The sixth portion of the Chumash / Book of Deuteronomy continues Moses’ second farewell address to the Jewish people.
Moses told the Jewish people, “if you go out to war upon your enemies, G-d will deliver (your enemy) into your hands, and you will take (back your enemy’s captives.”(21:10)
When we contend with evil, we are “going out to war.” We are “going out” of our true selves, for waging war is unnatural. Our soul’s native environment is the peaceful, infinite Divine consciousness it experienced before it entered the body.
Since our souls originate in G-d’s essence, we have the upper hand over evil even before the battle has begun. We are “upon” -i.e., above – our enemies. In addition, G-d only created evil in the first place in order for us to vanquish it. For both reasons, the Torah goes on to assure us that “G-d will deliver your enemy into your hands.”
The Torah thus teaches us that in order to win the war against evil, we must identify with our Divine soul. We are then backed by the full power of G-d’s holiness.
Wishing you a meaningful Shabbat followed by a successful week.
With our continued prayers for an everlasting peace in Israel, our brothers and sisters the world over and our IDF heroes/ines.