Our Parasha Ki Tetzei (“כִּי-תֵצֵא”) is usually reads in the month of Elul which is the month before the Jewish New Year (Rosh HaShanah) and is the beginnings of the forty days of Teshuvah (repentance) ending on Yom Kippur. We learn from the Zohar that the words “Ki Tetzeh Lamilchama” (“כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה” – when you shall go out to war) alludes to us personally. When we “Go out to war”, we go to fight our evil inclination as it is a true spiritual war. Moshe taught Bnei-Yisrael seventy-seven new Mitzvot to be performed in the Land of Israel. The war our Parasha refers to is an optional war and not to a war of necessity. As we learned that HaShem already promised Bnei-Yisrael that they will the obligatory wars (the seven nations) in which they will not have prisoners, as he commanded, “You shall not take prisoner, they should be all killed”.
The first letters of the three words in our Parasha create the word “Kotel” (“כתל”) alluding to the fact that we always have Kotel to pray to HaShem and He will win the war for us. Just as it was promised (Shemot 14:14), by “HaShem Yilachem Lachem, Veatem Tacharishun” an obligatory wars (“ה’ ילחם לכם ואתם תחרישון”), meaning HaShem will fight for you and win your wars as long as you keep busy learning Torah and following HaShem’s commandments. Our Sages say that the last letters of the first four words spells the word “”אילה” “Ayala”, known as the Holy spirit, the “Shechinah”. When we go to war against our evil inclination and we deserve to win, we merit receiving the “Shechinah, the “Ayala” (“אילה”). In Tehilim 22 we read about this concept of “winning” from the words “For the winer; upon Ayelet ha-Shahar” (“לַמְנַצֵּחַ, עַל-אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר”), meaning the one who gets up early to pray (wins with strength) and defeat his evil inclination (weakness), wins over the merit of the “Shechinah” (“אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר”) in his day and life.
Our Parasha lists 77 Mitzvot, it is the highest number of Mitzvot than in any other Parasha in the Torah. Parashat Mishpatim lists 53 Mitzvot and Parashat Kedoshim lists 48 Mitzvot. Rabbi Akiva says that the verse of “VeAhavtah Le’Reacha Camocha” (“ואהבת לריעך כמוך”) means you shall love your evil inclination (ra’a – רע) as you love yourself. He said: “this is a major principal in the Torah”. One must win it with love of HaShem and the Mitzvot. We learn that from the word “Le’Reacha” (“לריעך”) which refers to the “Yetzer Ha’rah” (“יצר הרע”). By putting Tefillin on our left hand we “tie” and restrain our “Yetzer Ha’rah” (refers to as “Samael”- “סמאל”, left) as we usually put Tefillin on our left hand. The word “Samael” means “Venom of God” or “Poison of God”; Samael (or Samil) is also an important archangel in Talmudic teachings.
Our Parasha brings out the true purpose of the month of Elul, the moth of Teshuvah. The word Elul is the acronym for “Ani Ledodi Ve’Dodi Li” “אני לדודי ודודי לי”:
Ani – “אני”
LeDodi – “לדודי”
VeDodi – “ודודי”
Li – “לי”
The is another verse alluding to Elul “Oy LaRasha and V’Oy L’Shecheno” (“אוי לרשע ואוי לשכנו”), its acronym spells the month of “אלול” Elul. Moshe went up to Mount Sinai on the first of “אלול” Elul, to receive the last set of Torah and came back on Yom Kippur (40 days).
This verse comes from King Solomon’s Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) means “I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me”, alluding to the concept of we are for HaShem and HaShem is for us. Elul, the last month of the year, is known as a time of summing up the past year and preparing for the New Year. It was on Rosh Chodesh (the 1st day of) Elul. 3,326 years (current year 5777) ago that Moshe ascended up on Mount Sinai in order to receive the second set of the “Luchot” (tablets), with which he descended back on Yom Kippur. Ever since, the 40 days between Rosh Chodesh Elul and Yom Kippur have been devoted to special spiritual elevation and Teshuvah (the ten days from Rosh HaShana until Yom Kippur are known as the “Yamim Noraim). There are few other verses in the Torah with the acronym for Elul. For example it says (Devarim 30:6), “Et Levavcha Ve’et Levav” (“את לבבך ואת לבב”); or (Estar 9:22), “Eish Le’reahu Ve’matanot La’evyonim” (“איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים”); and (Shemot 21:13) “Ene’a Le’yado Ve’samti La’ch” (“אינה לידו ושמתי לך”). The Alter Rebbe, the author of the Tanya, says that the Divine revelation in the month of Elul is likened to a king who goes out into the field, “HaShem Ba’Sadea” “המלך בשדה” and at the same time the “common people” can approach HaShem the “king” and converse with him, and then, HaShem will listen closely to their prayers. The Gemara says that “HaShem guards the land of Israel and His Angels the rest of the world”
Referring to this sentence in Shir HaShirim, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me that walks among the roses” the Zohar and other Kabbalah literature explain that the rose has thirteen petals, matching the thirteen attributes of Divine Mercy. During the month of Elul there is a special revelation of the thirteen attributes of mercy and love in the upper worlds, and this has a positive effect on our deeds in this world. The spiritual awakening of the soul during the month of Elul is the result of this marvelous revelation of HaShem’s thirteen attributes of mercy. The numerical value of the word “Ahava” (“אהבה” – love) is 13 same as the number of petals on the rose.
In Likkutei Torah we learn that the parable is further used to explain the difference between the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy during the month of Elul, and the revelation of these attributes on Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, the King is in His palace; HaShem reveals Himself in all His majesty. During Elul, however, the King is in the field; HaShem reveals Himself at a level which can be comprehended by anyone within the framework of his mundane reality. Throughout the year the King is relatively unreachable, as he is enclosed in his palace; during the month of Elul, however, the King (HaShem) is “in the field (the physical world).” At that time, anyone can approach Him and benefit from His presence, and the king gives everyone a warm, welcoming reception with a smiling face. During the month of Elul, everyone is given an opportunity to approach the radiance, the Divine spark of the Creator, found deep inside each of us as our Neshamah (soul) is part of HaShem. Everyone is given special strength to explore and search their souls, to discover the beautiful treasures that are inside our souls, and bring them out into the open. For this reason it is also a customary to blow the Shofar during the month of Elul.
The blowing of the Shofar awakens the inner consciousness of the soul and reminds us of its ancient origins in the creation of man: “Then HaShem formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Beresheet 2:7). The word shofar also signifies the effort to improve “Leshaper” (“לשפר”) and beautify our deeds, feelings and thoughts as the New Year approaches. Rosh Hashanah marks the creation of man on the sixth day of the creation of the universe. On Rosh Hashanah we also blow the Shofar, which is actually the most important Mitzvah of the day. Continuing the spiritual process of the month of Elul, the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah expresses the Creator’s rule over the entire universe, as at the dawn of creation. In a similar way, the blowing of the Shofar at the “Ne’ila” (the closing) prayer on Yom Kippur expresses the revelation of the soul and its unification with its Divine origin.
The Arizal (an acronym for “The Godly Rabbi Isaac of Blessed Memory”) teaches that the true meaning of the month of Elul is a profound repentance as each of the following word represents the three elements needed for Teshuvah.
- When the verse says – יְפַת-תֹּאַר – “A beautiful Woman” – it speaks of the Neshamah (soul)
- When the verse says – אֹיְבֶיךָ – “Your Enemies” – it speaks of the Yetzer Har’ah (evil inclination)
- When the verse says – וּבָכְתָה – “And She Cried” – it speaks of the 40 days of Selichot (days of repentance).
It is worth mentioning here that in Parashat Beha’alotcha (“בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ”) the Torah describes Tziporah (“ציפורה”), Moshe’s wife, as “Kushit” (“כושית”), which means, according to Rashi, very pretty (dark skin); its numerical value is 736, same as that of the words “Yefat Marea” (“יפת מראה” – pretty). This comes to teach us that even if one says anything that somewhat reflect “badly” about someone else, one should not repeat such rumor. When we speak ill of a beautiful woman” we speaks ill of our own Neshamah (soul) as it will suffer the consequences. The Midrash says that the enemies in the past used to send beautiful women to the battlefield in order to “trick” the warriors of Bnei-Yisrael, as it happened with the women of Moav who were sent by Bilam and Balak and, as a result, many of the Jewish sinners died (24,000) along with Zimeri the president of the tribe of Shimon.
