Deuteronomy 23:10 – The Jewish Camp

Moses in Deuteronomy 23 warns the Jewish army to “beware of every evil.” What is the evil they should avoid?

Now that I’ve clarified what verse I’m exploring, let’s read the verse:

Context of Deuteronomy 23:10

The first step to understanding a verse is to look at the surrounding verses.

Verses 23:10-15 contain rules for behavior in the Jewish army camp. Hence, our verse serves as the overview and introduction to the topic. [Daat Mikra]

But why is Moses teaching about the army camp?

Chizkuni looks back at previous verses. He concludes that this section is stated here because nearby verses (Deuteronomy 23:4-7) mentioned fighting against Midian.

Because the topic of war was mentioned, then Moses proceeds to explain how soldiers should behave at that time.

Deuteronomy 23:10 Explained

Now let’s look more at depth at our verse.

When a camp goes out – Ibn Ezra contrasts the army camp to the main camp of the Jewish people.

The army camp is composed of a small segment of the Jewish people going out to war. The Ark goes with them.

In the main camp there are barriers between the Ark and the nation. But here, the barriers aren’t as significant and the people are very close to the Ark. Therefore, the soldiers need to be more careful in their behavior.

against your enemies – Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, explaining the midrash Sifre on this verse, writes:

… the Torah assumes you will wage war only against those who have proven themselves to be enemies, from whose hostility you have suffered and whose further acts of hostility you must expect; hence, even if you attack them, you will only be defending yourself; this excludes any war of conquest…

Rabbi Hirsch makes a significant point. Many times an attack is an act of aggression. At other times, an attack can be an act of self defense.

you shall beware – Rashi notes the reason to beware is because the Satan accuses in time of danger.

This raises the question: Does the Satan only accuse in time of danger? To the contrary, Job was at home during a time of peace. Yet God listened to Satan’s accusation.

The Be’er Basadeh (a commentary on Rashi) explains that there is a difference between when a person is at home compared to when he is in danger. When he is at home he does not need to be so careful. However, while traveling or during war when the danger is greater, the Satan accuses and a person needs extra guarding.

of every evil – Ibn Ezra says this phrase means an evil involving the soul and the body, such as a nocturnal emission. That is the topic of verses 23:11-12.

Rabbi Steinsaltz adds: “In the military and in wartime people tend toward a spiritual and moral decline, leading to a breach of the standards of conduct. Therefore, observance of purity and holiness is critical.”

Sorotzkin – The Importance of Kosher Food

Rabbi Sorotzkin wonders why the verse cautions the Jewish soldiers to “beware of every evil.”

He writes that the army soldiers in war may run out of food. Then they are permitted to eat any food, even if it is usually forbidden or impure.

There is a principle that eating kosher food leads one to purity. But eating non-kosher food can strengthen a person’s evil nature (Hebrew: yetzer hara) and lead them to sin in many ways.

Rabbi S. Wagschal begins his book on Jewish dietary laws by explaining part of their purpose.

He points out that observing the dietary laws benefits the Jewish mind, body, and soul. It stands to reason, that eating food that is not permitted will have a negative effect.

Ramban – Sins to Avoid

Ramban in his commentary explains that the Jewish soldier is being warned that war is a time of great and numerous temptations.

Many people will falter during this time and perform acts of theft and violence without any embarrassment. They may also become involved in sexual sins. Even the most upright person, a person who by nature would not easily sin, may become cruel.

Therefore, the Torah warns the Jewish soldier to stay away from these sins in particular and, in general, from every action that the Torah forbids.

The Ramban quotes the midrash Sifre. The midrash explains that the Jewish army must avoid those sins that caused the Canaanites to be driven out of the Land of Israel: idolatry, adultery, and murder. If the Jewish army engages in them, then the Shechinah (Divine Presence) will be taken away from the Jewish camp.

The midrash makes one final point. In the Hebrew of verse 23:10 is the word “davar” (thing). The midrash links this to the verb form which means “speak.” From this the midrash explains that those in the army camp must avoid Lashon Hara, evil speech. This is talking which causes strife among people and can be even worse than the blows suffered at the hands of the enemies.

No Rapes = Racism?

The Torah is commanding the Jewish army to maintain high standards of morality.

I must caution that we should never expect the non-Jewish world to appreciate and applaud when such standards are maintained.

Here’s a case in point.

Starting back in 2007, a Hebrew University student published a paper accusing the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) of racism.

Why?

Because so few Jewish soldiers raped Arab women.

The accusation continues to be made as this article from June 20, 2024 details:

Haaretz sparked outrage online after a reporter [Naama Riba] tweeted, “IDF soldiers don’t rape Arab women due to racism.” …

Editor of the Hashiloach journal, Sagiv Barmak, responded to her: “Or maybe, just maybe, IDF soldiers don’t rape because they understand that rape is a horrific crime. Have you thought about that?”

I will close by adding my small blessing: May the soldiers of the IDF maintain the required levels of morality and ethical behavior and may God bring success to their efforts.