The Enemy Within.

This week’s portion of the Bible, begins with the words, “when you will go out to war…” The laws of female captives of war. Literally, talking about soldiers who set their eyes on a pretty captive and would like to take her as a wife, how the law looks at this situation.

There are four basic layers of understanding the Bible. The literal meaning, the hints, the homiletics, and the hidden secrets. The bible always means exactly what it says. However, because the bible is the wisdom of an infinite G-d, there is so much more than just the written word, all squeezed inside the written words and letters.

The mystics teach us; these verses are speaking to each individual soul. The moment a soul “goes out”, of its mother’s womb, it’s to war. The evil inclination enters a person immediately, and is already getting acquainted and knowledgeable with the territory of this physical corporeal world, to set up traps and gain intelligence how to tempt and challenge the person for his/her entire lifetime!

The biggest enemy a person has, is not outside themselves. The Bible is telling us, in a singular tense, talking to each individual, the enemy is within. However, when a person goes “out” with determination, whether it’s when they are born, and/or everyday getting out of bed, that this IS a war, they recognize the territory and are determined to deal with it head on …”G-d your G-d will deliver them into your hand, and you will seize captives.”

There is a general rule in the Bible, “when someone makes a (sincere) effort to purify (improve) themselves, he will be assisted (to succeed by G-d).”  Not only will he succeed “over his enemy” but in addition he is assured, he will take captives.

The evil inclination, also called the animal soul, has its own set of emotions, to the detriment of our pure spiritual G-dly yearnings and desires. When we persist and persevere in this war against our internal enemy who is eternally making every effort to hold us back and keep us down, the bible is assuring us we will dominate this force to make it subservient.  With this personal achievement, we will gain through this experience of victory, extra wisdom and strength by harnessing what was once evil, for our positive benefits.

The enemy has its own tactics and strategies that served it well to put up a good fight and challenge us all this time. For example, the animal evil inclination knows to entice us slowly. It doesn’t come at one time, in full force, suddenly, that we should be bad or take up counterproductive habits. It starts little by little, and not before long we can’t even remember what and how we fell from our healthy and good routines and habits.

The evil inclination to accomplish its ends, is stubborn, determined and focused. It uses energy of enthusiasm and excitement to motivate us for the bad.

Once we decide to stand up to this foe and we realize, this is what G-d intended from the moment of birth to the last breathing moment, we never give up even when we experience temporary failure. Then, with every success and victory we will have accomplished another positive imprint in this world and more so, we will have gained all the added wisdom and strength from these experiences.

Once the Rebbe Naftoli of Ropshitz was asked. “Where is this enemy, the evil inclination?” And he answered. “In any (every) place that you believe he is not.”