Shoftim — Flying Wheat

The Passuk in this week’s Parsha, discussing the Mitzvah of Arei Miklat, tells us when these cities do not protect one who has cause another’s death: V’Chi Yhiyeh Ish Sonei L’Reyehu V’Arev V’Kam Lo Alav V’Hikahu Nefesh Vames, V’Nas El Achas HeArim HaKel.” If a person hates someone, the Torah tells us, and lies in wait and then kills him, even if he does run to one of the Arei HaKel, the Arei Miklat, he is not protected.

In th abstract, this Passuk certianly seems to need some explanation. The Torah discusses, at length, that only one who kills B’Shogeg, inadvertently, is afforded the protection of the Ir Miklat. Why would we assume that someone who ambushes his enemy would be able to escape to an Ir Miklat, such that the Passuk has to specifically tell us that he cannot?

Charak seem to assume that the Passuk must be understood B’Drech Drush, and indeed Rashi quote the Sigfried that says that the Torah is teaching us the affects of Aveira: if someone is Over an “Mitzvah Kallah”, and commutes a light Aveira, such as hating another, he will soon come to an Avierah Chamurah, such as Shefichas Damim. His mistake of “Sonei L’Reyehu: brings him to the situation of “Arei Lo V’Kam Lo Alav.”

Rashi’s words, which are of course those of Chazal, lend some added meaning to this Passuk, which as we mentioned asks for interpretation, but there are some questions to be asked here as well. First, it is not always the case that one who hates someone else is led to raise his hand up to kill him. What then is the meaning of the PAssuk? Is the Torah merely warning what could happen? Rashi does not necessarily seem to be saying that. It sounds as though there is an issue of cause and affect at hand: if you hate, you will come to a Situation of “V’Kam ALav.” How are we to understand this?

The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, in his Pirush, tells us that the Torah is actually talking about our common Oyev, the Yetzer Harah. He our greatest Sonei, yet he poses as Reyehu, and the Torah is warning us that he lies in wait, and strikes just at the right moment, causing us to do Aveirah. He does so by first convincing a person to do an Aveirah B’Shogeg, and then widening the opening so that he can bring him to further Chet. The Ohr Hachaim continues, interpreting each word of the Passuk as a lesson in how to anticipate, and hopefully then combat, the Atzas Yetzer Harah.

Reading Rashi and the Ohr Hachaim, one would assume that they take totally different approaches to these Pessukim. Rashi is telling us that the Torah uses the example of a Horeg Nefesh to warn us of the way a small Aveirah can become a more serious one. On the other hand, as we saw, the Ohr Hachaim, is Mefaresh the Passuk completely in the Derech Hadrush, explaining that the Passuk refers to the Yetzer Harah. According to Rashi, the Horeg Nefesh is a person, but according o the Ohr Hachaim it is the Yetzer Harah.

Perhaps, however, the two can be understood as fitting hand-in-hand, thereby helping us answer our questions on Rashi. To do so, let us look at a Gemara at the end of Meseches Brachos.

The Gemara there brings a Machlokes between Rav and Shmuel as to what the Yetzer Harah can be compared to. Rav says it is a like a fly, sitting between the two sides of a person’s hear, and Shmuel says it is a kernel of wheat. Obviously, a Gemara such as this requires some explanation: about what are Rav and Shmuel disagreeing?

The Ksav Sofer explains Rav’s approach to the Yetzer Harah as follows. In most cases, when one tries to attack someone, only to be rebuffed time and time again, they eventually give up. A country that has its attacker’s repelled time and time again, for example, will eventually stop fighting. A fly, however, is different: no matter how many times you swat it away, it comes back to bother you more, sometimes from another direction.

This, explains the Ksav Sofer, is the Yetzer Harah. No matter how many times a person defeats him, the Yetzer Harah returns. And each time he does, he finds a new methodology, a new approach, in an attempt to steer a person wrong. Thus, Rav compares the Yetzer Harah to a Zevuv, a fly.

Based on this, maybe we can understand how the approaches of Rashi and the Ohr Hacham can be melded.

Rashi tells us that if a person is Over on a Mtizvah Kallah, he will end up committing an Avierah Chamurah. This is because of the Yetzer Harah’s tactics as outlined by the Ohr Hachaim. Once he has us in his grasp, by luring us into a minor, seemingly innocent Aveirah, he can easily pull us to an Avierah Chamurah. We may even be able to push him away temporarily, but like a fly, he will return. Thus, Rashi is indeed telling us about a natural progression from Mitzvah Kallah to Aveira Chamurah. The Yetzer Harah is so strong, and so cunning, as spoken about in the Ohr Hachaim, that he can, and will, take a person the full distance from a minor disagreement or hatred, to “V’Arev Lo V’Kam Lo.”

Lest we be discouraged by the insidious behavior of the Yetzer Harah, and his seemingly escape-proof grip, we use take into account the words of Shmuel,as explained by the Ksav Sofer.

Shmuel says that the Yetzer Harah is a like a kernel of wheat. The Ksav Sofer explains that this is because, in a way, he provides us with much-needed sustenance. Hakadosh Baruch Hu created a world of Kulo Tov, and in it he created a Yetzer Harah, so that we can get Schar for our battles. Each time we fight back against the Yetzer Harah, and delay his advances, we get unimaginable Schar. If we had only a Yetzer Tov, this Schar would not be ours, for there would be no reason not to do a Mitzvah, or avoid an Aveirah. In this way, explains the Ksav Sofer, the Yetzer Harah, our greatest enemy, is as essential to our survival as is wheat.

It seems almost redundant to note that we learn these words in a Parsha that always comes in the midst of Chodesh Elul. As we prepare for the coming weeks of Yimei Harachamim V’Haslicha, let us bear in mind that we are fighting the most ruthless enemy, who cannot be convinced to lay down his arms. We therefore cannot allow him even the slightest entry, because a Mitzvah Kala can, and will, lead to an Aveira Chamurah. At the same time, we must also remember that there is a purpose to the fight itself, and unimaginable Schar awaits he who scores even the most minor of victories.