Parshat Shoftim
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

Parshas Shoftim features many of the mitzvos pertaining to Milchamah - war. Among these mitzvos is that of the Kohen Mashuach Milchamah - the "Kohen Anointed for War".

The Torah dictates (Devarim 20:3-4) that a special Kohen be anointed with Shemen Ha-Mishchah - Oil of Anointment (used to anoint new kings and Kohanim Gedolim - High Priests), and that the Kohen approach the soldiers at the onset of battle with an appeal not to be afraid, for Hashem will be with them. The Rambam (Hil. Melachim 7:2) also explains that this special Kohen proclaims the military exemptions for one who was just betrothed, planted a vineyard or built a house. Furthermore, the Kohen Mashuach Milchamah was required to deliver his words in Hebrew (Sefer Ha-Chinuch m. 526), and his anointment was done specifically for the purpose of addressing the troops (Rashi on 20:3).

Why was it necessary to have a Kohen address the troops? If his role was comparable to that of a modern-day military chaplain, whose job is to provide spiritual encouragement, why did the Torah not command to merely dispatch a talmid chochom (Torah scholar - rabbi)? Why does this special Kohen need to be anointed for this very brief occasion with Shemen Ha-Mishchah, normally reserved for kings and Kohanim Gedolim? Why does the Kohen need to speak specifically in Hebrew? Why does he make statements of encouragement while also proclaiming the military exemptions? Aren't these two messages unrelated?

The Rambam describes some of the more profane halachos of warfare (Hil. Melachim 8:1-3), including the outright permission of soldiers to consume non-kosher food when need be and to be intimate with heathen women ("Eishes Y'fas To'ar") in captivity. On the other hand, the Sefer Ha-Chinuch (m. 526) states that war waged by the Jewish kings was done to preserve Torah and for Godly, noble goals. The proclamation of divine assistance by the Kohen Mashuach Milchamah conforms to this notion.

With this seeming paradox in mind - that Milchamah can provide for base behavior while at the same time being a holy venture - one can answer the above questions. The true role of the Kohen Mashuach Milchamah is to address the raw, seemingly vulgar and overall secular nature of war and convert Milchamah into an operation of Torah and kedushah (holiness). Thus, the it is necessary for a Kohen - one whose existence must be pure and centered on Mikdash service - to encourage the troops, so as to demonstrate the sanctity of their mission. In fact, anointment with Shemen Ha-Mishchah for the sole purpose of wartime preparation designates this Kohen as unique so as to display the holy nature of proper Milchamah, just as anointment with Shemen Ha-Mishchah and other types of preparation for Avodah and holy status convey the concept of the kedushah about to be encountered. The same is true of the language, for the Holy Tongue must be utilized to express the message, as it a call to be holy and to engage in a Godly operation. The Kohen's words, which sancitify the Milchamah, are thus a holy pronouncement, and Loshon Kodesh (the Holy Tongue) needs to be used.

Why, however, does the Kohen verbalize both the military exemptions as well as words of encouragement? The Sefer Ha-Chinuch (ibid.) explains that those who qualify for exemptions are preoccupied with their personal domestic endeavors, and their participation in battle would be to the overall detriment of the military. Thus, in showing his committment to the Milchamah and its holy import, the Kohen is the one to proclaim the exemtions, pursuant to his endorsement of the war as an act for divine purposes. The proclamation of exemptions was part of an overall endorsement of the war as a religious act.

On a deeper level, the exemptions correspond to the profane, personal acts which the troops may perform. In order to advise the military that personal needs are legitimate and are not at odds with kedushah, the Kohen himself declares them as valid in a holy context. The idea was to prevent the troops from becoming religiously discouraged, should they engage in the acts of consumption or intimacy when permitted.

The underlying messsage is that one must always view his situation from a Torah viewpoint, realizing that profane, totally secular endeavors must be engaged in only when in an overall Torah context; at the same time, one need not feel that such endeavors are antithetical to Torah, so long as they are cleared with Torah leadership and are specifically-sanctioned components of a life of Avodah - Divine Service.

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