You must not remain indifferent

 

Ki Tetze

Deut. 21:10 - 25:19

 

Précis:  The parasha might be subtitled “entering society” because it describes the creation of a just and moral social network. It begins with the phrase “when you go forth” (ki tetze) to battle. This parasha, according to Maimonides, contains 72 mitzvot (commandments). Although they seem unrelated, they all deal with the morals and values that God wanted to be deeply 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 and charging interest, keeping promises, and remembering to blot out the name of one of Israel’s greatest enemies. This assortment of commands included 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.”

 

While these verses stress one’s obligation to safeguard or return the property of another, I wanted to focus on the final phrase: “you must not remain indifferent.” As we approach the High Holy Days, we must not remain indifferent to the harms we have caused others, and we must not remain indifferent to sincere requests from others to atone for harms they have done to us.

            On another level, as I write these words on Labor Day 2022, I want to add two additional thoughts. First, we cannot remain indifferent to those who have yet to find economic stability after the massive dislocations in the work force caused by Covid. While employment seems to have been restored to pre-pandemic levels, the fact is that income inequality remains staggering, and recent news articles have indicated that more than one-half of American households cannot afford an unexpected expense of $500. They need our help.

            Second, Labor Day is the traditional start to the election season, as campaigning ramps up towards November. In the face of the repeated lawlessness of the past president and his insurrectionist supporters, in the face of the continued lies and outright hatred expressed by many of his cultists, and in the face of a Supreme Court which has been hypocritically manipulated by Senate Republicans into a body which has rejected the constitutional rights of women and those of faith traditions other than their majority’s own, we may not, we cannot, remain indifferent.

 

In memory of Aunt Henri Dobin (z'l), who passed away at age 111. May her memory be a blessing

Shoftim

Deut. 16:18-21:9

 

Précis: The parasha Shoftim (literally, “judges”) is devoted primarily to various themes of justice, and includes warnings against false testimony, idol worship, and the dangers posed by mortal kings. The parasha also warns the people against false prophets, magicians, soothsayers and witches. It establishes requirements for cities of refuge in the Promised Land. In short, the parasha is devoted to ways to create a just society in the Land of Israel.

 

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (z’l) has written about the kinds of leadership found in this parasha (Covenant and Conversation, 8/11/21) These are the “three crowns” of Judaism: the priesthood, the kingship and Torah. He notes that this informed the American Founders of the need to separate powers, an issue which we continue to argue about.  In biblical times, leadership was distributed among the king, the priests, and the prophets. Each had a specific role to play in societal governance. Kings were secular rulers, the Priests were the religious leaders, and the prophets were there to remind the other leaders (and the people) of the correct path ahead. Prophets were mandated by God to be critical of the corruptions of power and to remind the people of their religious vocation whenever they drifted from it. 
            The text tells us that God is permitting a king for the Israelites so that they can be like other nations. This is unusual, because the Israelites are usually commanded to be different.  This leads to a rabbinical suspicion of a monarchy altogether. The text also reminds what the king cannot do, rather than what he is permitted to do. The king is instructed to keep a scroll of the law next to him. Finally, the king is commanded to be humble. These statements indicate with certainty that the king is not above the law.
            Sacks concludes that “To be a Jewish leader means spending time to study both Torah and chochmah (wisdom): chochmah to understand the world as it is, Torah to understand the world as it ought to be. Leaders should never stop learning. That is how they grow and teach others to grow with them.”