This weeks parsha begins with “if you will go out to war over your enemies” and Rashi comments that this is speaking of a “milchemes reshus”, because if it is speaking about [an obligatory war to conquer] milchemes Eretz Yisroel you cannot take any captives, because the Torah says (Shoftim 20;15) you shall not allow any soul to live.
There are two sorts of wars: one is called a Milchemes Mitzva [Milchemes Eretz Yisroel] (a war which was commanded to wage). The other is milchemes ha’reshus (a war which is optional, which we are permitted to fight):
Also in our service of Hashem, there are things which we are commanded and obligated to do. Generally these are things which require a person to conduct himself in accordance with Torah and mitzvos in his home etc. and in his immediate surroundings. However an “optional war” relates to things which a person is not required to do but they are “permissible things”. Generally this is, that the person is not satisfied that his home and immediate surroundings are illuminated with the light of kedusha (holiness), but he goes out from his place to influence also the outside, also distant places, to the extent of conquering the entire world.
Rashi says “the verse is speaking about a milchemes ha’reshus”:
A Jew might think that the promise of victory in war “if you will go out in war over your enemies and L-ord your G-d will deliver him in your hand” is only in matters which a person is obligated to do by the command of Hashem, that Hashem promises to empower him and give him the needed strength to be be victorious, because Hashem doesn’t request of a person only that which he is able to do (Tanchuma Noso 11), however when dealing with matters in avoda which are permissible - he might think that the assurance of victory does not apply.
So the person is told: “the verse is speaking about a “milchemes ha’reshus” – i.e., also in matters which seem to be merely “permissible” Hashem promises victory.
This also teaches, that a Jew might think that it is sufficient for him to fulfill the requirements of the Shulchan Aruch, but regarding “permissible things, - that has no connection to him – he may claim that he is a “Shulchan Aruch Jew”, and nothing more, claiming further that because the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t explain about conduct in these matters means that it has no connection to him; and he argues further that this means he should not leave his environment of holiness, especially considering that all “ways are wrought with danger” (Yerushalmi Berachos 4;4) as the verse says in our parsha (25;18) “he met you on the way”, and the fact that outside his immediate environment there is Amalek – that is not his concern – “let the Owner of the vineyard come and destroy the thorns” (Bava Metzia 83b).
Similarly is also regarding what was spoken earlier about Simcha for the purpose of Moshiachs coming:
One can argue: where do we find an obligation in the Shulchan Aruch for Simcha for Moshiach?!... Indeed, the Shulchan Aruch says that service of Hashem needs to be with Simcha, and there are also laws governing the limitation of Simcha in the three weeks etc. But we don’t find anywhere an obligation for Simcha to hasten Moshiachs coming.
As for the fact that in this simcha is dependent the coming of Moshiach, the redemption of the Jewish people and the redemption of the Shechina – he continues to argue: we don’t find in Shulchan Aruch an obligation to redeem the Shechina!... For himself we find in the Rambam (Teshuva 7;5) “Torah has promised that ultimately Yisrael will do teshuva at the end of their exile and immediately they will be redeemed”, but the redemption of the Shechina is not his business...
To this he is told that “if you go out to battle over your enemy” is a commandment and lesson in Torah:
A Jew cannot suffice with the holiness in his home and his immediate environment, but he needs to go out from his place, “go out to battle over your enemy” to eliminate the existence of the enemy and opponent to holiness, to the extent of conquering the entire world, because how can he sit comfortably in his own environment, when he knows that somewhere in the world there is “Amalek” who opposes G-dliness?!
And Torah promises him that “if you will go out in war over your enemies and L-ord your G-d will deliver him in your hand” until the end of the parsha “eradicate the memory of Amalek from under the heaven”, and then when the existence of “your enemy” is totally eliminated, the Simcha becomes complete, because as long as there still remains some of the “enemy” even in a distant place, being that one cannot know what will be later, there cannot be complete Simcha. Only when the existence of the “enemy” is totally eliminated from the entire world, then the Simcha is complete.
Shabbos Parshas Teitze, 14 Elul, 5748
