2020/5780
In Parashat Shofetim, we are instructed about the many Mitzvot surrounding wars. These Mitzvot include dictating who may go to war, if we may go to war, and how we are to act when at war. These Mitzvot seem to be symbolic of how we are to conduct ourselves as Jews and how we should approach Torah and Mitzvot.
We have the declaration of the Kohein to the nation, determining who is exempt and prohibited from military service in a Milchemet Reshut (discretionary war). First among this group is a person who builds a house but has not yet lived in it; they are instructed to turn back lest someone else take it. This is symbolic of the idea that we are against the idea of wasting time, effort, and money. This plays into the idea of Bal Tashchit; the basis of this Issur is actually included in this Parashah. The Torah prohibits wastefulness, and the idea of wasting time and money to build a house which will never be inhabited would certainly run counter to this ideal.
The next person the Kohein describes is a person who has planted a vineyard but not yet redeemed it. This “redeeming” is in reference to the mitzvah of Neta Rivai, that this person has not yet been able to perform the mitzvah of bringing the fruits of his vineyard to Yerushalayim and eating them or exchanging the fruit for money. This shows the importance of never bypassing a Mitzvah opportunity. Rather than causing this man to lose out on his Mitzvah, Hashem prohibits him from going out to war, in order to allow him to perform just one more Mitzvah. Since we are charged with attempting to emulate Hashem, we too should not pass up any Mitzvot, but rather make sure to perform every single Mitzvah we can.
Next comes the man who has become engaged to a woman and not yet married her; he should go back lest someone else marry her. This shows the importance of Rachamim, mercy, upon others. Hashem is trying to demonstrate the mercy we must display upon others, by ensuring that this woman does not become an Almanah or, worse, an Agunah. Why specify a man who has become engaged to a woman? Why is it any worse than if she had been married that he is not be allowed to turn back? We may understand this as being because a married woman would at least receive some comfort through receiving the payment of the Ketubah, whereas an engaged woman receives nothing from the loss of her fiance except for grief.
The last person the Kohein mentions is someone who is afraid, and thus through his fear will lessen the morale of his comrades. Many Mefarshim interpret this to mean someone who has committed an Aveirah, and is afraid he will be punished for this. He is allowed to leave now with the rest of the troops to hide his embarrassment. This is tied to the idea of Rachamim as well, having mercy on this person so as to spare him from shame. He leaves among the rest of the people exempted from military service so that he will not be embarrassed as a sinner. The Gemara compares publicly shaming a person to murder. We should learn from this the importance of sparing someone from embarrassment.
The Pesukim then discuss that whenever we go out to war, we must make peace overtures to the city first, and if they accept, we are prohibited from killing or destroying anyone or anything. This teaches us the importance of both Rachamim and Shalom, having mercy and being peaceful, as well as the importance of honesty. We are taught to try to avoid violence and destruction, since we do not wish to harm other human beings, and that once we make an agreement, we must uphold it. We cannot try and be deceitful. Rather, we must be honest and uphold our end of the deal.
Finally, we come to the Issur of cutting down fruit trees during a time of war. The reason for this Mitzvah is debated amongst the Mefarshim, but the most commonly accepted reason is that since the tree is not an enemy soldier, we have no reason to destroy it; therefore why should we deprive anyone of their fruit? This Issur is the basis of Bal Tashchit, and once again reflects the idea of avoiding waste, as well as the idea of Shalom.
Shalom does not only refer to peace in the military sense, but also to the general well being of everyone. As Jews, we are charged with maintaining this Shalom, not destroying it. We are meant to emulate Hashem, and just as Hashem brings Shalom, we should as well. Being a Jew is not only about learning, it is applying what we learn to our actions. We apply the fact that we are not supposed to destroy fruit trees to our lives by trying to bring peace. The Mishnah in Avot supports this, saying that people should be like the students of Aharon, an Oheiv Shalom and Rodeif Shalom, lover and pursuer of peace (Avot 1:12). Similarly, through all these Mitzvot, we may apply the lessons we learn from them to our lives, and in doing so, improve ourselves as people, and bring ourselves closer to Hashem.