PARSHAS KI SEITZEI-5772

By ephraim
12 years ago
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“THE LAW OF RETURN”

Boasting a staggering seventy-four mitzvos, this week’s parsha runs the gamut of individual and societal commandments. From the obscure (the “Wayward Son”), to the mundane (not charging your fellow Jew interest), and everything in between, we are served a smorgasbord of statutes. And although there are tons of tomes transcribed on these tenets, there are hues of homiletics hidden in each one as well.

“Ki Seitzei LaMilchama Al Oyvecha” begins the parsha, speaking simply of the situation “When you will go out to war against your enemies.” The Chasidic Masters, however, inform us that the “enemy” is our Yetzer Hora (Evil Inclination), and this passuk is alluding to our inner spiritual struggle; an appropriate theme for a parsha always read in the month of Elul.

Perhaps the most famous of all the communal commands in the parsha, is the requirement to return a lost object (or otherwise preserve another’s property). Spanning a mere four passukim, it is the source of an abundance of analysis in the Gemara and commentaries.

You shall not see the ox of your brother or his sheep or goat cast off, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely return them to your brother. If your brother is not near you and you do not know him, then gather it inside your house…and return it to him. So shall you do…for any lost article of your brother…you shall not hide yourself. You shall not see the donkey of your brother or his ox falling on the road and hide yourself from them; you shall surely stand them up, with him. (22:1-4)

The Ramban notes that this mitzvah deviates slightly from the first time it is mentioned in the Torah (Exodus 23:4), whereby we are instructed to return an ox or donkey that is wandering. Here the item has been cast off. Says the Ramban

For wandering implies that the animal merely wandered from its path and it is possible to turn it back onto the path without great effort, and now [the Torah] says cast off, which implies that the animal ran away from [the owner] and went far away.

So the Ramban is informing us that even if we must exert great effort-since the item is far away from its owner-we must still see to its return.

The Gemara in Bava Metzia (30b-31a), commenting on the repetitive words in our passuk above “HaSheiv TiSheeveim” “you shall surely return them,” deduces that one must return an object “even one hundred times”. Even if one returned the item and it is lost over and over again, one must still return it. The Gemara learns further from the double language at the end of our passukim-“you shall surely stand them up” (together with its similar clause in Exodus 23:5)-that even if the ox falls many times, you must still help it up. Okay, so that seems simple enough.

Along comes the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, and offers a completely different (homiletic) interpretation of the above, and it’s a game-changer. Commencing with G-d’s concern for man’s personal refinement when he “goes out to war” against his Yetzer Hora, His concern for the rehabilitation of man’s children (the “Wayward Son”), and continuing therefrom, the Ohr HaChaim clearly sees the parsha in a completely different light.

He views the set of passukim quoted above as a kiruv guide! The item that has “gone astray” “wandered from its path” or been “cast off” is your brother! HaSheiv TiSheeveim: you shall surely return him! And “if your brother is not near…you shall not hide yourself.” Even if he has fallen, “you shall surely stand him up!” (N.B.-For an easier understanding and smoother reading, please re-read just the bolded words in the passukim above).

Wow, that really is a whole different meaning! And combined with the Gemara above, perhaps we can suggest that the Torah is exhorting us to continue our efforts to be mikarev (bring closer to observance) someone-EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN “LOST” MANY TIMES! DON’T GIVE UP-KEEP TRYING! Even if you have to do it one hundred times.

And perhaps we can further suggest that by helping them up, we will arise as well. Often we reason that we have so many foibles, that we have no business attempting to draw others closer to observance. The Torah may be telling us otherwise. The passuk says “you shall surely stand them up, with him.” If we extend a helping hand to our fallen brother, we will end up “standing up” with him as well.

Just like we must not despair when our fellow continually “falls”, and we must continue to help him up, so must we not be discouraged by our own lapses. King Shlomo said “For though the tzaddik may fall SEVEN times, he will arise.” (Mishlei 24:16) Well then we, who are not tzaddikim, can expect to fall hundreds of times; yet we must still struggle to stand.

As we have previously discussed, the Baal Shem Tov describes the month of Elul as a time when the “King is in the field.” Whereas normally one must go through myriad processes and procedures to gain an audience with the King, when the King is “in the field” he is amongst all his subjects, accessible to all. Normally we must go to the King, but at this auspicious time of year, he comes to us.

Perhaps we can suggest an additional reason why the King is “in the field”: He is looking for His lost objects-US! We need merely to begin to stand, no matter how often we have fallen, so that He can “see” us. Once we’ve been spotted, the Halacha forbids Hashem from hiding Himself from us (so to speak). He must help us get up and return us.

That is the message for us during Elul, the most propitious time for Teshuva. Hashem is out there looking for us. Even, or especially, if we have fallen, let us help others stand and return, and we shall arise in the process. Then Hashem will not hide His eyes from us…He will take us back…for He too is bound by…THE LAW OF RETURN.

Good Shabbos.

This week’s TMOT is dedicated in memory of my Mother, Rus bas Tzvi Noach (HK”M).

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