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Daily manna from the Torah by Dr Ketriel Blad

Ki Tetzeh 49-4

When you go out

Deuteronomy 23:7(8) – 23(24) 

When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing. If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, but when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp. You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Deut. 23:9-14 ESV

Can sanctity decide the outcome of a war?

This text deals with a specific situation in times of war. The Shchinah, – שכינה the Eternal's presence – has to be with Israel's army so that they can defeat their enemies. Israel's wars depend on the Divine presence. For the Shchinah to manifest, the army must live in a very high state of sanctity, which includes ritual and also physical purity. The Torah says that the ritual uncleanness caused by ejaculation as well as defecation within the camp is something evil.

For HaShem to be able to save us from danger, we have to live irreproachable lives, so that satan can't approach them. Sanctity is our best defence. Evil opens a gap in the spiritual defence that surrounds the righteous ones. Therefore, when there is struggle in our lives, we have to be extra careful so that the enemy has no reason to accuse and harm us. If we allow evil among us we won't be able to defeat during the encounters with our enemies, visible and invisible, as it is written in Ephesians 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (NKJV)

Let us live a clean and pure life before the Eternal so that we may win all our battles.

Blessings,

Ketriel

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