בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
Painting by: Baruch Nachshon z”l
Parshat Ki Tetze lemilhama, as its opening verse suggests, is full of the “battles” and tribulations of life and how the Torah relates to them. From a prospective of the time of the year, i.e the month of teshuva – Elul, this is also an opportune time to contemplate the complex matters and “battles” of life, and see how planning our self-change will cope with these intricacies and details.
This painting exhibits a “battle” between good and evil, between Israel and the nations that subjugated them during various exiles, such as the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greek, and various nations associated to “the exile of Edom.” The pig seen here seems to hint to the “the exile of Edom,” for commentators correlate the four impure animals found in parshat Re’eh (camel, rabbit, etc.) to the four exiles we mentioned here, Babylon, Persia etc., Edom then corresponding to the last animal, the pig. Next to this pig we see the famous towers of Moscow, apparently hinting to one of the latest “empires/exiles” that put a serious threat on Judaism, the Communist Regime of the USSR. Even today we see the impact of Russia in empowering the enemies of Israel, especially in the Muslim world (see https://www.inss.org.il/strategic_assessment/russia-new-world-order/). In conjunction with these we also see various other impure animals, and especially a large snake, considered a symbol of evil from the time of Adam and Eve.
Below all these we see symbols of good, such as Hasidim, the Western Wall, and deer, a pure animal to which Israel/Land of Israel are likened, as it says “the deer of Israel” (Shmuel II, 1, 19).
Hebron was the site where the first Jewish battle began, for from here Avraham set out to wage war upon the four kingdoms (note also the correlation with the four exiles we mentioned) that kept Lot captive. Ultimately, it would be that from Lot, who was saved in this endeavor, descended King David, the great warrior, about whom Avigayil said “the wars of Hashem you fight.” May we instill within us today as well, and especially today with full courage and vigour, this spirit of Hebron, to fight and win the “wars of Hashem