This week’s parsha contains an incredibly long list of commandments. It is comprehensive in its subject matter, exhaustive in its breath, and exhausting in its burden.
Such a long list… how do we approach it? Why such a long list?
If part of this book of the Torah is to allow for Moses’s context on our story in his sermons, why would such a long list be an important part of the story? A long list is intimidating, and frankly, not all that exciting. But this week, in our portion, this litany of commandments is put together in a long and daunting form.
When we look at such a list, we realize that there are things that we are not doing. And we should remember this always. We should recognize that this is a flaw, or opportunity, in ourselves to do more, and we should recognize the same thing in others.
Also, this reminds us that the list is long; the tasks are numerous, and most likely cannot be achievable in a life by one person. It is built on the reality of our imperfect world and natures, and designed to be generationally built – much like our current set of rules is built on generational learning and improvement.
We are reminded of an ideal this week. One that not only shows us a picture of how the world ultimately will be, but additionally that we have flaws (both individually and communally) that are expected and needed for our work in the world.
To be a “light unto the nations” is not to be a people who are inherently better than any others. Instead it is to openly acknowledge that we are flawed, as flawed as any people. And in doing so, recognize that we have an ideal we are working towards - a long and complex ideal to be sure. This ideal is one that we know that we are not doing now, and will not complete in our lifetime. The long listing of commandments is a reminder of this challenge and reality.
But when Moses presented us with the context of this week’s parsha, we know that this is OK. The list – and Torah - was given to us a plan; a plan for our development as a people on a path to redemption. Being chosen is not a designation of perfection, but instead embracing our imperfection and the challenge of being a partner in the work of perfection.
We are not charged with being perfect now. It is not possible. Instead we remember that we must not obsess over where we end up, but instead focus on where we are now. Our focus is on the world we are currently in. Every journey must start from where we are now. That is the point that we as a people, and we as individuals, begin the journey of leadership that is our charge.
A wonderful reminder of the challenge and the opportunity we have to lead ourselves, our community and world.
Shabbat Shalom.
| Parsha Summary
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General Overview: This week's reading, Ki Teitzei, contains 74 commandments, more mitzvot than any other Torah portion. Some of the commandments discussed: the law of the rebellious son, the obligation to bury the dead without undue delay, the requirement to return a found object, the prohibition against causing pain to any living creature, the prohibition against prostitution, the laws of marriage and divorce, the procedure of the Levirate marriage, and the obligation to eradicate the memory of Amalek.
First Aliyah: This section begins with a discussion regarding female captives of war, and lays down the conditions under which a soldier may marry a captive. The right of a firstborn son to a double portion of his father's inheritance is then detailed. The section concludes with the procedure for dealing with an aberrantly rebellious child.
Second Aliyah: Commandments discussed in this section: Speedy burial of the deceased, returning a lost object to its owner, aiding a neighbor when his animal has fallen because of its burden, the prohibition against cross-dressing, and the obligation to send away a mother bird before taking its chicks or eggs.
Third Aliyah: Some commandments discussed in this section: Building a safety fence around a flat roof; the prohibitions against sowing mixtures of seeds, plowing with a mixed pair of animals, or wearing a garment which contains a mixture of wool and linen (shatnez); wearing tzitzit; the penalty for a husband who defames his wife; the punishment for adultery; the penalty for rape; and certain prohibited marriages.
Fourth Aliyah: Some commandments discussed in this section: maintaining pure and hygienic army encampments, impurity resulting from seminal emissions, prohibition against prostitution, prohibition against lending with interest, and the obligation to honor vows.
Fifth Aliyah: This section details the right of field workers to eat from the produce they are harvesting. The Torah then briefly discusses marriage and the bill of divorce. A divorced couple cannot remarry if the woman has been remarried to another man (and divorced again or widowed) in the interim.
Sixth Aliyah: More mitzvot: A newlywed man is exempt from military service for a full year. It is forbidden to accept utensils used to prepare food as loan security or to forcibly take a debtor's possessions as collateral, and a poor man's security must be temporarily returned to him on a daily basis. Kidnapping is a capital offense. We are commanded to always remember that Miriam was afflicted with tzara'at for speaking badly about Moses.
Seventh Aliyah: We are forbidden to withhold or delay a worker's wages. Relatives' testimony is inadmissible in a court of law. Various mandatory gifts for the poor are discussed. The procedure for corporal punishment is outlined. The mitzvah of Levirate marriage (yibum) is introduced: if a married childless man dies, his brother is obligated to marry the widow. If the brother refuses to marry the widow, he and she go through a chalitzahceremony, which frees her to marry whomever she wishes. We are instructed to maintain accurate weights and measures. The reading ends with the mitzvah to remember Amalek's evil deed, ambushing the Israeliteson their way from Egypt.
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