Chonen Daas - Parsha

בס"ד

Parshas Shoftim 5786

There Are No Atheists in a Foxhole

“He shall say to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, you are coming today to battle against your enemies; let your heart not be faint; do not be afraid, do not panic, and do not be broken before them.’” (Devarim 20:3)

The Mishnah in Sotah (42a) breaks down this biblical charge into specific battlefield terrors:

Let not your heart be faint: at the neighing of horses and the brandishing of swords.
Do not be afraid: at the crashing of shields and the tramp of soldiers’ boots.
Do not panic: at the blare of their trumpets.
And do not be broken: by the roar of their battle cries.

Why does the Torah go into such vivid detail? Because, as the next verse concludes: “For Hashem your God is the One Who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” (20:4)

Hidden Danger in Daily Life

Would you classify a plane flight, a drive in the car, an elevator ride, a swim in the ocean, or even a hike in the mountains as life-threatening? Even stepping onto a simple stepladder carries inherent risk. Yet, rarely do we pause to contemplate how close danger always looms, or realize that it is solely Hashem’s continuous Divine Providence (hashgachah pratit) that protects us at every moment.

It often takes the stark, unfiltered imagery of warfare to shake us out of our apathy and awaken true awareness.

A Soldier’s Realization: Rodger Tutt, a World War II veteran, reflected on the question of faith in extreme danger. Trapped at the bottom of a deep crevasse—dehydrated, alone, and with a broken leg—he recalled:

“At first I was totally convinced I was on my own... I had stopped believing in God many years before. Until I was faced with death, it never once occurred to me what it really meant to die. And by contemplating my death I understood how much I wanted to live. I began to pray fervently, begging God to save my life, and I immediately felt calmer, knowing that I had appealed to the most powerful force possible.”

He was rescued shortly thereafter.

The Spiritual Battlefield Within

If physical war exposes our vulnerability, what about our spiritual life? Is resisting the continuous temptations of the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) any less a struggle of life and death? Are we not engaged in a daily, high-stakes battle to safeguard our souls?

War is a visceral teacher because it gives us a taste of pure, unadulterated fear, forcing us to value life by bringing us face-to-face with mortality. The Chafetz Chaim notes that Chazal frequently frame our struggle against the Yetzer Hara using wartime terminology and the psychological tactics that armies employ to strike fear into their enemies.

When a person contemplates the ultimate source of fear, a profound shift occurs: if he truly fears the One, he needs to fear no one else.

Recognizing that Hashem is right beside us on the frontlines of our daily spiritual battles transforms terror into clarity—giving us the ultimate strength needed to triumph over evil.