Parshas Ki Savo - The Three Lively Hallows: Reign in the Rain Versus Formation Skydiving

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Ki Savo

The Three Lively Hallows:

Reign in the Rain Versus Formation Skydiving

By: Daniel Listhaus

יִפְתַּח ה' לְךָ אֶת אוֹצָרוֹ הַטּוֹב אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם לָתֵת מְטַר אַרְצְךָ בְּעִתּוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ אֵת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶךָ וְהִלְוִיתָ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא תִלְוֶה

“Hashem shall open for you His storehouse of goodness, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in its time, and to bless all your handiwork; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”

-Ki Savo 28:12

            Immediately after the Torah lists the curses of those who violate various mitzvos, the Torah writes about the goodness that comes when we in fact listen to the word of Hashem and follow His commandments.[1] The passuk describes that one of the rewards we receive from listening to Hashem is that Hashem will open His storehouse and allow it to rain. The Torah here is clearly communicating the connection between the world of ruchniyus (spirituality) and gashmiyus (material). The fact that there are physical ramifications based on whether we listen to Hashem or not, is no doubt a promise that only Hashem Himself could guarantee.

            The Gemara[2] quotes Rabbi Yochanan as saying that there are three keys which Hashem has kept in His own hands and has not entrusted to any messenger:[3] the Key of Rain, the Key of Childbirth, and the Key of techiyas ha'meisim (the Revival of the Dead). The mishna[4] says that we mention the power of rain in the second beracha of shemoneh esreh – the beracha known as 'gevuros' (G-d's might). It is no coincidence that the other two main topics we mention in this beracha are the facts that Hashem is the One Who sustains life and Who is able to revive the dead. We refer to Hashem as gibbur (strong) because of His power to sustain life, control rain, and revive the dead.

            What is the connection between these three powers of Hashem? And why is rain different than other areas of nature in that it comes only during times when we are following the word of Hashem?

            The Gemara vaguely explains that the reason the power of rain is mentioned specifically in this beracha is because it is equivalent to resurrecting the dead. The meforshim (commentaries) explain that the common denominator between the three keys of reviving the dead, childbirth, and rain is that they all provide life. However, even with this commonality, if one were asked to design a logo representing the power of Hashem, certainly of these three things one would choose to depict an image representing techiyas ha'meisim. After all, revival of the dead is something completely out of this world! It is something beyond comprehension and any scientific explanation. Childbirth may be a close second-place but leaving aside the miraculous aspects of childbirth, starting with where the neshama (soul) comes into the picture if it is external to DNA,  most of the process is understandable and predictable. Rain seems by far the “easiest” feat for Hashem to do. Rain is just so normal and happens so often that it almost seems ridiculous to associate this with Hashem being a “gibbur”. So is there perhaps a deeper understanding in the connection of these three keys which we use to define Hashem as the ultimate gibbur?

            Additionally, the mishna[5] states, “Who is strong (gibbur)? One who conquers his personal inclination”. Is there a connection between why we refer to Hashem as the ultimate gibbur and what the mishna states defines a person as a gibbur?

            There is no question that skydiving is quite a thrilling sport. However, those who just do not get excited enough while free falling through the air and remain clear-headed and bored, often enjoy to go skydiving in groups and do what is called formation skydiving. A group of people jumping out of a plane right after another will be falling pretty close to each other and could easily collide. The game is to instead turn in different ways in the air to direct yourself and catch up to the rest of the group and then hold hands or grips on the skydiving suits to form various mid-air formations. Although the risks of this sport are obvious to all, when it comes to “sky diving” raindrops, it is a completely different story. The medrash[6] relates that Hashem appoints a malach over each and every drop of rain. Despite the fact that the drops fall a great distance from very high up, the drops never attach to each other. Rather each and every droplet of rain is controlled by a specific ratzon (will) of Hashem to serve a unique purpose in the exact location it falls in. There is not even one drop of rain that falls without a specific instruction and intention from Hashem.

            This is precisely the common denominator between the three keys. All three represent the fact that all of life is dependent on nothing other than Hashem Himself. In order for anything to exist at any given point it has to be connected to Hashem's ratzon to exist – for Hashem is the only source of life, as He is Life itself. These three keys demonstrate this point that Hashem is the ultimate gibbur on Whom everything else is dependent. He intentionally sustains us by willing us to be in this world, and could bring a person back even after death, as well as is the source of life for every aspect of all His creations. Everything is here for a purpose and everything is here only because of Hashem's ratzon.

            With this understanding, we could perhaps better appreciate the connection in this week's parsha between the spiritual realm and the physical world. If we listen to Hashem and keep His mitzvos, we become attached to Hashem Himself and He in turn showers us back with life. Indeed the Torah and mitzvos are our life as we say every night during ma'ariv,[7] “...For they [the Torah and mitzvos] are our life and the length of our days and about them we will contemplate day and night....” Our task is to keep the Torah and mitzvos, conquer our yetzer harrah (evil inclination) and become a gibbur. In turn, Hashem deals with us as a gibbur and allows us to attach ourselves to Him.

            As we head into the second half of the month of Ellul and get closer to Rosh Hashanah we must start thinking about the fact that Hashem is the Melech (King) over the entire world. Not merely a Ruler Who has subjects that must listen because they live within His land, but a King whose people must obey because they exist only through His will. We must utilize our bechira (free choice) to want to become gibborim and choose life as the passuk[8] says, “u'v'charta b'chayim” - and you should choose life.

            With this in mind may we merit to achieve what we ask Hashem for in Shemoneh Esreh during the eseres y'mei teshuvah (10 days of repentance from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur) – “zachreinu l'chayim melech chafetz ba'chayim, v'chas'veinu b'sefer ha'chayim, l'mancha Elokim chaim” - Remember us for life, O King Who desires life, and inscribes us in the Book of Life – for your sake, O Living G-d.

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[1]    This is then followed by the main part of the tochacha, which describes the horrors that will come if we do not listen to the mitzvos.

[2]    Ta'anis 2a

[3]    The rishonim ask that we see in tanach that there were indeed people who who seem to have had control over one or more of these 'keys'. See Rashi there who learns that Hashem never gave over all three keys at the same time to one person. Tosfos maintain that the Gemara means that although Hashem has granted some people control over these keys, He never gave a key indefinitely. Others learn that Hashem never gave more than one key to the same person at the same time.

[4]    Berachos 33a (Mishnayos Berachos 5:2)

[5]    Avos 4:1

[6]    Devarim Rabbah 7:6

[7]    Evening Prayer

[8]    Devarim 30:19

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Parshas Ki Savo - Stop, Drop, and “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...”

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~

Parshas Ki Savo

Stop, Drop, and “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...”

By: Daniel Listhaus

וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הֹ' אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ: וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תָּבִיא מֵאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר הֹ' אֱלֹקיךָ   לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם

“It will be when you enter the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it, and dwell in it, that you shall take the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in from your land that Hashem, your G-d gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that Hashem, your G-d, will choose, to make His Name rest there.”

-Ki Savo 26:1-2

            The parsha starts off with a rather unusual process. After dwelling in Eretz Yisroel, one must bring his bikkurim (first fruits) to the kohen. The Torah[1] relates that each person comes before the kohen and says, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us.” The kohen then places the basket of bikkurim before the mizbeach Hashem (altar of Hashem) and the individual then continues with a whole Gettysburg address:

“An Aramaean[2] would have destroyed my father, and he descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation – great, strong, and numerous. The Egyptians mistreated and afflicted us, and placed hard work upon us. Then we cried out to Hashem, the G-d of our forefathers, and Hashem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our travails, and our oppression. Hashem took us out of Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awesomeness, and with signs and with wonders. He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold! I have brought the first fruit of the ground that you have given me, Hashem!”[3]

            There are a couple of intriguing aspects to this procedure. First, these passukim (verses) sound like something that should be part of the Pesach seder[4], not something that should be said when bringing first fruits to the kohen. What is the connection between the bringing of the new fruits and recalling a history of all that Hashem has done for us?

            Furthermore, why does the kohen have to suffer through this so many times just to get a basket of fruit? Let each man say it for himself in his field when he is gathering the fruits into the basket. Why does this speech have to be said in front of someone else?

            Perhaps we could come to better understand all of this if we recognize a common fault in human nature. As humans, we are susceptible to fall victim to what is called Hindsight Bias. The concept of Hindsight Bias is the idea that there is a tendency for humans to view a known outcome as having been the most probable outcome since the onset. In other words, people often look back at a series of events and see the order and cause-and-effect relationship which exists between past events, and subsequently think about how predictable the outcome was all along. In 1975, Baruch Fischoff set off to demonstrate this idea with the following study. Fischoff gathered a group of students and provided a historical case which they were unaware of. Some of these groups he told what the real historical outcomes were, while others he did not. For example, he told them about the Anglo-Nepalese War - a fight which took place in the early 1800's between the British and the Gurkhas. He then gave them a few choices of possible outcomes and asked them what they thought was the consequence of that particular war. The results he found were that most of those to whom he had told the real outcome, said that they would have indeed assumed that to be the most likely outcome. However, those who he had not told did not guess the real outcome any more than any of the other choices.

            We live in a world of cause-and-effect; the actions we do seem to create real consequences. Imagine the following: You invest a tremendous effort going through school, go through the strains of finding a job, finally get a job, and work hard. Then, your first pay-check comes and you hold it up high, saying, “Yeah! Now I could go spend some of the money that I made!” One could get so caught up thinking that since he had to work hard to see the desired consequence, he must have been in control from the onset. The Torah[5] though warns against this reasoning, as it says, “...And your heart will grow haughty and you will forget Hashem your G-d... and you will say in your heart: My power and the might of my hand have wrought this wealth for me. Then you shall remember Hashem your G-d, for it is He who gives you the strength to amass wealth....” We cannot allow ourselves to be swallowed by this haughtiness. Rather, we must stop and think about the fact that it is not really us who causes things to happen, it is really all through the yad Hashem (hand of Hashem).

            We often get stuck in this aspect of the Hindsight Bias in that we could look back at events which really only occurred because Hashem worked them out for us. Yet, we fail to see Hashem as part of our lives and instead attribute the past to the most probable series of outcomes.

            There is a story told about an atheist who was late to an important appointment. Upon reaching the parking lot to the office complex, he noticed that all the parking spaces were full. In desperation, he said, “Please G-d let there be an extra space for me so I could make it in time for my meeting.” At that moment, a car pulled out of a space right in front. The man pulled into the spot and finished his first and last prayer saying, “Never mind, I found one.”

            A person who does not want to recognize Hashem as part of his life will indeed never see Him. However, it is our job to realize that Hashem is not merely the borei (creator) of the world, but also the manhig (director).[6] Hashem plays a personal role in each of our lives, and it is our job to acknowledge this. Thinking otherwise constitutes a misuse of the middah (trait) of gaivah (haughtiness) and is comparable to worshiping ourselves, instead of Hashem. This is why a ba'al gaivah is considered to be doing avodah zarah[7].

            Perhaps this is exactly the purpose of the long monologue the Torah commands us to say when we bring bikkurim. We enter into Eretz Yisroel, fight battles, and work hard on our land. When we finally get to the point of benefiting from the fruits of our labor, there are two approaches we could take. One perspective is to look back with a false sense of hindsight and say how everything that occurred was in fact the most probable outcome to have happened. However, this approach is full of sheker (falseness). Instead, the view we must adopt is one of realizing Hashem's integral role in our everyday lives. Each person must take his first fruits and stop to think, “How did I get to this point of being able to benefit from my fruits?” We must go back and remind ourselves how it was all through the guidance of Hashem which got us to where we now stand.[8]

            This is the first step. Stop and think who it really is controlling the world as a whole, and each and every person's individual life. However, as we see from the parsha of bikkurim, to just stop and think is not enough, we must actually verbalize our thoughts and say it to the kohen. Why is this necessary?

            Rashi[9] comments that when the Torah commands each person to say the aforementioned speech to the kohen, the reason for it is to show that you are not unappreciative. This Rashi is pretty vague but is based on a Sifrei[10] that the reason we must actually say this speech in front of an individual, is because that is the only real way to express appreciation. The Hebrew word for 'thanks' is hoda'ah,which is also the same word for 'admit'[11]. This is not a coincidence. When one thanks someone else, one is essentially admitting that he needed their help and depended on them. Therefore, a true expression of thanks only comes by humbling oneself – by admitting his feelings to another person. Therefore, upon bringing the bikkurim, in order to demonstrate that the feeling of appreciation to Hashem is real, each person must speak out his thanks to Hashem's representative, the kohen.[12]

            This concept that a true hoda'ah must be done verbally, is something that used to be relevant on a daily basis. Before the mass-production of siddurim, the role of the chazzan was slightly different than it is now. Members of a shul would listen carefully to every word the chazzan recited, and it would be as if he had said the tefillos himself. This works through the principle of shome'ah k'oneh (hearing is like answering). This principle allows one to listen and have in mind to be yotzei (fulfill one's obligation) with someone else doing so. However, despite the many areas we use this rule, when it comes to the paragraph of modim (“we thank you...”) in shemoneh esreh, it is not enough for one to merely listen to the words of the chazzan. Instead, each and every individual must recite his own personal modim.

            This is the lesson of the parsha – we must take a moment to stop, and drop any illusions that we may have that we are actually in control of our lives and determine the outcomes of our actions. Then, it is time to roll out the script and verbalize an admittance of thanks to Hashem, because, as Rashi says, that is the only way to really show that you have an appreciation for all that He does for you.

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[1]    Devarim 26:3

[2]    The mainstream understanding follows Rashi's opinion (26:5) that this refers to Lavan. See Rashbam there who holds it refers to Avraham's father Terach.

[3]    Devarim 26:5-10

[4]    Which they are (in the Maggid section).

[5]    Devarim 8:14-18

[6]    See the thirteenth Ani Ma'amin (Thirteen Principles of Faith).

[7]    Orchos Tzadikkim: Sha'ar HaGaivah

[8]    See also Sifsei Chachomim (Devarim 26:3)

[9]    Devarim 26:3

[10]  Sifrei 299-301

[11]  This is why Jews are called “Yehudim” (which comes from the same root: hoda'ah) because it is our job to constantly recognize, thank, and admit to our dependency on Hashem. In fact, our day starts with this theme every morning, as we say, “Modeh ani l'fanecha” - “I give thanks/admit before you...”.

[12]  Chizkuni (Devarim 26:4) 

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Parshas Ki Seitzei - Hangman, Shovels, and Fingers in Your Ears

Parshas Ki Seitzei

Hangman, Shovels, and Fingers in Your Ears

Kavod Ha'adom vs. Kavod Hashem:

Same Difference

By: Daniel Listhaus

וְכִי יִהְיֶה בְאִישׁ חֵטְא מִשְׁפַּט מָוֶת וְהוּמָת וְתָלִיתָ אֹתוֹ עַל עֵץ: לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ כִּי קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי קִלְלַת אֱ־לֹקים תָּלוּי וְלֹא תְטַמֵּא אֶת אַדְמָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱ-לֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה

“If a man will have committed a sin whose judgment is death and he shall be put to death, and you shall hang him on a wooden beam. His body shall not remain for the night on the wooden beam, rather you shall surely bury him on that day, for a hanging person is an insult of Hashem...”

-Ki Seitzei 21:22-23

Rashi¹ comments that we do not leave the body hanging because man is made in the image of Hashem, and the Jews are His sons. Therefore, to leave a body hanging would be deemed a degradation of the King. Rashi continues and gives the following moshol (parable): There were two identical twin brothers. One became a king, while the other became involved in thievery and was hung. Whoever would see him hanging would exclaim, “The king is hanging!”

There are a couple of questions on this Rashi which beg to be asked. Granted, man was created with the image of Hashem and we are His children. However, at the end of the day, this guy did an aveirah (sin) deserving of death². Last week's parsha stated many times that we should show no mercy to those deserving of punishment for not following the laws of the Torah³. Why is it then that when it comes to keeping the man hanging, the Torah suddenly seems to show mercy for his corpse? Furthermore, if we take everything this Rashi says literally, then this whole concept seems difficult to understand. Is it really true that if one will see a man hanging that he will say about it that Hashem is hanging? Certainly not! So what exactly is going on here? What is the underlying reason behind why we do not leave the man hanging? And how could we understand Rashi's concern of people immediately associating man with Hashem?

Later on in the parsha, the passukim (verses) resume dealing with the halachos (laws) of going out to battle. The passuk⁴ tells us that in addition to a soldier's weaponry, there is an obligation upon each soldier who goes out to battle to carry a shovel. The reason for this, as the Torah itself tells us, is in order to be able to use it to dig a hole and cover one's excrement.

Let us think for a moment about this strange mitzva. It does not take a military expert to comprehend that when going to battle one must only pack the essentials. A gun⁵ is a good idea. A canteen of water is a good idea. A heavy solid-metal shovel is not a bad idea... it is a TERRIBLE idea! Why tire out an entire army by making each soldier carry such an instrument?⁶

Furthermore, the Gemara⁷ learns out a limud from this passuk. The passuk⁸ says, “There should be a spade among your weaponry”. The Hebrew word for “your weaponry” is “a'zei'ne'cha” which is very similar to the word for “your ears” - “a'za'ne'cha”. With this, the Gemara goes on to say a halacha; that we learn from here that if someone is about to hear something which is not nice [such as lashon harah or nivul peh], one should put his fingers – which are shaped as spades – into his ears.⁹

There is obviously a connection between this halacha and the halacha that each soldier must carry a spade into battle, based on the similarity of words. This alone would certainly allow chazal to make their limud.¹⁰ However, is there perhaps a deeper connection linking these seemingly very different halachos together?

Perhaps there is a common denominator between the hanging man, digging excrement, and listening to evil speech. Let us start our analysis with the shovel one is required to carry during battle. From the fact that the Torah demands that it be part of the weaponry, it must be because it is just as important as the weaponry. We could try to understand this based on the following. We know that there are two elements to everything we do: our hishtadlus – the effort we put in, and siyata d'shmaya – aid from Hashem. Certainly the weaponry we bring with us to battle is the hishtadlus we put in. The shovel, on the other hand, is our symbol for siyata d'shmaya. The halacha¹¹ is that it is assur (forbidden) to daven in front of excrement, since it is unfitting for Hashem to come to such a place. Since it is through tefillah (prayers) that we ask for siyata d'shmaya, a spade or shovel is certainly a necessity in order to be able to utilize our real weapon - davening.¹² Looking at this in a broader sense, another way of presenting this idea is that in order to create an environment of “v'haya machane'cha kadosh”¹³ – to keep the camp holy – a milieu of kavod ha'briyos (respect of creations [i.e. humans]) is needed as a prerequisite to an atmosphere worthy of kavod Hashem (honor/respect of Hashem).

Perhaps this is the underlying theme behind the hanging man, digging excrement, and listening to evil speech. All three are commandments guarding the basics of kavod ha'adom (respect of mankind). It is forbidden to say or listen to lashon harah because it is fundamentally disregarding others. Forgetting to exercise kavod ha'adom during battle has a direct positive correlation with not showing kavod Hashem. Therefore, the shechina will not fight alongside the hishtadlus of the army. The same is true when it comes to the death penalty. If the Torah demands the death of an individual, it is certainly mandatory to do so, and, as the Torah says, with showing no mercy. However, when it comes to leaving the corpse hanging for longer than necessary - a most degrading thing, Hashem says things have gone too far. As Rashi¹⁴ states, “Leaving the corpse hanging is a degradation to the King, for man is made in the likeness of His image”. Not showing proper kavod ha'adom automatically means not recognizing proper kavod Hashem.

Respect for humans is something so basic and so necessary, it is required to be rehearsed during the hardest of times, such as war, and even at times when the person being degraded is hanging due to his sins Without a basic understanding of chashivus ha'adom (greatness of man), Hashem will not come to our help in battle and, as in the case where a person is treated improperly – whether alive or dead, will feel degraded Himself – so to speak.¹⁵

Why is this so? Why is it that kavod ha'adom and kavod Hashem are so closely interconnected?

The Alter of Slabodka¹⁶ writes that the passuk¹⁷ in Bereishis tells us that Hashem created man in His image and His likeness. Hashem created man as his own miniature world.¹⁸ Just as the world has a King – Hashem, so too each of our own little worlds has a king – the neshama which Hashem breathed into us. The neshama, which connects every person with Hashem, is so precious that when man was created, the melachim (angels) wanted to sing praises.¹⁹ Within each and every person is an incredible amount of potential waiting to be tapped into.²⁰ The neshama comes from a limitless place and is ready and waiting to achieve tremendous heights.²¹ This aspect of man, which is directly connected to kavod Hashem, demands a level of kavod ha'adom.

The Gemara²² relates the famous story of a man who came to Hillel and asked him to teach him the whole Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel responded, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah while the rest is commentary; go and learn it.” Hashem, and His Torah, is the source for all kavod. Yet, man resembles Hashem and therefore, kavod ha'adom and kavod Hashem overlap on many fronts. This is perhaps why the Gemara²³ has a whole discussion as to which laws we would push away if they would conflict with kavod habriyos. At one point the Gemara even suggests that kavod habriyos should be docheh (supersedes [literally: push away]) a lo sa'aseh (negative commandment)! This is not because kavod habriyos is better than the Torah, rather because it is the Torah and is kavod Hashem.²⁴ When one honors his fellow man (for the proper reasons), he is in essence honoring Hashem. It is based on this that Rabbi Akiva taught²⁵, “v'ahavta l'rei'acha ka'mocha zeh k'lal gadol ba'torah – You shall love your fellow as yourself. This is a great rule in the Torah.”

Anything that goes contrary to the axiom of “v'ahavta l'rei'acha ka'mocha” - the basic principle of loving one's friends as one loves oneself - is by definition against the Torah. It disregards kavod ha'adom and therefore, by definition, kavod Hashem as well. This is why we cannot leave the corpse hanging, must carry a shovel into battle, and are required to stick our fingers in our ears when we are at risk of hearing lashon harah.

An even more basic element contained in v'ahavta l'rei'acha ka'mocha is that each of us has an obligation to love ourselves.²⁶ Only once we respect ourselves for being created in the image of Hashem, realizing our own potential and what we are capable of, could we be prepared to respect others. And only once we have an appreciation for others, could we be ready to fully honor Hashem.

1Devarim 21:23

2See Rashi 21:22 who writes that all those who get put to death through s'kilah (stoning) are hanged afterward. Keep in mind that getting put to death by Beis Din (Jewish courts) means that one is guilty without a shadow of a doubt. There is a whole process required in order to actually prove someone deserving of the death penalty. For example, the person has to have been warned, and the two people who witnessed him doing the action despite his warning go through a strenuous cross examination by Beis Din to verify that their stories match. The Mishna in Makkos (7a) states that because of this process, a Beis Din that killed more than one man every seventy years was known as a “bloody Beis Din”.

3For examples see: Devarim 18:22, Devarim 19:13, and Devarim 19:21,

4Devarim 23:14

5They probably had more swords, spears, and bows and arrows than guns, but that is beside the point.

6The seriousness of the commandment that each solider must carry a shovel, could be seen quite clearly because Rashi explains the passuk to mean, “Take the shovel besides the other implements you use”. The Be'er B'sadeh comments that Rashi uses the word besides instead of in addition to in order to bring out the following point: Even though the solider has other instruments with him which could perhaps be used to dig holes in the ground as well, still, do not rely on those tools because sometimes in battle the ground will be hard and one may choose not to put so much pressure on his weapons and will therefore not make a deep enough hole to fully cover his excrement. We therefore see how extreme and serious the Torah is when it comes to this mitzva.

7Kesuvos 5a-5b

8Devarim 23:14

9See also Sefer Chasidim 72. Another observation that is made is that the earlobe is soft and could be bent in to block one's hearing when in danger of hearing lashon harah.

10See Maharsha in Kesuvos 5b who writes that the limud links this passuk with the one a few passukim earlier (Devarim 23:10) which could be read as “guard yourself from any bad speech” [as if written dibbur (speech) instead of davar (thing)]

11Shulchan Aruch Ohr HaChayim Siman 79

12As we say in Tehillim 20:8 “...Some with chariots and some with horses, but we in the Name of Hashem our G-d call out.”

13Devarim 23:15

14Devarim 21:23

15See S'forno Devarim 21:23

16Ohr HaTzafun Cheilek Alef: “D'mus Ha'adom”

17Bereishis 2:26

18See commentaries on Koheles 9:14 as well as Orchos Tzadikkim: Sha'ar Yiras Shamayim

19Bereishis Rabbah 8

20As a related side point, see Tosfos 'Eid Echad...' in Gittin 2b who ask: How could we trust someone who does not know hilchos sh'chitah, such as a woman, to say that something was slaughtered properly? Tosfos answer that because it is in her capability to learn the halachos and within her ability to hire someone else to do it, it is considered like it is “b'yadah” (literally - “in her hands”) - as if she could do it - to be believed as an eid echad even though ischazek issura.

21See Orchos Tzadikkim Sha'ar Yiras Shamayim who suggests that this is the cause for people to want more and more. The neshama is always pushing us to go further. However, depending on the amount control we have over our guf (body) will determine which direction it pushes us in.

22Shabbos 31a

23Berachos 19b

24And even according to the end of the Gemara that kavod habriyos is only docheh a de'rabannan b'kum ve'asheh and de'oraisah only by a shev ve'al ta'aseh, we only come to that conclusion by learning it from a passuk, which the Gemara explains is coming to teach that if there would be a chilul Hashem, we do whatever we must to stop it. But this further agrees with our point. Kavod habriyos and kavod Hashem are the same. So in cases where doing kavod habriyos may cause chilul Hashem, then obviously that would not fall under the category of kavod habriyos.

25Toras Kohanim and Rashi on Vayikra 19:18

26This is obvious because how could we love others as we do ourselves, if we do not love ourselves.

Photo Credit: https://www.midwestrake.com/products/tools-by-family/shovels-digging-scoops/northstar-utility-shovels/, http://www.talkingtails.net/SpeechHangman.php, and https://www.google.com/search?q=fingers+in+ears+cartoon&safe=active&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=TAcKVOiTLI_gsASFrYKQAw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=avv01Iu6mXGN5M%253A%3BMwxFGRkRtcXbwM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthumb7.shutterstock.com%252Fthumb_small%252F52861%252F118900015%252Fstock-photo-couple-argue-fight-woman-point-finger-man-covers-ears-to-not-listen-118900015.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.shutterstock.com%252Fpic-132872393%252Fstock-vector-business-man-and-woman-fight-argue-talk-about-disagreement.html%3B110%3B100