From Captive Soul to Beautiful Bride
Ki Seitzei
Ki Seitzei opens with the bizarre Mitzvah of the Yefas Toar. In short the Torah prescribes the process by which a man may come to marry a woman that he finds amongst the captives at war.
The Zohar explains that this Mitzvah has a unique spiritual application. The circumstances described in the Torah is a parable for the journey of the Baal Teshuva, who seeks to reclaim the purity of his soul and reconnect himself to his Creator.
When you go out to war against your enemies: The battle referred to in the verse is the battle which we must all wage against our evil inclination. The Torah tells us that the Yetzer Hara is an enemy who seeks to destroy us and therefore we must constantly be on the offensive. The Zohar explains that our weapon in this battle is the study of Torah, whose words of fire will melt away the negativity of the Yetzer Hara.
And you will see amongst the captives a beautiful woman: At various stages in our lives, our Neshama finds itself subjugated to the Yetzer Hara, trapped and unable to express its own G-dly desires. The Neshama is the beautiful woman who is found amongst the captives that we save in the course of our battle.
You shall shave her head… you shall remove the garments of her captivity: The Neshama’s enslavement leaves her defiled and tainted and not in any state to be “married”. Like the Yefas Toar, the Neshama must have her hair shaved off and her clothes changed.
In Kabbalah, hair represents the impure forces known as Kelipah. The garments of the soul as described in the Tanya are a person’s deeds in thought, speech and action. These may either be the soiled and ugly ‘clothes’ of impurity or the clean and beautiful garments of the Neshama. The Neshama must be stripped of all the negative affects of the Yetzer Hora and its sinful ways, represented by the hair and clothing of captivity.
She shall sit in your house... and cry for her father and her mother for a month of days: Afterwards, the Neshama must sit in your house which, says the Ohr Hachayim, refers to the Beis Medrash where the Neshama can be purified by the words of Torah.
There the Neshama must cry for her father and her mother for a month of days. The Zohar explains that this is the month of Elul, a month which is opportune for the tears of Teshuva expressed by the remorseful soul. The tears are for her father - Hashem and her mother, the Jewish people. The sins of the Neshama not only weaken her relationship with Hashem but also adversely effect the entire Jewish people. The tears of Teshuva mend this spiritual damage.
After the month of Teshuva has been completed, the husband may take the Yefas Toar as his wife. This is the culmination of the Teshuva process on Yom Kippur. After our spiritual preparations and repentance during the month of Elul ‘beauty’ and purity of our Neshoma radiates outwardly. Then on Yom Kippur the awaited marriage-like union between Hashem and the Neshama can take place.
This is a timely message as we enter the final half of the month of Elul. With our ‘cry’ of Teshuva from the depths of our hearts, removing the soiled garments of sin and committing ourselves to increasing our Torah study, we will be ready and pure to reunite our souls with Hashem, our Beloved.
The Zohar explains that this Mitzvah has a unique spiritual application. The circumstances described in the Torah is a parable for the journey of the Baal Teshuva, who seeks to reclaim the purity of his soul and reconnect himself to his Creator.
When you go out to war against your enemies: The battle referred to in the verse is the battle which we must all wage against our evil inclination. The Torah tells us that the Yetzer Hara is an enemy who seeks to destroy us and therefore we must constantly be on the offensive. The Zohar explains that our weapon in this battle is the study of Torah, whose words of fire will melt away the negativity of the Yetzer Hara.
And you will see amongst the captives a beautiful woman: At various stages in our lives, our Neshama finds itself subjugated to the Yetzer Hara, trapped and unable to express its own G-dly desires. The Neshama is the beautiful woman who is found amongst the captives that we save in the course of our battle.
You shall shave her head… you shall remove the garments of her captivity: The Neshama’s enslavement leaves her defiled and tainted and not in any state to be “married”. Like the Yefas Toar, the Neshama must have her hair shaved off and her clothes changed.
In Kabbalah, hair represents the impure forces known as Kelipah. The garments of the soul as described in the Tanya are a person’s deeds in thought, speech and action. These may either be the soiled and ugly ‘clothes’ of impurity or the clean and beautiful garments of the Neshama. The Neshama must be stripped of all the negative affects of the Yetzer Hora and its sinful ways, represented by the hair and clothing of captivity.
She shall sit in your house... and cry for her father and her mother for a month of days: Afterwards, the Neshama must sit in your house which, says the Ohr Hachayim, refers to the Beis Medrash where the Neshama can be purified by the words of Torah.
There the Neshama must cry for her father and her mother for a month of days. The Zohar explains that this is the month of Elul, a month which is opportune for the tears of Teshuva expressed by the remorseful soul. The tears are for her father - Hashem and her mother, the Jewish people. The sins of the Neshama not only weaken her relationship with Hashem but also adversely effect the entire Jewish people. The tears of Teshuva mend this spiritual damage.
After the month of Teshuva has been completed, the husband may take the Yefas Toar as his wife. This is the culmination of the Teshuva process on Yom Kippur. After our spiritual preparations and repentance during the month of Elul ‘beauty’ and purity of our Neshoma radiates outwardly. Then on Yom Kippur the awaited marriage-like union between Hashem and the Neshama can take place.
This is a timely message as we enter the final half of the month of Elul. With our ‘cry’ of Teshuva from the depths of our hearts, removing the soiled garments of sin and committing ourselves to increasing our Torah study, we will be ready and pure to reunite our souls with Hashem, our Beloved.