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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum
ובכתה את אביה ואת אמה ירח ימים (פרק כא פסוק יג)
The Parsha begins with the story of the יפת תואר- the gentile woman that a man captured in war. The הלכה is that she must don ugly clothes and live in the man’s house for a month. There she cries about her family and only after that month may the man marry her. The אור החיים הקדוש explains the פסוקים in a way of דרוש that the woman referenced symbolizes the נשמה- the soul, and the month described is referring to the month of אלול. This month is the time in which we are to devote ourselves to תשובה, to returning to Hashem, and the פסוק is telling us the way to go about it. First one must “remove the clothing of when she was captured”- that is they must rid themselves of their old ways and עבירות. Additionally, they should “dwell in your house”- that is the special house of the Jews, the Shuls and בתי מדרש. We are then advised that “she should cry for her father and her mother”- referring to our Father in Heaven and the Jewish Nation, that we should cry for all the wrongs that we have committed to Hashem and our fellow man. After the תשובה process we have “acquired” our soul through our actions and now truly deserve our lofty “soul mate”.
לא תראה את שור אחיך או את שיו נדחים וכו’ (פרק כב פסוק א)
The Torah describes the מצוה of השבת אבידה that one may not see their friend’s animal and ignore it, rather they must return it. The Torah continues that if one is not close to the owner and does not know who they are, they must bring it into their house until the owner seeks it out. The חתם סופר reads the פסוק allegorically that if one sees their brother, a fellow Jew, “נדחים”, fallen away from Hashem, do not give up hope and ignore them. Rather, encourage them to return to Hashem and his Torah. The פסוק continues to say that even if they are not “close”- they have drifted so far that they seem to be at the lowest possible level, the point of no return, still bring them close and encourage them. Eventually they will “seek you out” and ask you to help them in returning to Hashem. The פסוק is reassuring us to never lose faith in another Jew and to realize that one can always do תשובה, and it is our obligation to encourage our “lost” friends in this way.
