובות ומתדבקין בו בעוה"ז.

And Hashem, as it were, takes pride in Bnei Yisrael, that they guard themselves in this world from intermingling and cleave to Him in this world.

Hashem glories in His people precisely because, surrounded by corruption, they keep themselves separate and still cling to Him within the physical world.

ובוודאי כאשר בחר הקב"ה באדם לשלחו לעוה"ז נטע בו כח התגברות ולכן כתיב ברכו ה' מלאכיו בתחתונים הכתוב מדבר ונק' גבורי כח.

And surely, when Hashem chose a person to send him into this world, He implanted in him the power to prevail; therefore it is written, "Bless Hashem, His angels, mighty in strength" (Tehillim 103:20) — the verse speaks of those below, and they are called "mighty in strength" (giborei ko'ach).

Hashem equips every soul sent into this world with the inner strength to overcome; people who triumph over the yetzer hara below are the true "mighty ones" the pasuk praises.

שדרך המלך להעמיד הגבורים במקום חוזק המלחמה.

For it is the way of a king to station his mighty warriors at the point where the battle is fiercest.

A wise king posts his strongest soldiers where the fighting is hardest — so Hashem places the strongest souls where the spiritual struggle is most intense.

ולכן המקומות שישבו שם ישראל היו מקולקלים ביותר:

And therefore the places where Yisrael dwelt were the most corrupt of all.

Bnei Yisrael were placed amid Mitzrayim and Canaan — the most morally corrupt lands — precisely because they are Hashem's "mighty warriors," strong enough to remain holy at the front line of the battle.

Summary: Bnei Yisrael are like a rose among thorns — hard to extract from the corruption around them and hard to perceive Hashem within the concealing "forest" of nature. The doubled "I am Hashem your God" promises divine help in both "turning from evil" (the negative mitzvos, resisting the nations' ways) and "doing good" (the positive mitzvos, cleaving to Hashem in this world). Hashem implants in every soul the strength to prevail and, like a king stationing his mightiest warriors at the fiercest front, places Bnei Yisrael in the most corrupt environments — where their victory brings Him glory.