"When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands, and you take captives" (Deuteronomy 21:10). How can it be that at the beginning of the phrase, the Torah refers to "your enemies," in the plural, while at the end it says "delivers them," in the singular? Every aspect of the Torah teaches us something. The source of the word Torah is the word "horaah," which means teaching. Even the smallest details hold a lesson for our daily lives.
Just as there is a war of conquest between different peoples, there is a personal war in which the Jew is a protagonist. This war is fought on two fronts: the physical aspect of existence, and the spiritual aspect.
Through a deep analysis of the words of the cited verse, we will be able to understand what war it refers to and how we should proceed in the fight on both sides to achieve victory.
""When you go out to war"". The Torah promises us that simply going to war is enough. In other words, by merely displaying a defiant and confident attitude, victory is assured.
""against"". The literal translation of the word "al" (which is the one that appears in the original Hebrew text) is "upon." Although in this context its meaning is "against," the fact that the word has another meaning indicates that there is a hidden concept behind this word.
""Being above your enemies" means that the way to go to war is with the attitude of being "above" your enemies. This attitude is achieved through meditation, when one considers that it is God who fights alongside them.
""your enemies"". The word "enemies" in the plural indicates two types of enemies. This refers to the enemies of the Jewish people who threaten their physical existence, and to the enemies who threaten their spiritual existence.
Similarly, we find two examples of this concept in Jewish history. At the time of Purim, the Persian kingdom was against the physical existence of the Jewish people, while at the time of Hanukkah, Greek rule was only against the sanctity of the Jewish people, their spiritual existence.
The continuity of the Jewish people is not based solely on the physical aspect, that those who call themselves Jews, or even those who are called Jews, continue to exist, but it depends (primarily) on the spiritual aspect of Judaism.
""and I handed it over to you"". These words are written in the singular. From a deeper perspective, the source of the enemies of the Jewish people, both physical and spiritual, is the same. The Talmud (Bava Batra 16a) states that the yetzer hara (the evil inclination within each person, the Jew's spiritual enemy) is the angel of death itself (the physical enemy of the Jewish people).
In simpler terms, the source of the Jewish people's suffering is one, though it is divided into physical and spiritual suffering. With our "going to war" attitude, we have the capacity to overcome both of these enemies.
""God, your God, in your hands"". The concept of surrender into the hands indicates a complete surrender, an absolute surrender of the power of the enemies into the hands of the Jewish people.
""and take captives"". Hasidic teachings tell us that the concept of a captive refers to the Divine life force that descended into impurity through actions that transgress the Divine Will.
Every action carries within it Divine energy. When our actions are in accordance with the Divine Will, the power contained in each act is elevated to holiness. Conversely, when our actions are contrary to the Divine Will, the energy contained within them is submerged and "trapped" in impurity, causing the captivity of this Divine vitality.
When the Jew prepares to go to war, that is, when his attitude towards life is to overcome all His enemies—both those external who want him to cease to exist, and those internal who want him to stop expressing himself as a Jew and do everything possible to force him to live a life like the rest of the non-Jews—the Torah promises him that he will triumph, that he will be "above" his enemies. And not only will he triumph, but he will be able to recover all the energy he once invested in wrongdoings.
The only requirement for this method to work is "ki tetzé," "when you go out." Each of us must take the initiative to "go out" to fight our enemies and, as the Torah promises, "and may God, your God, deliver it into your hands.".
Extracted from Likutei Sijot, vol. 2 p. 697