A thought on פרשת חקת
"...v'yidar Yisroel neder...""...and the nation of Israel made a vow..." (21:2)
As we began the approach which would lead to our ascent to the Holy Land, our nation had a taste of warfare. A Cannanite army attacked and took Jews captive. Our response was, as our verse relates, to take a vow to HaShem: if our enemy would be delivered into our hand, we pledged to place a cherem or taboo on the cities we would capture.
What motivated this particular move on our part? What role did this vow play at that tense moment?The Recanati explains: when we go out to war at the commandment of HaShem, HaShem is the "Force" who is leading the course of battle. To all who believe in our mesora, this is obvious. The more subtle angle, writes the Recanati, is that war is the domain of that which we understand as middas din. We are also subject to the judgment, including harsh seeming judgment, which emanates when middas din is rampant. In addition, we must aim to parallel or emulate the manner in which HaShem is dealing with us, or dealing with the world at large.
The declaration of a vow is a means of creating a "din." A vow means using words which bind us with an obligation to fulfill those words and which invokes a prohibition against violating or neglecting the structure of those words. A vow demonstrates our ability to make a binding rule, and rules are part of midas din. When a war is being undertaken and we are relying on HaShem's midda of din, it is important for us to honor that attribute and to follow it by asserting our own allegiance to adhering to din. This was the role of the vow at that point in our history. This was our effort to emulate in this world the process emanating from the higher realm at that time. Divine din was echoed by mortal din. Imitatio din.
The first point above, that we are also subject to being judged during times when middas din is rampant, sheds light on a second aspect of that particular vow. This battle was only a preliminary to the years of conquest and wars which would later evolve in our taking possession of the Holy Land. We knew in advance that HaShem would determine the course of those wars, and we knew that middas din would shape that process. This meant that the entry into the Land would result in utter destruction. We knew that Jericho, the border city, would not only be the first to fall, but that it would be fully vanquished and forever forbidden.
The image of such destruction was terrifying and we needed a means of demonstrating that we were deserving of such an event and were not in any way negligent and deserving of harsh consequences ourselves. In the same way in which we knew that Jericho would fall and be a place of taboo cherem, we needed to declare our fealty and submission to that reality, and merge with such an awesome reality. We did this by vowing that we too, upon victory and rescue of our hostages, would act with utter din, placing this foe's stronghold under cherem.
Identifying with the might and power of middas din was a catalyst for our being shown favor and compassion at that time, sparing us from the risk of din directed against us.
The Recanati adds that even though we knew that Jericho would fall, Yehoshua still sent in two spies for reconnaissance. Why did this seem necessary if we had already learned that middas din would lead the way? The sending of spies was to remove the spiritual stain left by the meraglim years before (last week's parsha.) This was one more preventative measure to assure that when din was rampant that there would be no risk of that power being turned against us.
Good Shabbos. This is being sent out early, as is the parsha email for next week, since I will be in Jerusalem shortly for two weeks of nourishing the soul. D Fox
As we began the approach which would lead to our ascent to the Holy Land, our nation had a taste of warfare. A Cannanite army attacked and took Jews captive. Our response was, as our verse relates, to take a vow to HaShem: if our enemy would be delivered into our hand, we pledged to place a cherem or taboo on the cities we would capture.
What motivated this particular move on our part? What role did this vow play at that tense moment?The Recanati explains: when we go out to war at the commandment of HaShem, HaShem is the "Force" who is leading the course of battle. To all who believe in our mesora, this is obvious. The more subtle angle, writes the Recanati, is that war is the domain of that which we understand as middas din. We are also subject to the judgment, including harsh seeming judgment, which emanates when middas din is rampant. In addition, we must aim to parallel or emulate the manner in which HaShem is dealing with us, or dealing with the world at large.
The declaration of a vow is a means of creating a "din." A vow means using words which bind us with an obligation to fulfill those words and which invokes a prohibition against violating or neglecting the structure of those words. A vow demonstrates our ability to make a binding rule, and rules are part of midas din. When a war is being undertaken and we are relying on HaShem's midda of din, it is important for us to honor that attribute and to follow it by asserting our own allegiance to adhering to din. This was the role of the vow at that point in our history. This was our effort to emulate in this world the process emanating from the higher realm at that time. Divine din was echoed by mortal din. Imitatio din.
The first point above, that we are also subject to being judged during times when middas din is rampant, sheds light on a second aspect of that particular vow. This battle was only a preliminary to the years of conquest and wars which would later evolve in our taking possession of the Holy Land. We knew in advance that HaShem would determine the course of those wars, and we knew that middas din would shape that process. This meant that the entry into the Land would result in utter destruction. We knew that Jericho, the border city, would not only be the first to fall, but that it would be fully vanquished and forever forbidden.
The image of such destruction was terrifying and we needed a means of demonstrating that we were deserving of such an event and were not in any way negligent and deserving of harsh consequences ourselves. In the same way in which we knew that Jericho would fall and be a place of taboo cherem, we needed to declare our fealty and submission to that reality, and merge with such an awesome reality. We did this by vowing that we too, upon victory and rescue of our hostages, would act with utter din, placing this foe's stronghold under cherem.
Identifying with the might and power of middas din was a catalyst for our being shown favor and compassion at that time, sparing us from the risk of din directed against us.
The Recanati adds that even though we knew that Jericho would fall, Yehoshua still sent in two spies for reconnaissance. Why did this seem necessary if we had already learned that middas din would lead the way? The sending of spies was to remove the spiritual stain left by the meraglim years before (last week's parsha.) This was one more preventative measure to assure that when din was rampant that there would be no risk of that power being turned against us.
Good Shabbos. This is being sent out early, as is the parsha email for next week, since I will be in Jerusalem shortly for two weeks of nourishing the soul. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 4:30 PM
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