Our Parsha begins כי תצא למלחמה על איביך ונתנו ה' אלקיך בידך ושבית שביו , when you go out to war against your enemies, & Hashem will deliver him into your hand & you will capture its captives.
Rashi says that the war we're referring to here is מלחמת רשות, one that's not a mitzva but rather an optional war.
Many commentators say that the battle we’re referring to is the constant battle with the Yetzer Hara. The gemara says that one’s evil inclination would overpower him every day if it weren’t for Hashem himself interceding & helping one to overcome it. How do we merit for Hashem to intercede on our behalf?
As the posuk says כי תצא למלחמה על איביך you go out to battle & then ונתנו ה אלקיך בידך Hashem will give him into your hand. As we have all seen at one time or another when trying to battle the yetzer hara, you thought something was out of your control; he had overpowered you. Then you really tried; you took a step back & said I won't do that anymore. All of a sudden the impossible became possible; something you thought you couldn't control became controllable because, once you went to war, Hashem helped you.
The main thing, says the Chafetz Chaim, is to go to war. Then, not only will you succeed in conquering the Yetzer Hara, as the posuk continues ושבית שביו you will take captives. These captives, he continues, are the sins that you did before you went to battle. Once you go to war with him & win, then all those sins you did beforehand you will take back from him. When one does complete teshuva, even the sins he did prior to then become merits.
How does Rashi’s commentary of an optional war coincide with the war against the yetzer hara? That can't be optional!
Once, when the Chafetz Chaim was very old, he woke up early one morning & thought to himself, “I'm too old to get up this early in the freezing cold. It’s not healthy for a man my age.” He almost went back to sleep when he jumped up & yelled at the yetzer hara saying " you won't convince me to stay in bed! Look, you’re way older than I am & you came a lot farther a lot earlier to try to get me not to go to daven. Well, I will learn from you. Just as you never stop doing what's incumbent upon you, I will never stop doing what's incumbent upon me, no matter how old I get".
Maybe this could resolve the two commentaries. Really, the war with the yetzer hara isn't optional. However, at times, like the story with the Chafetz Chaim, it may seem optional. It may seem like there's no war. He had a great point: how could I endanger my health to go to shul when I could just daven later at home. Really that is the war. The Yetzer Hara tries with things that make sense at first; little things that seem optional. Then, when he gets you on that, he moves onto bigger things. That's why, says the Choftez Chaim, we can't give in on anything because once you let him in, he takes over. Imagine two partners & one notices that the other is stealing from him, does he just let it slide saying, “hey it was just a little?” No. If he does that, then the partner will keep stealing more each time.
We have to take this lesson from this parsha. Don't let the yetzer hara convince you that mitzvos are optional. If he does, he won't stop. But, if you fail, know that all you need to do is make that resolution & go to war. With Hashem's help you will conquer!
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