When you go out to war against your enemy. We need to explain the change of language from singular to plural several times, for it says and you see horse and chariot and afterwards it says a people more numerous than you [mimkha, which can also mean from you]. The commentators have said that in the eyes of the blessed God, they are all like one horse and chariot, and if they are a people numerous, that is from you — they are numerous in your eyes but not in the eyes of God. Additionally, when you go out is in singular language, but afterwards it says and it shall be when you approach in plural language. And the comparative kaf [the letter kaf meaning “like/as”] in as when you approach [kekarbekhem] needs explanation, because it should have simply said “when you approach” [bekarbekhem].

And I say that when there is peace among the enemies, then the war is most dangerous because they all unite as one against God and His anointed. However, when their hearts are divided and they are not united as one group, the danger is not as great. This is the miracle that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs for Israel: even though at the beginning when they go out to war, all the nations join together as if they were all one horse and rider, like one man, nevertheless, as you approach the battle, in the meantime, God will send confusion among them, and they will separate from one another, and each man’s sword will be against his fellow. As it is written: In one way they will come out against you, but in seven ways they will flee before you (Deuteronomy 28:7). Because at the beginning they are in one accord, but in the meantime God will send confusion among them, causing their hearts to be divided until all seven nations — each one of them — will flee by their own separate way, as it is written: For You will make them turn their back (Psalms 21:13), etc., meaning to divide them into separate parts.

This is what is meant by “When you go out to war against your enemy.” Without the yud [after] the bet, indicating a single enemy. And you see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, meaning such a numerous people who have all gathered together in an equal valley initially as one person and as one horse and chariot, with each nation saying to its ally, “My horses are like your horses.” Because of this, fear will likely enter your heart. Therefore, it says, “Do not fear them or their multitude,” because eventually they will be separated from one another, as it is written, You are approaching today to battle against your enemies [in plural form], because before Israel approaches them, God will scatter them and mix a spirit of confusion among them (Isaiah 19:14) and divide their hearts from one another. Correspondingly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, performs a second miracle for Israel. For if at the time of going out to war, only a few Israelites went out as if only one man from Israel went against them, initially Israel would appear few in the eyes of the enemies. In the meantime, God will send His help so that the enemies will see the shadow of mountains as people, similar to what is said And the Lord had caused the army of Aram to hear the sound of chariots and horses, the sound of a great army (Second Kings 7:6). From here is proof that even when few in number, the Holy One, Blessed be He, makes them appear to the nations as if they were many in order to frighten them. Therefore it says, And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, where the comparative kaf [as/like] in the word kekoravchem [when you draw near] refers to the plural form, suggesting that you appear as many even though in reality it is not so, for you are few, and this is a precious explanation.

“And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel,’” Rashi explained that even if you have no merit except the recitation of the Shema alone, etc. Is the Shema such a minor matter? So it seems to me that the main thing is about the tefillin worn on the head, because one who recites the Shema presumably only recites it while wearing tefillin, so as not to bear false witness against oneself (Berakhot 14b). And through the tefillin on one’s head, dread and fear will fall upon the enemies, as it is written, Then all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is proclaimed over you, and they shall stand in fear of you (Deuteronomy 28:10). Our Sages said (Berakhot 6a) that this refers to the tefillin worn on the head, and this is what they needed in war: that the enemies would see and fear them. Even the Shema recited at night, just as it protects from all harmful entities and destructive beings, so too it protects from the nations whose power comes from the celestial ministers above. Therefore, they [the Sages] connected (Bamidbar Rabbah 20:20) the Shema to the verse It will not lie down until it consumes prey and drinks the blood of the slain (Numbers 23:24), for the simple meaning of this verse presumably speaks of ordinary warfare.

In Tractate Berachot (5a), our Sages taught: “A person should always incite their good inclination against their evil inclination,” as it is said, Tremble [Rigzu, which can also be understood as, Get angry] and do not sin (Psalms 4:5). If it [the evil inclination] departs, good. If not, one should engage in Torah study, as it is said, Commune with your heart. If it departs, good. If not, one should recite the Shema, as it is said, Upon your bed. If it departs, good. If not, one should remember the day of death, as it is said, And be still, Selah. These four [remedies] are mentioned in this portion because it says, When you go out as a camp against your enemies, you shall guard yourself from every evil thing. Rashi explains that this is because Satan prosecutes in times of danger. And this prosecution means that Satan, who is the evil inclination, endeavors to cause a person to sin during war, a place of danger, in order to make him fall into the hands of his enemies. Therefore, in war, a person needs more protection from the evil inclination, for in this dangerous place, it provokes a person more than in other places to turn him toward evil. Our Sages (Ketubot 46a) derived from the verse you shall guard yourself from every evil thing that a person should not have improper thoughts during the day that might lead to nocturnal emissions at night. Is it only during war that one needs to be cautious and not at other times? Rather, certainly during war the evil inclination provokes a person more intensely, both regarding sexual immorality and other transgressions, in order to make him fall into the hands of his enemies. Therefore, the Torah taught them to be vigilant in war to stand against their inclination so it would not bring them to sin in a place of danger. You should know that in the Akeida [Rabbi Isaac Arama’s philosophical commentary] and other commentaries, I have seen interpretations of all the wars in this portion as referring to a person’s wars with their [evil] inclination. This approach is far from my understanding, as it removes the verses from their plain meaning. What we have written is consistent with the plain meaning in every respect, showing the way by which they will defeat the nations — and that is when they are complete in their actions during war, and none of them will be lost due to transgression.

Therefore it is said, “And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle,” with the nations, and you fear sin lest the evil inclination cause you to stumble, for it is the Satan, who prosecutes in times of danger, then they should engage in Torah study. This is what is meant by the priest shall approach and speak to the people. In the Tractate Sotah (42), they said, and speak to the people in the holy language, and we learn this from the verbal analogy with Moses’ would speak mentioned at the giving of the Torah Moses would speak (Exodus 19:19) — just as there it was in the holy language, so too here. And I say the verbal analogy is not partial — just as there it concerned Torah study, so too here the priest speaks words of Torah to the people. For Joshua was punished for neglecting Torah study during war, as the angel said to him, Now I have come (Joshua 5:14), [which our Sages interpreted as] “because of the neglect of Torah” (Eruvin 63b). The reason for this is that Torah study protects against the evil inclination, the Satan who especially prosecutes in times of danger. And if perhaps there is someone who is not learned in Torah, for not everyone has mastered Torah, then with what will those groups be saved from the hand of this internal enemy during war? Therefore, and he shall say, ‘Hear, O Israel,’ meaning they should recite the Shema, which everyone knows how to recite, and through this all will be saved from the head of the enemy’s attacks. And if perhaps there is an ignorant person who doesn’t even know the Shema, or some stiff-necked person whose evil inclination is stronger than him and will not turn back because of any Torah or Shema, then it is necessary to remind him of the day of death, and then it [the evil inclination] will certainly depart. Therefore, the officer announces, Who is the man who has built a house, etc., lest he die in battle, etc. By mentioning death in war, he will incidentally remember the day of death in general, and with this he will certainly overcome his inclination, as it is written If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the opening (Genesis 4:7) — meaning, let him remember the opening of his grave, and then even though its desire is for you, nevertheless you shall rule over it.

And on this, our Sages of blessed memory commented (Berakhot 18a) that “the living know that they will die” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) refers to the righteous, etc., meaning that they know they will die and therefore the remembrance of the day of death is constantly before their eyes, and this saves them from sin. And the dead know nothing refers to the wicked, who even during their lives are called dead, as it is said, And you, O corpse, wicked one, etc., whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end (Ezekiel 21:30). Meaning, the wicked know nothing because the remembrance of the day of death is not before their eyes at all. And this is what it means when it says, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, meaning, because of the sin regarding his end, for the remembrance of his end was not before his eyes at all. Unlike David, who prayed and said, Lord, make me know my end, etc. (Psalms 39:5), but rather their inner thought is that their houses will last forever (Psalms 49:12). And this is a precious interpretation.