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Captive Souls
Based on discourses in Likutei Torah p. 36a ff. and Derech Mitzvotecha p. 208 ff
When you go to war upon your enemy...and you will see
in captivity a woman of beautiful appearance and you will desire her...You shall
shave her head and make her [pare her] nails...she shall remove her garb of
captivity and...mourn for her father and mother for thirty days... [only then can
you marry her]... (Deut. 21:10-14)
[The Talmud (Yevamos 48a) cites a
disagreement between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva as to the meaning of "make
her nails." According to Rabbi Akiva, the opinion cited by Rashi, this means
"let her nails grow" so that they become disgusting. According to Rabbi Eliezer,
the opinion cited by Chizkuni, this means "cut her nails." The maamar apparently
follows the latter opinion.]
So begins our Torah portion. This essay explores the
deeper and personal meaning of "a woman of beautiful appearance" and the inner
significance of shaving the head and cutting the nails.[On the literal level, this law addresses the inevitable
occurrence during war of a soldier's desiring to marry one of the captive women.
The Torah reluctantly allows him to do so. But, she must first undergo a process
that is hoped to discourage him from marrying her. If he decides not to marry
her, he is not allowed to sell her or use her in anyway. If he does marry her,
she is to be accorded full rights as any other married woman.]  | | " [The mazal]remains aloof from the body and is not affected by its distorted view of reality" | | |
The soul of man is made up of two general parts:
one that remains beyond and above the body and one that is enclothed within it.
The first aspect does not undergo the process of Divine concealment administered
to the second aspect. Thus it remains aloof from the body and is not affected by
its distorted view of reality. This part of the soul is called mazal, as
in the saying, "although he does not see it, his mazal sees it."
[The Talmud, in Megilla 3a, cites a verse from
Daniel 10:7: I, Daniel, alone saw the vision but the people that were with me
did not see it; yet a great fear fell upon them and they fled into hiding.
The Talmud identifies those who were with
Daniel as Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who, although prophets themselves,
were not on the level of Daniel and therefore could not see what he saw. The
Talmud then asks: If they did not see, why were they frightened? And the Talmud
answers: Though they did not see, their mazals did see. Ravina commented:
Learn from this that one who becomes frightened (for no apparent reason, it is
because) though he did not see it (the cause for his fear), his mazal did see
it. | | " The mazal guides the person through certain decisions, causing him to choose the path that will best serve his ultimate purpose" | | |
In other words, although a person is not consciously
aware of his mazal, he is affected by what the mazal experiences. Thus if
the mazal is afraid, the person will be afraid. If the mazal is
inspired, the person will suddenly and inexplicably feel inspired.* The mazal,
therefore, because of its superior vision, guides the person through certain
decisions, causing him to choose the path that will best serve his ultimate
purpose. See, for example, Likutei Sichot 30:223 fn. 24, cited in Yosef
Jacobson's essay "Souls on the Fringe," fn. 16]
*Thus the Baal Shem Tov explained the purpose of the
bas-kol, or "heavenly voice" that makes various declarations. But if
nobody hears them, what use are they? The answer: you may not hear it, but your
mazal does. See the Rebbe's commentary on Pirkei Avot (6:2).
It is called mazal, a word that can connote
"flowing," since the energy of the mazal flows to the aspect of the soul
that inhabits the body. | | " The aspect of the soul that inhabits the body is called a woman of beautiful appearance..." | | |
The mazal aspect of the soul is referred to as
yefat to'ar, "beautiful appearance." Beauty is produced by the coming
together of various elements. One color does not create beauty. It is the
convergence of various colors that creates beauty. Similarly, the mazal
receives its energy from a number of Divine elements and is therefore related to
the sefira of tiferet, which is the fusion of chesed
(kindness) and gevura (severity), as is known to those who know the
hidden wisdoms.
[The soul is therefore often referred to as Jacob, who
represents the fusion of Abraham and Isaac, kindness and severity.]
The aspect of the soul that inhabits the body is
called "a woman of beautiful appearance," meaning that it is the recipient of
the beauty of the higher aspect of the soul.
[In Kabbala, woman symbolizes reception, while
man symbolizes giving. (This is reflected in the process of procreation, wherein
the woman receives from the man.)]
Hence she is referred to as a woman in captivity,
since the lower aspect of the soul is, so to speak, held captive by the mental
and emotional chains of the bodily perspective.
So when a person "desires her"--he truly wishes to
free the imprisoned soul from its captivity, he must "shave her head" and "cut
her nails."
Extreme Filter
The Torah's attitude towards hair is seemingly
conflicted. The Nazir's hair is holy; the Levite in the desert had to
shave his hair. The beard and payot (the sideburns of a man's beard)
should not be touched; a woman's hair must be covered. The hair of the leper and
the "yefat to'ar" must be shaved; the hair of Samson was the source of
his strength.
In the supernal worlds as well we find this paradox.
The "hair" of Atika Kadisha is the source of life for all worlds.
[ Atik, "ancient," or "detached" refers to the
sphere that is beyond the order of creation. In Atik, the Zohar
says, "there is no left side"--it is beyond the source for concealment. The
"hairs of Atik," though, i.e., the energy of Atik extremely
filtered, serve as the source of creation. For creation can only come into being
through the concealment of the Divine.] | | " Hair represents extreme filtering of vitality, tzimtzum" | | |
The hair of nukva ( malchut), by
contrast, is a source of vitality for negative energies.
Hair represents extreme filtering of vitality,
tzimtzum. (A person therefore experiences no pain when his hair is cut.) The
energy found in the hair is the "surplus of the brain." Therefore, the source of
the hair or "surplus," will determine whether the hair is positive or negative.
Example: The Zohar (3:47b) cites the custom of
Rabbi Hamnuna the Elder, who would preface his teachings of wisdom with a
teaching of "shtut," foolishness. (Similarly, the Talmud, Shabbos
30b, tells of Rabba's custom to preface his lectures with a joke.)
Obviously, this does not mean literal foolishness, G-d forbid. Rather, this
refers to the "surplus" of his wisdom, which is compared to hair.
The "surplus" of the brain of a mystic, what is called
"foolishness" and a "joke," contains deep wisdom. As the Talmud
comments--on the verse in Psalms (1:3), regarding the righteous, its leaf does
not wither--"The mundane talk of scholars should be studied." (Sukka 21b)
Even the leaf of the righteous, which is subordinate to the main thing, the
fruit, is substantial and does not wither. Similarly, his "mundane" talk, which
is subordinate to his principal wisdom, is substantial and requires analysis.
Such surplus, or hair, can be compared to the hair of
Atik, which is only goodness.
On the other hand, the "brain surplus" of the average
person, his shtut, or joke or mundane talk does not contain any wisdom
and in fact distracts him from Divine consciousness.
Similarly, the "hair" of nukva, the extreme
filtering of malchut, which is the lowest sefira and is within the
order of creation, allows for the sustenance of negative forces. | | " The hair of the captive soul...refers to the scattering of the soul's energies...to worthless endeavors" | | |
Thus the hair of the Nazir (or the beard and
payot of any man), which derives its energy from Atika Kadisha, as
the Arizal writes in parashat Naso, should not be cut.
The hair of a woman, by contrast, which derives from
nukva of Atzilut, must be covered, since it can allow for the
sustenance of negative forces.
[The Tzemach Tzedek also compares hair to a parable.
The parable is an indirect expression of the principal wisdom and allows a
person of lower understanding to perceive the wisdom of a great sage, which
would otherwise be inaccessible. A metaphor given by a fool, or even one whose
wisdom is not profound, is empty words, since the idea can be conveyed
directly.]
On a personal level, the hair of the captive soul,
which must be shorn, refers to the scattering of the soul's energies--its mind
and heart--to worthless endeavors. This is the "surplus" of the soul, which must
be cut off in order for the soul to reconnect with its higher aspect, its
mazal.
A person must also cut off "the nails," i.e., the
surplus of the hand, which is called chesed. [The hand is used to do
kindness.] (As in the case of Abraham, who embodies chesed, the surplus of his
energies resulted in Yishmael.) When this is accomplished, the soul's energies
are redirected entirely through the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot and
it is freed from its captivity.
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