Tzav צו

My Musing
Dedicated to the memory of the members of the Fogel family who were so brutally and heinously massacred last week in Itamar. (I apologize if this is a repeat selection)

This week’s midrash takes what I term midrashic license to bring out a point that is seemingly unrelated to the text. Focusing on the phrase Torat zevach Hashlamim, the midrash takes the root idea of Torah and Shalom from that phrase and expands from there.
The Torah is entirely focused on creating peace. In fact in the efforts of peace the midrash implies, Moshe demurred from the will of God. Yet, as the text used by the midrash demonstrates there is even a limit to the pursuit of peace. Moshe deviated from God’s direction in approaching the nations surrounding Canaan peacefully, however as the Torah explains, and the midrash makes clear, if they are not interested in peace then we have to smite them.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת צו סימן ג
(ויקרא ז:יא) "וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב לַידֹוָד"

And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offerings, which one may offer unto the LORD.

זה שאמר הכתוב (משלי ג:יז) "דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם" כל מה שכתוב בתורה לשום שלום הוא נכתב. ואף על פי שכתוב בתורה מלחמות אף המלחמות לשום שלום נכתבו.

This is what the scripture says, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." All that is written in the Torah is written to promote peace. And even though war is discussed in the Torah, even wars are discussed to promote peace.

אתה מוצא שבטל הקדוש ברוך הוא גזרתו מפני השלום; אימתי? בשעה שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה (דברים כ:יט) "כִּי תָצוּר אֶל עִיר יָמִים רַבִּים לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ לְתָפְשָׂהּ לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ לִנְדֹּחַ עָלָיו גַּרְזֶן כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ תֹאכֵל וְאֹתוֹ לֹא תִכְרֹת כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה לָבֹא מִפָּנֶיךָ בַּמָּצוֹר" וכל אותו הענין. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא שיחרים אותם, שנאמר, (דברים כ:יז) "כִּי הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם הַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי הַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוְּךָ יְדֹוָד אֱלקֶיךָ"

You find that the Holy One, blessed be He, nullified his decree for the sake of peace; When? At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shall not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou may eat of them, but thou shall not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee?" and all the pertaining matters. Said to him the Holy One, blessed be He, to annihilate them, as it says, "but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee;"

ומשה לא עשה כן. אלא אמר, 'עכשיו אני הולך ומכה מי חטא ומי שלא חטא, אלא בשלום אני בא עליהם'. שנאמר (דברים ב:כו,כז) "וָאֶשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים מִמִּדְבַּר קְדֵמוֹת אֶל סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן דִּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם לֵאמֹר:'אֶעְבְּרָה בְאַרְצֶךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֵלֵךְ לֹא אָסוּר יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול'."

And Moshe did not do this. Rather he said, 'now, I am going and striking who sinned and who did not sin, but for peace I come upon them'. As it says, "And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying: 'Let me pass through thy land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn unto the right nor to the left."

כיון שראה שלא בא לשלום הכהו שנאמר, (במדבר כא:לה) "וַיַּכּוּ אֹתוֹ וְאֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת כָּל עַמּוֹ עַד בִּלְתִּי הִשְׁאִיר לוֹ שָׂרִיד וַיִּירְשׁוּ אֶת אַרְצוֹ"

Since he saw that they did not come in peace, he smote them as it says, "So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him remaining; and they possessed his land."

אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'אני אמרתי "כִּי הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם" ואתה לא עשית כן. חייך! כשם שאמרת כך אני עושה שנאמר, (דברים כ:י) "כִּי תִקְרַב אֶל עִיר לְהִלָּחֵם עָלֶיהָ וְקָרָאתָ אֵלֶיהָ לְשָׁלוֹם" לכך נאמר "דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם וְכָל נְתִיבֹתֶיהָ שָׁלוֹם"

Said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'I said "but thou shall utterly destroy them" and you did not do that. On your life! As you said so I do, as it says, "When thou draw nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it." Therefore it says, ""Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."