The Righteous Society
Part 13 Parashat 49 Ki Teitzei – When you will go out. Deu 21:10-25:19
Turn away from evil and do good; and dwell [in security] forever.
For יהוה loves justice and will not forsake His devoted ones.
Ps 37:27-28
In this parshat we learn significant principles of what it means to live in a just and righteous society. “As we begin today’s study, let us commit ourselves to look at our Bridegroom’s Torah not as a history book or a ‘book of law’, but as a mirror into our souls. As we read it, let us compare what is written there – the description of the Creator’s Bride — to the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and see where, and to what degree, our thoughts and attitudes and approaches to life and to the Holy One’s creation have strayed from His design, and are in need of adjustment. Let us consent to let the Torah be for us a guidebook for ‘in flight corrections’ (*1)
Commandments
- Deu 21:10-14 In time of war, a soldier may not abuse women.
- Deu 21:15-17 You have to act responsibly and fair when drawing up your will.
- Deu 22:1&4 Help an animal in distress. You shall not see the donkey of your brother or his ox falling on the road…you shall surely stand them up, helping him.
Deu 22:10 You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deu 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox in its threshing.
Deu 22:6 When a mother bird is roosting on young birds or eggs, you need to send her away before you take the chicks or eggs.
4. Deu 22:8 Take care that no person can come to harm on your property. For example: You shall make a fence (railing) for your roof.
5. Deu 22:9 Do not plant mix seeds. “What the Creator has established as separate and distinct aspects of humanity are not to be mixed, mingled, confused, and diluted. It is so with seeds. It is so with animals. It is so with mankind.” (*1)
6. Deu 22:20 A young unmarried girl or woman need to protect and guard her reputation.
7. Deu 23:18 There shall be no promiscuous woman in Israel / among believers.
8. Deu 23: 15 You shall act with decorum, proper hygiene and cleanliness when you need to go to the toilet and regarding your sanitation.
9. Deu 23:16 You shall not turn over to his master a slave that has escaped.
10. Deu 23:22 & 24 Your word should be your word. One must be able to rely on a follower of the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When you make a vow to יהוה you should not be late in paying it…You shall observe and carry out what emerges from your lips.
11 Deu 23:25,26 A worker has a right to receive for him or herself from the produce that they work with.
12 Deu 24:6 & 10 In a dispute with someone do not harm his lively hood.
13 Deu 24:7 You may not kidnap a person. It is evil to do so.
14 Deu 24:8 Do not gossip or commit slander. It is called Lashon HaRa.
15 Deu 24:14 Pay a worker when he finished his work for you. If he/she is employed for the day, payment must be made at the end of the day.
16 Deu 24:16 A father may not be punished for the sins of his son, and a son may not be punished for the sins of a father. [This also applies to females]
17 Deu 24:17, 19 & 20. Do not pervert justice for a widow or an orphan.
18 Deu 24:19,20 Leave some of your harvest for the poor; Leave the corner of your field for the poor [Lev.19:9 ] Leave the gleanings in your field for the poor.
19 Deu 25:3 Do not degrade the person in his punishment.
20 Deu 25:11 Do not embarrass a person in public.
21 Deu 25: 13 Be honest in all your business dealings. v.16 “For an abomination of Hashem, your God,….all who act corruptly”
Comments regarding some of the above commandments.
[1] Deu 21:10-14 “In this passage the Torah responds to the often inflamed passion of a soldier in battle…the Torah provides an avenue for the lustful soldier…so that [his desire] will cool before it causes more harm. [There is an obligated waiting period]…The juxtaposition of the first three passages of the sidrah (part)are in themselves an implicit argument against this sort of liaison, for after giving the laws of the captive woman, the Torah speak of a hated wife, and then an incorrigibly rebellious child. The implication is that there is a chain reaction; This improper infatuation with a captive woman will lead to one family tragedy after another. (Rashi)” [11.1046]
[2] Deu 21:15-17 A child may not be deprived of his rightful share in his father’s inheritance. “By implication this passage shows that parents must beware not to permit rights and relationships to be disrupted by rivalries and even animosities that are not uncommon in family life.” [11.1047]
[3] Deu 22:1&4, 6 &10; Deu25:4 By extension it also applies to every case where one’s physical or verbal intervention can help someone avoid a loss.
The Torah, Bible, is full of commandments and examples or being considerate and caring to animals: –
If you cannot immediately find or identify the owner of a lost animal, you either have to take the animal to your home, or to a secure place like a kennel for example, for a lost dog. To plow with an ox and a donkey together sounds absurd. They obviously do not possess the same degree of strength. Apart from being foolish, it would be cruel.
The ox chews a cud which a donkey does not, therefore a donkey would wonder why the ox may eat and he not. Similarly, it’s cruel to muzzle an ox that’s threshing because he’s surrounded by his food, yet he cannot eat.
Sending the mother bird away also implies being kind and compassionate to the animal; so that she may not witness the taking of her young. It also infers being mindful of how one consumes the animals of the earth. Irresponsible use of and consuming of animals could lead to their extinction. We are to be guardians and stewards of the earth – in fact this was the first task given to man [Genesis 1:26–27] and the earth and all of it belongs to the Creator G-d. “For mine is every beast of the forest, the cattle of a thousand mountains. I know every bird of the mountains and what creeps upon My fields is with Me.” [Ps 50:10-13]
One therefore also may not slaughter the mother and her calf / lamb or kid on the same day. [Lev 22:28]
“A man who strikes mortally an animal life shall make restitution, a life for a life.” [Lev24:18]
“..the seventh day is Shabbat to יהוה, your G-d; you shall not do any work – [nor]…your ox, your donkey, and your every animal” [Ex 20:10 & Deu 5:14]
“If you see the donkey of someone you hate crouching under its burden would you refrain from helping him? – you shall help repeatedly with him” [Ex 23:5]
“You shall bring forth for them water from the rock and give drink to the assembly and to their animals……Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock with his staff twice; abundant water came forth and the assembly and their animals drank” [Num 20:8,11]
“And I (said G-d)– shall I not take pity upon Nineveh the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and many animals as well?” [Jonah 4:11]
“The righteous one knows [the needs of ] his animal’s soul, but the mercies of the wicked are cruel.” [Prov. 12:10]
See also for instance how Jacob viewed his animals: Gen.33:13,14 & 17: “But he (Jacob) said to him (Esau), ‘My lord knows that the children are tender, and the nursing flocks and cattle are upon me; if they will be driven hard for a single day, then all the flocks will die…I will make my way at my slow pace according to the gait of the drove before me and the gait of the children, until I come to my lord at Seir….But Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house, and for his livestock he made shelters..” Notice how Jacob displays the same consideration and understanding he has for the little children as also for his animals. Read also the parable Nathan told King David regarding ‘one small ewe’ of a poor man: “He raised it and it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his bread and drank from his cup and lay in his bosom” [2 Sam.12:1-3]
This commandment ‘Not to muzzle an ox…’ is referred to in 1 Timothy 5: 17-18 in connection with ‘those who labour in the word and teaching…’The labourer is worthy of his wages’ (quoting Deu 25:4 & Leviticus 19:13) Remember as we say, There could be 70 interpretations of a verse in the Bible, and therefore G-d’s word is a ‘Living Word’. Applicable for all people everywhere and for all time.
[4] Deu22:8 Of course it entails more than just a railing around your roof. [In Israel the houses usually have flat roofs, so that one can go up on the roof in the cool of the evening] Just recently the news reported a case of a four year old boy who fell down a hole on a farmer’s land which led to a big effort to free him. Barbed wire and glass lying around may not only injure children but also animals.
[5] Deu22:9 One can also apply this principle to the commandments in the Torah which entails not to take away or add to a commandment or not to mix the basic essence of one commandment with another.
[6] & [7] Deu 22:13-23:1 is all about traditional commandments concerning sexual purity, in fact the Torah repeatedly uses the expression: You shall remove the evil from your midst.
(Read again Leviticus 18 & 19) Never before in recent history as far as our memories stretches, up till the time of our great-grandmothers, has there been such a flagrant unashamed display of flesh in public. Be it night or especially during the day. It is not only a lack of taste or upbringing, but clearly shows the absence of Biblical or Torah education and underpinning. “You shall be holy, for holy am I, יהוה your God” we are instructed in Leviticus 19:2. Women and men should be modest in their dress. Not to be on display or overly attract attention as Paul admonishes those sitting in the Synagogue in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 “…that the women dress themselves becomingly, with decency and sensibleness, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly garments, but with good works, which is becoming for women undertaking worship of Elohim.”
[8] Deu 23:15 In many countries it is against the law for a man to relieve himself in public. Note the instruction in the Torah for the Israelites over 3000 years ago: “You shall have a place outside the camp, and to there you shall go out, outside. You shall have a shovel in addition to your weapons, and it will be that when you sit outside, you shall dig with it; you shall go back and cover your excrement. Forיהוה your God walks in the midst of your camp…” Note even today the soldiers are expected to follow this hygiene. Note the fact that G-d is in our city (camp) and this in itself should cause us to be concerned about the cleanliness and beauty of our city.
I would like to propose that it includes the picking up and discarding or your domestic pets’ droppings, especially in the cities and residential areas. (Nearby where I lived was a large sports field that was frequented by dog owners. Before the players could use the field, someone had to go around and first pick up the doggie do’s! Such behavior is what one calls according to Torah language: inconsiderate & not being mindful of your neighbor. In plain language: uncivil.)
[9] Deu 23:16 At first I was not going to include this command but unfortunately because of news reports it is clear that slavery did not end in the 19th century. Slavery is a reality to deal with today and should be done in a Biblical way. [See also Chapter 11, (*6) ]
[11] & [18] Deu 23:25,26 – Deu 24:19 &20 ‘But why does the Torah need to repeat this lesson twice? Once regarding a vineyard and once regarding standing grain?…The closing lessons of isrelationship with Hashem to that of an employee…it follows that Hashem as a responsible employer, surely provides us not only with wages owed, i.e. reward in the world to come, but He also provides us with what we need while we’re doing the job, ensuring that our material needs are met on a daily basis.’ (*2)
This ancient custom of leaving the corner of your field of e.g. wheat for the poor was clearly an automatic and built in system for caring for the less fortunate and hungry in a community. Therefore, it should be part of the culture of a government. Unfortunately, usually it depends on individuals to campaign or start a movement to help the disadvantaged. [Do not for a moment think that I am supporting socialism! History has proven it does not work.]
[12] Deu 24:6 & 10 ‘ Taking the lower or upper millstone as a pledge’ means that one’s actions should not, because someone owes you something, impact him in such a way that it is detrimental to his daily existence. Also, when someone owes you something you may not barge into his house and enter without his permission. The Bible actually stipulates one should wait outside. Note also how considerate one should be towards a poor person.
Currently we too often see extreme vandalism committed by protesters. Their unrestraint in venting their anger and frustration causes not only a severe financial burden to a community but can lead to disastrous consequences for an individual. This is clearly not the righteous way for an individual or group to resolve problems and differences.
[14] Deu 24:8 The Sages regard gossip as a very severe sin in fact as bad as murder. It not only harms the person of whom is spoken, but also the person to whom it is told as well as the person that gossips or commits the slander. [The example given in the Bible is that of Miriam, Moses’ sister who spoke badly about his wife. Miriam as a consequence contracted what is called Tzaras. This is not leprosy as it is usually translated as. It was a spiritual affliction that only could be healed by the special ceremony conducted by a priest. See Leviticus 14:1ff]
The brother of Yeshua ben Yoseph wrote in his book Yacob, today called James 3:2-12:-
“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
“Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listel.
“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boast great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindle! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defile the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speak evil of his brother, and judge his brother, speak evil of the Torah, and judge the law: but if thou judge the Torah, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judge another? “ James 4:11-12.
[19] Deu 25:3 & [20] Deu 25:11 The beauty of the Shabbat meal’s tradition to not talk politics, business, or contentious matters or gossip, but rather talk about the beauty and marvels of the world and miracles in G-d’s word, makes it so special. This is so very different from the common discourse found in public and often reported in the mass media where people are often degraded and embarrassed in public.
To mind also comes what have been seen reported and shown on air of the way men and women are debased and degraded when they are punished in public in Islamic countries. How different is that when a Judge in the West, in stead of sending an accused to prison, rather give him or her community service; to uplift, improve a situation and thus learn through his or her mistake and misdemeanor.
[21] Deu 25:13 ‘A perfect and honest weight shall you have, a perfect and honest measure shall you have, so that your days shall be lengthened on the Land that יהוה , your God gives you. For an abomination of יהוה your God, are all who do this, all who act corruptly’ [Deu 25:15-16] It is interesting to note when it is said: so that your days shall be lengthened…. From previous discussions and explanations the expression ‘ your days in the Land’ refers also to Life, and fulfilled life as well as Olam Habah / life in the Hereafter. Similarly it is interesting to note when the word ‘abomination’ is used. “Verse 14 makes clear that God abhors dishonesty” [11.1065]
What we learn from the Narrative
“The focus of the Hebrew word k’hal is not on ‘meeting’, or ‘congregating’ in the English sense. It does not refer to those who choose to associate with each other, or join an organization to a cal. The emphasis is on the concept of response l. ….. According to the sages of Israel, entering into the k’hal of the Holy One means intermarrying with women who are part of the k’hal of the Holy One, and which are called to receive, to carry to term, to give birth to, to nurture, and to train the seed of Avraham. Under this interpretation, the issue is intermarriage.
“You can better understand this interpretation if you recall the first usage of the word k’hal. It was, as pointed out earlier, in Genesis 28:3 – when Ya’akov was being sent to Paddan-Aram to do what? To TAKE A BRIDE. ……. Moshe declares, say the sages, that a woman of the k’hal of the Holy One should only marry a sh’ma-ing man – a man who will take to heart Deuteronomy 6:4-9, and will perpetuate the Torah lifestyle – not some religion that emphasizes form and meetings over Torah…(but) responding to our Divine Bridegroom’s Voice as a Bride — in his children, and in his children’s children, forever.” (*1)
Regarding the reason that the Ammoni and a Moavi male may not be part of Israel ‘to the tenth generation’: “Applying this “law of context” to the mitzvot regarding admission/entry into the k’hal of the Holy One, one would note that most of the material surrounding these mitzvot deals was with the people of the Holy One at war, in military camps. Considering that context, the issue would not be solely intermarriage, but also would involve who could be accepted into the military forces of the Holy One’s people….. Torah says this is because: “. . . they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Bilaam, son of Beor … to pronounce a curse on you.” [Deuteronomy 23:4]”
“Compare this concept with what Y’shua had to say in regard to His Kingdom in Matthew 25, where He taught, as part of His Olivet Discourse on the end of times that those who did not give a cup of water, or clothing, or hospitality, or comfort in time of sickness or imprisonment to ‘the least of these My Brothers’ would not participate in the k’hal of the Holy One, but would be sentenced to ‘depart from Me, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Matthew 25:41-46.”
“The failure to meet the brethren with “bread and water” is to be the basis of the separation of “sheep” nations and “goat” nations. It is the ultimate separation of those of the Ammoni mindset and character from the k’hal of the Holy One.
“Compare also the teaching of Kefa in II Peter 2:1-22, regarding false prophets and teachers, who entice others away from a true Torah sh’ma lifestyle, as exemplified by Y’shua, to follow “the way of Bilaam, son of Beor” [II Peter 2:15], who appeal to “lustful desires of sinful human nature” [II Peter 2:18]; for these, Kefa teaches, there is no place in the k’hal of the Holy One. For them, Kefa says, “blackest darkness is reserved.” II Peter 2:17. “ (*1)
“A Just and righteous society, however, cannot be a pacifist society. Some things are worth fighting for. ….a willingness to go to war when war is what is necessary to defend the Holy One’s principles of justness and fairness against lawless nations.” (*1)
What the Hebrew teaches us
“The word mitzvah….usually mistranslated into English as ‘commandment,’ is actually a form of the word tzavah (tsade צ vav ו hey ה ) meaning, ‘to connect’ or ‘to attach’. A mitzvah is a God-ordained way to connect, or attach ourselves (to G-d)..” (*1)
“Chapter 22 of the scroll of D’varim [Deuteronomy], which we study today, contains many miscellaneous mitzvot [life instructions] the Holy One has prophesied that those who are His people will perform “when/as you go . . .” Remember, each mitzvah set forth in Torah is designed to function as a “gateway into the kingdom of Messiah”.
“That does not mean that performing the mitzvah will earn a person “salvation” – that would be a “works-righteousness” approach which is the opposite of Torah’s way. ……..
“Do you not realize that every single mitzvah of Torah reveals something – some unique aspect – of our Covenant Partner in Heaven’s goodness?
Each mitzvah is an atrium into which the glory of the God of Avraham, of Yitschak and of Ya’akov shines, bringing revitalizing light into the life of anyone who will enter into it, and promising a taste of the sweetness of life in the Gan Eden, before the Fall. “ (*1)
FOOTNOTES
*1 Bill Bullock’s discussion of KiTetze: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#label/Bill+Bullock/FMfcgxmVzTMtPFGFXnlqTsKGLVkkMMpl
*2 Rabbi Pini Hecht. Between vineyards and fields of grain. Parshat Ki Tetze. The Jewish Report. 28Ag-4Sep 2009.