Weekly Parsha

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Deuteronomy 16:18 -- 21:9

Topics in this week's portion include: Judges and Justice, Forbidden Trees and Pillars worshipped as idols, Blemished Sacrifice, Penalties for Idolatry, The Supreme Court, The King, Levitical Priests, Priestly Portions, Special Service, Divination and Prophecy, Cities of Refuge, Murder, Preserving Boundaries, Conspiring Witnesses, Preparing for War, Taking Captives, Conducting a Siege and the Case of the Unsolved Murder.

This week we have the famous admonition: "Righteousness, Righteousness shall you pursue, so that you will live and possess the Land that the Almighty your God, gives you" (Deut. 16:20).

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Dvar Torah
based on Love Your Neighbor by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

The Torah (Deuteronomy 20:2-8) states that before the Jewish army went to war an announcement was made that certain categories of people should return home: he who has built a new house, but has not dedicated it; he who has planted a vineyard, but has not partaken from the fruits; he who has betrothed a wife, but has not married her. Verse 8 reads:

"And the officers shall speak further to the people and they shall say: 'Is there a man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house and let him not make the heart of his brethren faint as well as his heart' ".

What does this mean and what is the connection of the fourth category to the previous three categories?

Rabbi Yosi Haglili explains (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sotah 44a, cited by Rashi) that the fourth category refers to someone who fears that he is unworthy of being saved because of his transgressions. Rabbi Yosi adds that this is the reason why the other three categories were told to go home. If someone would leave the ranks because of his sins, he would feel embarrassed. However, since other groups were also sent home, people would not know which individuals were leaving for which reasons.

This is truly amazing. A large number of soldiers are sent home in wartime in order to save a sinner from humiliation. We must learn from here that we must do everything possible to protect people from shame.

QUOTE:

The difficulties of life are to
make us better, not bitter

Don't expect more from someone else
than you expect from yourself!