It is interesting to note that the first verse of the Parsha starts out by mentioning our enemies in the plural and ends in the singular form. In truth, we have only one enemy, but he wears many disguises. He appears at the end of the Parsha in his most obvious physical expression, Amalek, but all the Mitzvahs mentioned in th Parsha are geared towards preventing him from influencing us negatively.
Hashem created an extremely complex, yet orderly world. Everything about it was good, even the element of evil that He created to be overcome. When Adam ate of the fruit of the "Tree of Knowledge, Good and Bad", he mixed the evil so thoroughly into the fabric of creation that thousands of years have passed and we still haven't sifted it out. The Torah is a handbook that guides us through life and teaches us how to separate the chaff from the wheat, the sparks of Holiness out of the deep recesses of profanity.
Many, many valuable pieces of advice are sprinkled throughout the Parsha, guiding us through the labyrinth of lies we live in, leading us back to the essential truths we all know and tend to ignore. One of them is the Mitzvah of "Shiluach Haken". This subject is discussed at length in Tikkunei Zohar, but one aspect of it will be mentioned here.
It states in the Torah: When one chances upon a mother bird nesting on her young in an unowned place, one may not take the unhatched eggs or the fledgling birds until the mother is sent away. At first glance this seems to be a very 'kind' Mitzvah, until we ask ourselves, why not just leave the whole nest alone? Why must we send away the mother bird? When we realize the significance of this small action, this Mitzvah will take on a completely different dimension.
The unhatched eggs represent Jews in their most lowly spiritual state. No form, no head, just raw potential. The fledglings, however, represent them in a more developed state, yet still unproductive: they cannot fly. Hence, as long as the Holy Shechina, the Divine presence, nests on them, feeding and protecting them, they will remain complacent in their utter dependence. They are literally sitting ducks, waiting to be taken to slaughter.
Although it is true that while the Shechina is with them they are safe, holiness can be chased away easily, leaving them vulnerable and unprotected. The nature of birds is to grow, but humans must be extorted to change otherwise they stagnate. This Mitzvah, like all the others, calls to us: GROW!
Adapted from Rabbi Vali's book on Dvarim. Questions and subscriptions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva