Shabbat Shalom. This week at Gesher Jewish Day School, I was tasked with teaching 2^nd graders about this week’s Torah portion. The goal according to the curriculum map is to teach to the students that this week’s portion is about respect: respect for women, captives, the world order, parents, the dead/life, property and ownership, animals, safety, nature, dignity, marriage, family relationships, cleanliness, the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the stranger. And for sure Parashat Ki Tetzei touches on all those topics, but they are not all so easy to talk discuss with 2^nd graders. The curriculum I was given has very little in the way of materials and the materials I found elsewhere, from G-dcast and Chabad, focuses on the respect for animals.

            I mentioned in passing last week that Parashat Shoftim expresses concern for nature, and tells us not cut down fruit-bearing trees belonging to the city with which we may be at war. This week’s Torah portion continues telling us to be concerned with the natural world, and tells us not to be cruel to animals. Even an animal belonging to a potential enemy should not be forced to suffer. If we see an animal bearing too great a load, we should unburden it. In using animals for farm work, humans should never pair two animals who are so disparate in size that the smaller will suffer to keep up with the speed and strength of the larger. Animals should not be muzzled with working on a farm, but should be allowed to eat while they work. The second graders understood all of these concepts, why they show respect for animals, and why it is important for humans to take good care of animals and not abuse them. They had slightly more trouble understanding the commandment in this week’s parasha telling us that if we need food and we come upon a nest of an edible bird, we must shoo the mother bird away from the nest first and only take the eggs. The students said, “The mother bird will be sad when she returns and sees her babies are gone!” But eventually they came to understand even this concept that the care for the already living is more important than the potential life of the egg, and the mother bird can always lay more. But if the eggs are hatched after we eat the mother bird, the chicks will not be able to survive. For such young students, whose diets are almost entirely decided by adults, they had an impressive grasp on concepts of ethical and sustainable food choices and the balance between respecting the natural world and maintaining a nutrient-rich diet.

            Explaining the connections in the Torah portion to respecting humans was harder. Parashat Ki Tetze starts off with explaining the proper rules of war, including taking captives. It says that if a soldier kidnaps a beautiful woman from enemy territory, he must wait a month before taking her as his wife. For the time in which the rule was written and enacted, it’s clear to see its progressivism. If the man is displeased with her, he must set her free. He is not to sell her to another man or treat her as a slave. However, it doesn’t not specify if he must properly divorce her and give her any compensation for kidnapping her. It’s also pretty hard to believe that she’d be super into marrying this guy who took her as booty from her home which he and his cohort ransacked and conquered, likely killing her male relatives in the process. There are a lot of uncomfortable unanswered questions about the scenario, and teaching it to 2^nd graders was daunting. Instead, we discussed in a general way the importance of showing respect to every person, even if you think they are your enemy, and going into war with an intention of mercy.

            The truth is, that’s what this rule was meant to convey for the time. When we read the Torah, it is sometimes difficult to place ourselves in the time period for which it was written, and this parasha is full of such moments. It’s important we understand the context, the civilizations that surrounded the ancient Israelites, and see where our ancestors tried to move their society forward. We learn from this to continue to do that work. Our great sages of late antiquity and the early middle ages knew we can’t really stone to death rebellious children, though that too is a commandment in this week’s parasha. As I said last week, they went to great lengths to ensure justice was always carried out with the least amount of bloodshed possible. Killing an angsty teenager for disobeying his father flew in the face of everything they knew to be holy, despite the fact that our holy Torah says to do so. We know that we need to be able to read the Torah with a critical eye and try to understand the commandment’s purpose for its own time, so that we might understand how it is we should live today.

Lest you get too down on Parashat Ki Tetze and vote it out the Torah entirely, it does also have plenty for us to be proud of. This portion tells us to be kind to animals, even that of our enemies. To lend money to our friends, family, and neighbors, interest-free. To leave the corners of our fields so that the poor may eat without begging. To care for the stranger, the widow, and the orphan. To care for runaway slaves and not return them to their masters. To keep our promises. To not play favorites among your children. To pay your workers on time. I think from all that, and more, it’s clear that the Torah is deeply concerned for treating people, animals, and our environments with kavod.

The Torah is a Tree of Life, and its mitzvot are meant to guide us toward righteous living, but sometimes it’s the thought process or the intention behind the mitzvah rather than the rule itself that we must learn from and adapt to modern times and our own life situations. Of course, this is no easy task. It involves a lot of gut-checking and a strong moral compass. But if we support each other and make clear our expectations for a healthy community, a respectful society, and peaceful relationships, we can work together to ensure that all people are treated as they want to be treated. May we all find our own path through the minefields of the Torah, to pleasantness and peace. Amen and Shabbat Shalom.

             

Parashat Shoftim and Patriot's Day

            Shabbat Shalom and allow me to again welcome and thank our guests for being here. It just so happens that in the Torah portion that Jews around the world will read this week, we are commanded to set for ourselves law enforcement in every city. The very first verse of Parashat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18) translates as, “You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment,” and the earliest rabbis of the Mishnah recorded in Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers, that the words for judges (shoftim) and law enforcement (Shotrim) are plural because none should judge alone. The great medieval commentator Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak, also known as Rashi, added to this verse that the meaning of saying, “in all your cities” and “for your tribes,” means that every city and each group of people should have their own judge and enforcers of the judge’s decrees, such that the community’s own norms and customs may be upheld. The next line tells us that we must “not pervert justice,” and the third line is likely one of the most famous in the whole Torah: “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” This verse, Deuteronomy 16:20, teaches us also that there is a just way of pursuing justice and an unjust way, and that to truly pursue justice we must do so the right way, following protocol, and being mindful of the pitfalls of subconscious judgements. This parasha also tells us that if we suspect a neighbor of wrongdoing, we must investigate the matter thoroughly, and then, if it seems like the evidence supports our suspicions, we must still bring the person out in front at least two other witnesses, that no one, not even a suspected criminal, may be killed by the judgement of one alone. The Torah says to bring the suspect in front of two or three witnesses, and you may think this is in case the they each have a different view and a tie-breaker is needed, but Rashi explains that this is actually to safeguard against the possibility that the first two witness may be colluding together to condemn this person to death.

            These themes recur throughout this portion, and indeed, many times in the Torah. Judaism upholds righteousness and believes in an equal protection of all life. There is a great concern in our texts to ensure that law and order is maintained, and also that true justice is honored, that the whole community must be involved in keeping each other safe and on the right path. The Talmud, a compendium of Jewish laws and daily practices, says that to take one life is to destroy the world and to save one life is to save the world entire, and there were arguments throughout the texts about how to properly execute justice in a serious manner without causing undue harm to the communities, even in questions of self-defense. For example, in Tractate Sanhedrin of the Talmud, sugya 57a, it states that if someone is coming to kill another, and the defender would be able to save himself by merely maiming the would-be killer, but instead does kill him, the defender is still liable for murder. In the codes of Jewish law on war, there are pages and pages discussing the use of unnecessary force, and what the possibilities are for the quickest path to peace with least amount of destruction to fellow human beings, whether civilian or warrior, and even to the environment (this Torah portion is also the source for that, as it tells us not to needlessly lay waste to the fruit-bearing trees surrounding a city with which the Israelites may be at war).

Law and justice is no easy matter, and our tradition takes this task very seriously. Judaism teaches us to be grateful to those that help to uphold safety in our communities and respect those that concern themselves in the matters of justice and righteousness. It also condemns those that fail in this duty and miss the mark on true justice and upholding righteousness. On this Patriot’s Shabbat, may we enter this weekend with gratitude for this respite of peace, and look forward to many more days ahead of pursuing justice, safety, and a healthy community. Amen and Shabbat Shalom.      

Parashat Re'eh and Rosh Hodesh Elul

            Shabbat Shalom. In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Re’eh, Moses continues his long speech to the Israel people recapping all that has transpired and reiterating all the messages he has already delivered from God. There are some changes from where they are written in the earlier parts of the Torah, when they were happening in real time, but much of Deuteronomy continues to be reinforcing language. In Parashat Re’eh, Moses tells the people that they have choices in life. They can choose to follow the commandments, or they can choose to not follow the commandments. They are about to enter the Holy Land, and the entire generation of slaves that left Egypt has died in the wilderness, Moses being the last one. So they will not be forced to do anything they do not want to do anymore. God, via Moses as mouthpiece, simply wants to make sure the Israelites understand that if they don’t follow the commandments, they will be cursed, and if they do follow them, they will be blessed. Moses then goes on to reiterate what some of those commandments are, regarding Kosher laws, proper sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem, particularly at the three main festivals of Sukkot, Shavuot, and Passover. He also includes in this parasha the commandment to look out for those who need help in society; that all landed Israelites are commanded to give shelter and food to their Levite brothers when needed, since the Levites were not given a land inheritance in the Holy Land, and to give to charity so that the orphan, the widow, and the stranger in your midst may eat and be sheltered in safety and with dignity.

            This weekend we will have Rosh Hodesh Elul, the beginning of the month preceding the High Holy Days. Elul is often a time for reflection and preparing for the Days of Awe to come. During this Hebrew month we will have S’lichot, the last Shabbat and Havdallah of Elul, and the first step in the High Holy days (it is often the last Shabbat before Rosh HaShana, but it must fall a full week before the New Year, and since Rosh HaShana begins on a Sunday evening this year, it isn’t quite true to say that this year). During Elul, we might start to make a list of those we must apologize to and that which we must make amends for before we can honestly toss away those sins of last year at Tashlich or make Teshuvah on Yom Kippur. During Elul, we might start to think about why we made the choices we made in the past year that led us to sin and hurt those we care about. We might start to think about what choices we can make in the coming year instead to bring more goodness into our lives and the world.

            The great Medieval scholar Maimonides commented on the beginning of this parasha by saying, “Freedom of choice has been granted to every man: if he desires to turn toward a good path and be righteous, the ability to do so is in his hands; and if he desires to turn toward an evil path and be wicked, the ability to do so is in his hands. This concept is a fundamental principle and a pillar of the Torah and its commandments. As it is written [Deuteronomy 11:26]: See, I set before you today [a blessing and a curse]. For were G‑d to decree that a person be righteous or wicked, or if there were to exist something in the very essence of a person’s nature which would compel him toward a specific path, a specific conviction, a specific character trait or a specific deed, how could G‑d command us through the prophets, “Do this” and “do not do this”? What place would the entire Torah have? And by what measure of justice would G‑d punish the wicked and reward the righteous?” Thus, RaMBaM reminds us as we read this portion and enter into Elul, we must think about our choices, our free will as humans, and choose holiness. We must actively work toward righteousness and to uphold Torah in our lives.

When we get to the High Holy Days, we will say, “On Rosh HaShana it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed: who will live and who will die. But Teshuvah, Tefillah, and Tzedakah annul the severe decree.” Though I used the word charity earlier, translating tzedakah as charity isn’t quite right. Charity is something you give out of the kindness of your heart, and maybe even out of pity for the one to whom you are giving charity. But tzedakah is commanded to us, as we see in this parasha. The word tzedek means justice and a tzadik is a just and righteous person. Tzedekah may mean donating money, but it’s deeper than charity. It’s an act of righteousness, and a required one at that if we are to choose righteousness and holiness, to use our free will to uphold Torah, to hope to stave off Divine curses. Maimonides also comments on this, “Never, ever have we seen or heard about a Jewish community that does not have a tzedakah fund.”

As we enter into the month of Elul, let us begin to turn our minds to the season of teshuvah around the corner. Let us think about what it means to truly make teshuvah, which is not only a word we use for making amends with neighbors and God, but is a word that literally means “return.” To what do we need to return? What wrong turns have we made this year, and what choices can we make now to fix them? How can we better choose to uphold Torah, to follow mitzvot and walk in ways of holiness this year? Where, how, when, and why, can we give tzedakah so that it truly embodies righteousness and is not mere “charity?” May we continue to ponder these and related questions this month, that we may begin the New Year with honest and forward thinking goals for better practices of teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah in our everyday lives. Amen and Shabbat Shalom.