This Shabbat when we read Parasha Beha’alotecha, we’ll meet with a very famous and familiar verse that we sing every time we open the Hechal, “Vayhi Binsoa HaAron”- “And when the ark was traveling, Moses said: Rise, O Lord, and your enemies will be scattered, and those who hate you will flee from before you.”
The book of Samuel describes the practice of placing the ark ahead of the army during the war between Israel and Pelishtim. In the first battle of the war, the Pelishtim had defeated over four thousand Israeli soldiers. For the second battle, the elders of Israel decided to bring the ark of the covenant from Shiloh [ the place of the tabernacle at that time] and placed it in the battlefield in order to protect the Jewish army.
When the ark was brought to the camp, the people were sure that the presence of the ark would bring them victory. The Pelishtim also saw the presence of the ark as a decisive force against them and cried out in fear: “Woe to us! Who will save us from these mighty Gods?!”
Despite this, in the second round of battles, the Pelishtim won again when the loss in the Israeli camp was great- thirty thousand soldiers fell in battle and the Ark of the Covenant itself was taken captive by the Pelishtim.
This story is understandable, according to the verses mentioned above. From what the Torah says in this week’s parasha, it seems that the presence of the ark is supposed to save the people and lead Israel to victory over its enemies. But the book of Samuel tells us of a crushing defeat that was not prevented by the presence of the ark in battle.
Our Hakhamim learn from that an important principle that emerges from the combination of these two passages. The presence of the Ark in war is not a magical means that has the power to bring victory. The role of the ark in the war is that the army carrying it will be affected by the rules of the Torah. That the values of the Torah and the commandments will affect the soldier’s behavior. If the people are not affected by the Torah that is inside the ark – the ark is nothing more than pieces of wood coated with gold, and the tablets of the covenant are just two stones on which letters are engraved. The power of the Ark of the Covenant is the values that man draws from it – Torah, morality and good manners.
The Ark of the covenant that was taken to war as described in the book of Samuel did not affect the people. They continued to worship idols and were infected with indecency and social injustices. They asked to use the Ark as magical protection, and that is not what the Ark is intended for. The purpose of the Ark is to make a person ascend and correct his ways, and only then does the Ark bring victory in the war.
We do not have the Ark of the Covenant, but this discussion concerns us in our daily lives, for example, in relation to the permanent Mezuzah at the door of the house. Many perceive the Mezuzah as a tool of house protection, as a kind of insurance policy for preservation. This also has a source in our Sages literature. But it must be remembered that this is not the purpose of the Mezuzah, as the Rambam writes:
“It is not enough for them that they canceled the Mitzvah, but that they did a great Mitzvah which is the uniqueness of the name of the Holy One, blessed be He – as if it were a talisman of their own benefit…”
We place a Mezuzah at the entrance of the house to remember the content written in it: the uniqueness of God and his unity, the love of God and the fulfillment of the commandments. If we remember the contents of the Mezuzah, it indeed protects us from any harm. But if we treat the Mezuzah as an ‘amulet’ with magical power, the Mezuzah loses its virtue. The Torah and Mitzvot are not just magical tools for victory and success. They are designed to influence the person and raise him from the mire of materialism and egocentricity to lofty spiritual and moral peaks.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen