Love of the Land

 Ki Tavo

Deut. 26:1-29:8

 

Précis: The parasha contains numerous religious mandates regarding the formation of a moral community (including tithes of first fruits and tithes to support the Levites). The People are instructed that they have a choice in their own destiny: there are blessings and curses (the “Admonition”), and they must choose between the two, and take the consequences. The parasha ends with Moses reminding the People about all that God had done for them.

 

Deut. 26:1-11 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which Adonai has given you, and dwell there, that you will take the first fruit of the ground…and place it in a basket...and go to a place that Adonai will choose…

 

Rabbi Sari Laufer has an insightful interpretation of this verse (10 Minutes of Torah, 9/16/24), noting that before all the blessings and curses, we read this first verse, speaking of a time of our settled habitation in the Land of Israel. While most of the Book of Deuteronomy has been a reminder of past mistakes, here we see a sea change. We envision, for the first time, life as a settled people in the land promised to us.

This vision, she tells us, is different from previous text dealing with the Promised Land, as it is less about law, less about temptations, and less about caution or worry. For the first time, we begin to imagine the blessing of settling in and creating a plan for our future. We imagine planting, watering, and sowing our fields and enjoying our lives. The giving of first fruits becomes a metaphor for a settled existence, safe in our homeland.

I note that the vision of a secure homeland for our People is as ancient as this text, perhaps more than 3,000 years old. It is, we know all too well, a vision which has for most of those millennia been challenged by our enemies. Certainly, it is a vision under threat today from those who question whether Israel has a “right to exist” and from so-called allies who may temporarily support Israel, but who are willing to tolerate (let alone themselves use) the language of double-standards that is a hallmark of antisemitism.

Like the Israelites of this parasha more than 3,000 years ago understood, our connection to the Land of Israel is eternal and unending. This connection prevails even when the leaders of the modern State engage in actions or adopt policies with which many Israelis (and many Jews in the Diaspora) disagree. Our rejection of a particular government and its policies cannot vitiate our love and connection to the concept of a free and independent Jewish State in Israel, just as a disagreement with the current US administration cannot vitiate our love for America.

Standing by

 Ki Tetze

Deut. 21:10 - 25:19

 

Précis:  The parsha begins with the phrase “when you go forth” (ki tetze) to battle. This parasha contains 72 mitzvot (commandments), dealing with the morals and values to be implanted in the Israelites’ society. They cover a wide variety of topics, from family life, human kindness, respect for property and animals, the safety of others, sexual relationships, escaped slaves, financial loans, keeping promises, and blotting out the name of one of Israel’s greatest enemies. This assortment of commands includes requirements that there be sex-distinct clothing; that mother birds not be separated from their eggs; that roof-tops have parapets; that seeds not be mixed in a field, and that “tzitzit” (fringes) be worn on garments.

 

Deut. 22:1-3 “If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. If you fellow’s does not live near you or you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home and it shall remain with you until your fellow claims it; then you shall give it back to him You shall do the same with his ass; you shall do the same with his garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find; you must not remain indifferent.”

 

According to Etz Hayim, the parasha is underscores “the irreducible dignity and worth of the human being.” The verses cited here deal with hashavat aveidim, returning lost objects, and end with the phrase “lo tukhal l'hitaleim,” (“You must not remain indifferent.”) It is this final phrase which merits some additional discussion.

            While the phrase may be viewed as part of the thrust of the opening lines (meaning, you should not remain indifferent to lost objects), it is also an important reminder that our tradition does not accept the common conception that somebody else’s troubles are their own, and one needs not get involved in the plight of others. Our tradition, moreover, supports the idea that we have an affirmative obligation to help those individuals in trouble, to aid our troubled communities, and to aid our troubled societies as a whole.

            While we may disagree (as Jews, of course are wont to do) about the means to improve our cultures and societies, we must agree that we cannot remain indifferent. Standing by without action is not a Jewish option.