כִׂ י תֵ צֵ א לַ מִׂ לְ חָּ מָּ ה כ א
The Torah Values Building and Producing
There are four Mitzvos from here to the end of the Parsha. 1. Going to war and sending home three groups of people. 2. Offering the enemy a chance to make peace. 3. Not chopping down a fruit tree, and 4. Egla Arufa. They all seem to be connected. The Egla Arufa is a baby cow that never had offspring. It is decapitated in a: נַחַ לְא ית ן “hard” place that cannot produce fruits, to be M'chaper on the fact that the: גרְַהְֶנְֶ murder victim was not given the opportunity to produce and do Mitzvos. (Gemara).
It is amazing to learn that the focus is not on the fact that a person was murdered in cold blood; rather the Kapara is needed on this loss of “productivity” of a man who could have produced fruits! That is the Ikar. This message is repeatedly taught in the Parsha, one after another.
There are three people who are sent home from the Milchama: 1. one who built a new house, 2. one who planted a vineyard, and 3. one who just got married. Why Davka these three go back, and no other Mitzvos? We can explain that these are all an Inyan of reproducing and building, so we cannot risk them being killed in war. The Torah is Machshiv the work of making fruits, and all these are about P'ru uR'vu. Chazal say: בּ יתוְֹ זוְֹ אִׂ שׁ תוְֹ משנה ריש יומא a house symbolizes marriage. And: עִׂ נ ב יְהַ גֶּפֶןְבּ עִׂ נ ב יְהַ גֶּפֶןְ פסחים מט א a vineyard is also a symbol of marriage.
Also, the reason that we must offer peace to the enemy before waging war is because the Torah doesn’t want the destruction of those cities. (Me'am Lo'ez quoting Abarbanel). Again, only building and producing is the Torah attitude.
Similarly, we are commanded: בְַּלְְתְַשׁ חִׂ יתְְכְיט not to destroy the fruit trees, because fruit trees represent productivity. Only trees that don’t produce fruits are allowed to be cut down. That’s why the Parsha of: לְְבְַּתַ שׁ חִׂ ית is right next to the Parsha of Egla Arufa, to teach us of the Chashivus of producing fruits. (Kli Yakar).
The Goyim have dead gods of ע ץְו אֶ בֶן wood and stone, a non-productive: דוֹםמ ְ lifeless object. כ מוֹהֶ םְיִׂה יוְעֹשׂ יהֶ םְ תהלים קטו ח Resembling their creations, they too aren’t Machshiv the Inyan of reproducing. Us Yidden, L'havdil, follow in the ways of Avraham Avinu who begged Hashem for offspring. That was his whole life’s wish. Besides the Mitzva of: פ רוְ ור בו, children symbolize productivity.
Hashem gave us the Torah, which is: ו חַ י יְ עוֹל םְנ טַ עְבּ תוֹכ נוְ the life source for the entire universe. The Torah we learn and the Mitzvos we do actually produce fruits (the existence and prosperity of the world). Also, Chidushei Torah make the Torah grow, as Chazal say: ר ְב ְדְִׂיְ תר ְוֹהְ פ ְרְִׂיןְ ו ְבְִׂר ְיןְ חגיגה ג ב the words of Torah produce and multiply.
By learning Torah: עַלְ מ נ תְל לַמ ד in order to teach others, you are raising the level of: עוֹשְִׂׂיןְ פ ְירוֹת productivity. When you teach Torah to more Yidden, then your Torah: יןְ רְִׂפ ְ יןְבְִׂר ְו ְ grows and increases, reproducing and spreading more and more.
Learning: מ ְלְְעְַנַתְְתוֹשׂעְֲלְַ to apply and observe, is also giving your Torah a form of reproducing and making fruits. Torah and Yiddishkeit is all about doing.
Novardok was unique in the emphasis they put on doing. Learning Mussar wasn’t enough. It had to bring to action, always finding new ways of reproducing and building for Klal Yisroel.
