Parashat Ki Teitze
This Parashat has around 74 commandments recorded and is the portion that has maximum mitzvah. This portion is taken from Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19.
“When you go to war” is how this Parashat starts. We all face conflicts and troubles in the course of our life and we need to be prepared for it. Our sermons should not always be showing the rosy picture but it should give instruction how to face war time. This torah portion talks on how to deal with a stubborn son.
“If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.”(Deut 21:18–21)
There were some commandments which causes a dilemma in the mind of a believer.
“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.”
The nations surrounding Israel had a culture that had detestable sexual practices. This verse should be taken in that context. When we don’t have a difference in gender and patterns of the particular gender, it gives rise to many complications. It can even harm the health.
If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.” (Deut 22:5–7)
How we treat wildlife particularly a bird’s nest determined the longevity of one’s life too. God regarded sanctity of life and he mandated that we would steward His creation well.
We also should not plant diverse seeds in a vineyard.
One strange commandment was “Do not despise an Edomite, because he is your brother. Do not despise the Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land.” (Deut. 23:8)
Though Israel suffered cruel bondage under Egypt, God remembered how they were supportive of them at the beginning when Joseph was there.
Edomites were also not supportive of Israel, yet God mandated that they should not despise an Edomite being Israel’s brother.
In his classic work, Leadership, James MacGregor Burns distinguishes between transactional and transformational leaders. The former address people’s interests. The latter attempt to raise their sights. “Transforming leadership is elevating. It is moral but not moralistic. Leaders engage with followers, but from higher levels of morality; in the enmeshing of goals and values both leaders and followers are raised to more principled levels of judgement.” Leadership at its highest level transforms those who exercise it and those who are influenced by it. The great leaders make people better, kinder, nobler than they would otherwise be. That was the achievement of Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, Gandhi and Mandela. The paradigm case was Moses, the man who had more lasting influence than any other leader in history.He did it by teaching the Israelites not to hate. A good leader knows: Hate the sin but not the sinner. Do not forget the past but do not be held captive by it. Be willing to fight your enemies but never allow yourself to be defined by them or become like them. Learn to love and forgive. Acknowledge the evil men do, but stay focused on the good that is in our power to do. Only thus do we raise the moral sights of humankind and help redeem the world we share(Rabbi Sacks-Covenant and Conversation)
We should not miss on one of the key verses in this Parashat that was the foundation for Paul’s exegesis in Galatians.
“His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”(DEUT 21:23)
Referring to this passage, St Paul expounded
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”(Gal 3:13–14)
