<div>Following up on these two comments:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>R' Chaim Manaster wrote:<br>> In parshas Matos I noticed a vort in Torah Lodas from the Panim Yafos<br>> that does clair such shailos. The Yalkut on Vayitzbu al Midyan ... They<br>> surrounded them on four sides. R. Nosson says they left the fourth side
<br>> open "kedai sheyivrechu," so that they c[s]hould run away. He asks why<br>> should R. Nosson allow them to get away? [gave a long answer]<<<br><br>Please excuse me if I'm saying something so obvious that of /course/ you
<br>already knew this, but -- the pshat is, if you don't allow a defeated<br>enemy an escape route, you corner him and force him to fight to the<br>death -- thus leading to unnecessary deaths among your own men.<br> </div>
<div>Just as an historical aside, at the battle for Deir Yassin, the attacking Irgun and Lechi forces actually did leave an escape route to Ein Kerem open. But only a portion of the villagers took advantage of their largesse.
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Yisrael Medad<br>Shiloh<br>Mobile Post Efraim 44830<br>Israel </div>