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Why does the Torah (תורה) permit yefas toar when it simultaneously demands the highest holiness in military camps? The yetzer hara driving this isn't lust but self-destruction — righteous soldiers forced to wage war know that if they lived up to their potential, such wars wouldn't be necessary. This creates a destructive urge to opt out of Jewish responsibility entirely.
This profound analysis of Parshas Ki Seitzei begins with an apparent contradiction: the Torah (תורה) permits yefas toar (taking a captive woman) based on the principle that one cannot control the yetzer hara, yet simultaneously demands the highest levels of holiness in military camps, forbidding even improper thoughts. Rabbi Zweig develops a revolutionary understanding that resolves this paradox by identifying two distinct types of yetzer hara operating in different soldiers. The shiur establishes the halachic framework for milchemes reshus (optional war), citing the Gemara (גמרא) in Brachos that describes Dovid HaMelech waging war for economic reasons when Am Yisrael needed parnasa. This raises a fundamental moral question: how can killing people be justified merely for economic necessity? Rabbi Zweig explains through the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s principle that non-Jews who rejected the Torah at Har Sinai have no inherent right to exist - they are "tourists" in the world who must either observe the seven Noachide laws or contribute to supporting the Jewish people's covenantal relationship with Hashem (ה׳).
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Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Ki Seitzei 21:10-14
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What is the primary purpose of the cities of refuge - protecting the accidental killer or something else? The shiur argues that creating respect for law takes precedence over providing sanctuary. True deterrence comes from recognizing the gravity of murder itself, not fear of punishment.
