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Shabbat starts on Friday at 5:45pm and ends on Saturday at 6:43pm. The weekly Torah portion is Shoftim.
Mincha 1pm continues at Ainsworth Property – GF/459 Collins Mon-Wed. Join the WhatsApp group where we take a count to confirm each day.
Weekly sushi & shiur will continue on Wed at about 1.10pm (after mincha) at A-P GF/459 Collins – and via zoom. Current topic: collecting on debt security. Details here and on the WhatsApp group.
Thought of the Week with thanks to Jeremy Herz.
In this week’s Torah reading of Shoftim, we learn about the final speech given by the kohen mashuach milchama (a specially designated kohen) to the soldiers before they enter war. He opens by saying ‘Hear O Israel…do not fear [your enemies]’ (Devarim 20:3). Picking up on the opening word, Rashi explains based on the Talmud that even if the soldiers have no merit other than having fulfilled the commandment of reading ‘Shema’, they would be deserving of G-d’s help to defeat their enemies.
Shortly after, the soldiers are told that if they are scared, they should return home (20:8). Rashi cites the Talmud which says the fear described is the soldier’s concern that his sins will jeopardise his safety. The Talmud explains that even if the sin is talking between the donning of the arm tefillin and the head tefillin, which is relatively minor, this would justify the soldier returning home.
The Taz (17th century commentator) asks why the soldiers would be scared of their sins, especially if so minor, if merely fulfilling the commandment of saying Shema suffices to receive G-d’s help.
He suggests that the first reference is directed to the community, which is assured of G-d’s help if it is merely observing the commandment of Shema. This explains the plural references in that verse.
In contrast, the second reference relates to the individual, as denoted by the singular references in that verse. An individual who is involved in even minor sins may justifiably be concerned about his vulnerability in war.
Given that each individual is at once both a private person and member of the community, how might the above distinction apply on a practical level? Perhaps it can be explained based on the attitude of the soldier. If he is connected to the community and has a community-first mindset, he may be the beneficiary of G-d’s help even with limited merits. On the other hand, if he is focused on himself, he may miss out on G-d’s protection even with limited sins.
As we enter Elul, may we sharpen our focus on building bridges within the community rather than facing inwardly.