Conquering the mind: Turning fear into faith

In our parsha (Mishpatim), we have the laws of preparation for going to war. Before the army goes to fight, a priest stands in front of the nation and declares that the people should not be afraid: "When you go out to battle against your enemy and you see horse and chariot, people more numerous than you— you shall not fear them." The Torah then emphasizes this idea again, saying: "Hear, Israel, today you are coming near to the battle against your enemies. Let your heart not be faint; do not be afraid, do not panic, and do not be broken before them."

This teaches, according to some Torah commentaries, that it is a Torah prohibition to be afraid when one goes out to fight a war. The obvious question is that fear is natural and very hard to control. Some people are unable to control their fear at all, and when they encounter a battle, they are faced with uncontrollable fear. How then did the Torah command us to avoid that fear?

Indeed, the Torah acknowledges those who are afraid and exempts them from going to the battlefield, commanding them to return home. So, what then do these warnings in the Torah mean?

When reading the continuation of the psukim in their context, we can find an explanation to the above questions. The psukimsay one should not be intimidated by the enemy's large numbers, teaching us that the Torah does not forbid natural fear but rather the fear that the enemy uses, such as presenting themselves as a very large force. Similarly, Chazal, as brought in Rashi, explain that we should not fear their psychological tactics, such as making loud noises to instill fear. The Torah teaches that such things have no effect in the war and should be ignored. If one chooses to pay attention to them, then he violates this prohibition.

We can witness this idea in real life as well, seeing that the enormous number of enemies doesn't affect the outcome of the war. There are enemies spread by the millions in almost every country in the world, chanting and demonstrating against the war. There are 57 Muslim-majority countries, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), across various regions, including the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Add to that the hostility from the UN towards the Jews, as well as from European countries, and so on—it never ends. Yet, we see that it’s not about the quantity of people.

This teaches us a very important lesson in our daily lives as well. Many of our fears are not real; they are simply a product of our imagination. We can overcome fear by tuning in to reality. The reality is that it is Hashem who controls the world, all wars, and their outcomes. Therefore, there is no reason to fear anything. This is what Rabbeinu Yonah says based on these psukim. He extends this idea beyond just the context of war,applying it to everyone's life (Shaarei Tshuva 3, 32): “When you go out to war and see horses and chariots—forces larger than yours—have no fear of them” (Devarim 20:1). We are warned here that if a person sees trouble approaching, the salvation of Hashem should be in his heart, and he should trust in it, as it is stated (Tehilim 85:10), “His salvation is near those who fear Him”; and likewise it is written (Yeshaya 51:12), “What ails you that you fear man who must die?”

This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel