The Chasam Sofer zt"l tells us that the very first words of this parsha - “When you will go out to war against your enemies, Hashem WILL place them in your hands” - are a promise from Hashem to help us overcome our enemies. Which enemies are we referring to? Our arch-enemies with whom we are in constant battle - our evil inclination - who forever tries to make us fall. So how do we win? In “L’Dovid Hashem Oiry” which we say each day in Elul, it says, "אם תחנה עלי מחנה ... בזאת אני בוטח" - “If a war will overtake me ... IN THIS I will place my trust.” What is Dovid HaMelech referring to? What exactly is our strategy with which Hashem promises to deliver us? The Baalei Mussar answer with the very next words of the very next posuk. "אחת שאלתי" - Achas - One! At this very crucial time of the year, when a Jew must wage war against his powerful foe, the yetzer hara, the trick is to take upon oneself one thing, just one special mitzvah, middah or hiddur that one will stick with and show Hashem how much he really wishes to change and and improve himself! This one thing will affect a Jew in such a great way that it will truly uplift him.

     As a passenger in the Monit - taxi cab of a not (yet) religious taxi driver in Israel, the Darga Yeseira was once challenged by the driver with a loaded question, “Mah zeh Yahadut?” - What is Judaism? "I was obviously taken by surprise, nevertheless I prepared to launch into an entire sermon about Torah M’Sinai, the driver suddenly asked another question which revealed that the taxi driver intended to answer his own question. I stopped and listened, and the driver said, 'If you spell the word Yahadut (ייהדות) backwards what do you get?' As I was thinking, the driver suddenly blurted out, 'Todah Hashem!'"

     This incredible message underscores the essence of Judaism - for being thankful to Hashem is indeed it and all! It is everything! Therefore being thankful to Hashem for everything is indeed a Jew's "Achas!" We will fight the evil inclination by thanking and thanking and thanking Hashem all day long... and in this way we pray that Hashem will let us win!