ALL PEOPLE – EVEN TZADIKIM AND THE AGED – ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO TEMPTATION

"כי תצא למלחמה…ושבית שביו: וראית בשביה אשת יפת-תאר וחשקת בה ולקחת לך לאשה"

"WHEN YOU GO TO BATTLE… AND YOU WILL TAKE CAPTIVES. IF YOU SEE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AMONG THE CAPTIVES AND YOU DESIRE HER AS A WIFE. YOU MAY TAKE HER AS A WIFE.” (Dvarim 21:10,11)

Rashi explains that this posuk is referring to an optional war, a מלחמת רשות, for during a mandatory war, a מלחמת מצוה, captives are not to be taken. Rashi further states that the reason the Torah permits the taking of the beautiful captive woman for a wife, although she was married and not Jewish, is because the Torah "ירדה לסוף דעתו" descended to the depths of understanding of man's underlying motivations. If the Torah did not permit her to him, his evil inclination the יצר הרע, would entice him to take her unlawfully.  A soldier in wartime conditions, when presented with the sight of a beautiful woman, might falter.  He might have the urge to take this woman as his wife, contrary to the laws of the Torah.  Thus the Torah permits it.

This is mystifying.  Who were these people going to war?

The Gemorah (Sotah 44a) discusses all the draft exemptions in an optional war, a מלחמת רשות, which are enumerated in פרשת שופטים.  One of these exemptions is, "מי האיש הירא ורך,    הלבב ילך וישב לביתו"[1] . Who is the man who is fearful and faint hearted let him return to his home. Rabbi Yossi HaGlili explains this to mean that the individual is fearful because of sins he has committed. He understands that it is not the sword of the enemy that kills, rather, it is sin that causes the sword to kill.  The Gemorah further explains that this exemption applies even to one who has violated only an איסור דרבנן, an Avairah DeRabanan, e.g., one who spoke between donning the תפילין של יד and the תפילין של ראש.

This Gemorah is, in essence, saying that when going out to wage an optional war, any person who transgressed any sin even the most minute one, would be exempt from going to battle and would be sent home.  This was true even if his only transgression was that he spoke out between the תפילין של יד and the תפילין של ראש, which is only an איסור דרבנן. Thus, according to Rabbi Yossi HaGlili, all the soldiers who went to fight in a מלחמת רשות, were צדיקים גמורים with no sins whatsoever, not even איסורי דרבנן.

This is mystifying. How is it that such pure, righteous צדיקים, who have not violated even the most minute Rabbinical enactment, could behave in such a sordid and vile manner, taking a beautiful captive non-Jewish woman as their wife?  How is it that if the Torah did not permit her to them, then, these soldiers, צדיקים גמורים , purely righteous individuals, would take her illicitly.  How is this possible?  How could such holy and pious people sink to such a low level in such a short span of time?

We see from here, that no matter how pious an individual is, he must always be on the alert.  In a split fraction of an instant he can slip to the lowest and most base of levels.  A person should never be over confident, because the temptations within him can surface at any moment.

We see this very same concept in a fascinating Chazal in תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת שבת, (1:3).  There was an elderly pious individual who when he learned the dictum in Pirkei Avos, "Do not trust yourself until the day you die..," substituted in its place, "Do not trust yourself until your days of old age”. Being an old man, he felt withdrawn from the temptations of this world.  He felt sure that he would not sin, and wished to amend the text of Pirkei Avos accordingly.  This created reverberations in Heaven, and as a consequence permission was granted for a spirit to descend to earth and appear before him disguised as an extremely beautiful woman.  When he observed this strikingly beautiful woman, he said something to her that was unbefitting him.  Immediately, being the pious individual that he was, he genuinely regretted his verbal infraction.  He repented and cried out for what he did to such an extent that his anguish and depression even endangered his life.  The spirit then said to him, "Do not be anguished, I am a spirit, and not a woman.  I have been sent from Heaven to test you. Do not consider yourself better than others.  You are equal to everyone else.  Leave the text as is – ‘Do not trust yourself until the day you die.’  All people are susceptible to temptation, even the aged.  No one can be sure of himself until the day he dies."                                                                                                                       

May we realize that the יצר הרע is always there lying in ambush, waiting for an opportunity to entice us.  He lurks, waiting to penetrate even the purest and holiest Tzadikim.  He respects no barriers of age.  We must at any given moment be aware of this reality.  With the knowledge of these truths and with the help of הקדוש ברוך הוא, may we be זוכה to fend off this greatest of adversaries the יצר הרע.  Amen. VeAmen