“My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans” (Exodus 22:24).
“Rabbi Elazar said, ‘From what was said, ‘My anger will be kindled and I will kill you,’ I know that their wives are widows and their sons orphans, so what does it mean when it says, ‘And your wives will be…’? It implies that their wives wanted to marry but were not permitted to, and their sons wanted to inherit their fathers’ assets but were not permitted.’”
RASHI interpreted that they would be taken captive. Thus, there will be two curses there: 1) the sword, 2) captivity. By being taken captive, they will not know if their husbands are alive or if the sons can inherit their fathers’ assets (Baba Metzia 38b).
We should understand what it means that by veering off from the path of the Creator, a person is taken captive by the Klipot [shells/peels], who govern him and do not let him out of their authority. It means that at that time, a person cannot engage in Torah and Mitzvot [commandments] because the Klipot control him.
When a person walks on the path of truth, namely on the basis of faith, called “Who will find a woman of valor?” that person sustains the Shechina [Divinity]. It is as our sages said, “Israel sustain their Father in heaven,” meaning that engagement in Torah and Mitzvot for the sake of the Creator is called “sustaining the Creator.” This is the meaning of “My offering, My bread.”
At that time, a person obtains understanding and knowledge of Kedusha [holiness] in Torah and Mitzvot, as it is written, “You grant man knowledge and teach a human being understanding.” Hence, when the two are in order, a person has a wife and sons. But when one blemishes the faith, that person is “killed” and remains as merely a beast, meaning that he knows of nothing more than obtaining beastly lusts.
It follows that the “woman” is regarded as a widow, since the quality of man, who is her husband and the bestower of the faith, has been killed. However, they are not permitted to marry because he was taken captive by the Klipot, so it is not known if he was killed.
Hence, even though the women want to marry, they are not permitted. This means that the Shechina wants to reconnect to each and every one; she wants to give everyone a reflection of repentance, which is the meaning of wanting to marry, but they are not permitted. That is, the person himself does not want to reconnect to the Kedusha because he is captive in the hands of the Klipot.
If he were not taken captive, but were killed for certain, as in “The wicked in their lives are called ‘dead,’” then he could introspect about his end. At that time, he would hear the reflection of repentance from the Shechina, which is the herald and the awakening that comes to a person from above. This is the meaning of “the wives seek to marry,” but the person does not want to.
Even when he receives the awakening and feels pleasure in this, he is not awakened by it to faith. Rather, he receives the pleasure that comes along with the awakening, but he does not take the awakening so as to correct his practices, meaning that he will try to do them for the sake of the Creator.
For the same reason, the sons cannot come into their fathers’ assets because the understanding and knowledge are present on the actions only while they are for the sake of the Creator. At that time, there are the secrets of Torah in this. But when they do not come in, it means that he is not learning Torah Lishma [for Her sake].