There are two ways of overcoming our evil inclination, our eternal worst enemy, either fending it off, or waging war against it. Our Parsha teaches us how to initiate warfare against it, liberating the kernel of good from within the husk of deceit. When we see the element of truth it holds, the myriad layers of half-truths all fall away and cease to exist.
When at war, although only those without spiritual blemish were chosento fight, there is a tendency to be more impressed with the physical than at other times. If one of them was attracted to a woman at that point, it might be because of her physical rather than her inner beauty. To ascertain this, he was put to the test of seeing her constantly in an unadorned normal state; if his attraction to her remained, it was a sign that she was rightfully saved, for there was a spark of holiness in her that wanted to be redeemed. However, the war is not over yet, for the bad habits she formed over the years have yet to be dealt with. When she conceives a child who inherited all the evil invested in her, she must join her husband in condemning it and chastising it; and if all is to no avail, the good in him must be separated before it gets contaminated by the bad and he is subjected to mercy-death.
By seperating men from women, wool from linen, different types of animals and plants from each other, the Torah creates boundaries that fence in each level of spirituality from the next, allowing them all to co-exist peacefully. When they get mixed, the lack of clarity that ensues serves as a breeding ground for the perversion of Truth. Any mingling of forces must be done carefully with foresight and for the express purpose of bringing the world to its perfection.
When our friend loses a spiritual acquisition, we must set him on the right path to finding it; when like a beast, he bucks his yoke, we must help him up get up again and again till he regains his spark of holiness. When a brother dies childless we must perpetuate his progeny. Things do not happen on their own. When a slave comes to you for refuge, he was sent; when produce was forgotten in the field it was preordained.
The world has a purpose, and anyone behaving in a haphazard fashion becomes an allie of Amalek, the great believer in chance. By judging carefully and clarifying issues, we can restore Heavenly order and elevate the world to its final fruition.
Based on Rabbi Vali's book on Dvarim. Questions and subscriptions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva