“Two Wars and the Calf in Between” — uncover why the Torah repeats כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה twice, and what it teaches us about Elul, seliḥot, and responsibility for one another.

he first appearance is in Shoftim:

כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וְרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב עַם רַב מִמְּךָ לֹא־תִירָא מֵהֶם כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ עִמָּךְ הַמַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. (דְּבָרִים כ׳:א׳)

Here the Torah speaks about a communal war — the entire nation arrayed against the enemy. The Kohen gives his powerful speech: “Do not fear, for Hashem is with you.”

The Malbim points out: this refers to a milchemet mitzvah — an obligatory war of defense or conquest, commanded by Hashem. Holy and necessary — but dangerous. War means bloodshed, and bloodshed can desensitize a people.

Which is why, immediately after this section, the Torah turns to eglah arufah.

Eglah Arufah: The Calf and Responsibility for Blood

The Torah describes:

כִּי־יִמָּצֵא חָלָל בָּאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ נֹפֵל בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא נוֹדַע מִי הִכָּהוּ… וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ אֶת־הַדָּם הַזֶּה וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ. (דְּבָרִים כ״א:א׳–ז׳)

A murdered body is found. The elders of the closest city must bring a calf, break its neck in a barren valley, and declare: “Our hands did not spill this blood, nor did our eyes see.”

The Gemara Sotah (46b) asks: Who would ever suspect the elders of being murderers? Chazal explain: They are not saying, “We didn’t kill him.” They are saying, “We did not abandon him. We did not let him leave our city without food, without escort, without dignity.”

The Kli Yakar writes: this is placed between two “wars” to remind us that even when blood is spilled on the battlefield, we must never cheapen life. If you become casual with life in war, you will eventually become casual at home.

The Midrash Tanchuma (Shoftim 15) emphasizes: leaders bear responsibility. Even indirect neglect is guilt. And the Zohar (Shoftim 277a) deepens the point: when blood is spilled without clarity, it is a sign of an unresolved inner war — the yetzer hara still raging inside.

The Torah shifts from the communal battlefield to the private struggle:

כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ וּנְתָנוֹ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּיָדֶךָ וְשָׁבִיתָ שִׁבְיוֹ. (דְּבָרִים כ״א:י׳)

The soldier sees a captive woman — the יְפַת תּוֹאַר — and desires her.

But the Torah does not stop there. It traces the spiritual fallout step by step:

1. יְפַת תּוֹאַר – passion and impulse.

2. אִשָּׁה שְׂנוּאָה – the woman once desired becomes a hated wife.

3. בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה – the next generation spirals into rebellion and destruction.