Shabbat Table Talk
Parashat Ki Teitzei –Erev Shabbat 24 August 2018
Torah portion:Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-55:5
In Parashat Ki Teitzei, Moses gives the laws regarding individuals, their families and their neighbors. This is in contrast with the preceding chapters where Moses exhorts the Israelites to obey laws regarding public officials and the nation and on the laws regarding the sanctuary and the rites and festivals celebrated within it as part of their preparation to enter the Promised Land.
The parashat has seventy-four of the Torah’s 613 commandments (mitzvot). They include specific rules on family relationships and daily living; and on interpersonal ethics, justice, responsibility, work and sexuality.
The first of these are the three family laws (Deut 21:10-21) on marriage with a woman captured in war, the right of the firstborn in a polygamous family and on punishment of an insubordinate son. These are followed by the lawson the body of executed criminal (vv 22-23).
There are laws on marital and sexual misconduct specifically on premarital chastity, false accusation, tassels of garments, true accusations and forbidden relationships (23:1-9; 24:1-4).
There are also miscellaneous domestic laws dealing with property, domestic animals, clothing, houses and vineyard (22:1-2) and on the sanctity of the military camps, asylum for escaped prisoners, lending of interest, timely fulfillment of vows, what creditors may not seize, fair wages, proper weights and measures and gleanings for the poor.
The parashat ends with the seemingly contradictory commandments to “obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from the heavens” and “not forget!”
There are wide-ranging topics in the parashat and most are far from self-explanatory and may need lengthy discussion and interpretation. Is there rhyme and the reason? Is there a running thread? I agree with a comment in the EtzHayim that one theme is prominent in the parashah: “the irreducible dignity of the human being.” Even those considered as marginal members of society, such as the executed criminal, the female war captive, the escaped slave, the poor who could pay his/her debt or the hungry who depend on gleanings are to be treated with dignity as they are fashioned in the image of God and are to be treated accordingly.
The commandment regarding the Amalek may also give us a hint of what the parashat is all about. Amalek was an ancient biblical nation living near the land of Canaan. The Amalekites were the first to attack the Israelites who were “faint and weary” recuperating from their escape from Egypt. They made a surprise attack on the Israelites and killed the old, the weak and the infirm. Because of this and despite the miracle of the ten plagues, the parting of the sea and the escape from Egypt, some Israelites in their sadness and suffering (they were also thirsty and hungry) doubtedand asked: Is God among us?
The Amalek is long gone. But it is seen as the essence of baseless, irrational indifference. What it represents constitutes the archenemy of the Jewish people and their mission in life. How is one to respond to Amalek? How does one deal with apathy, cynicism or doubt? The answer found in theparashat is simply one word: Zachor(Remember).
To remember includes to remember what God has done and what the Amalek did to the old, weak and infirm. It is a command to keep faith in God’s mercy and to be thankful for our blessings. It is also a command to be merciful for others especially those in need.
Today, gemitlutchassadim, literally meaning “the giving of loving-kindness” is a mitzvah (a command) in the everyday life of Jews. It is also a commandment for Christians. Some examples of gemilutchassadim are the ones enumerated in Matthew’s Gospel: clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick, bury the dead, comfort mourners, among others.
Reflection and Discussion: 1) What do you consider to be the biggest commandment of God regarding your family and neighbors? 2) What is the hardest commandment to fulfill? 3) What’s your most recent act of loving kindness, for whom?
Bibliography:EtzHayim: Torah and Commentary (New York, 2001), The Catholic Study Bible, New American Bible Revised Edition (Oxford, New York, 2011) and http;//www.chabad.org.
This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by
Miner Generalao, Philippines. Bat Kol Alumni July 2014
Email address: mayneer@gmail.com
[Copyright © 2018]
PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol. The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes. Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.
Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem
~~1983–2018~~
“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”
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When compared with other Psalms, the “Wisdom Psalms” including Ps. 34, are “more conscious of God’s presence in daily life”; they convey “reflection and calm strength, with moderation and appreciation for the learning experience” of each day (Stuhlmueller, 180). Urging us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord, these verses of Ps. 34 invite us to probe the quite disparate and somewhat dramatic readings from Kings, Ephesians, and John, to discover how the Psalm holds them together and illumines the insights they offer.
In Parashat Re’eh, Moses exhorts the Israelites to be obedient as he presents the laws regarding the sanctuary and the rites and festivals celebrated within it. He also instructs them on the laws regarding holiness, idolatry, false prophets, clean and unclean foods, tithes, freeing slaves, among others.
John uses a distinct vocabulary in the gospel and such words as truth, life, light carry a spiritual significance. Frequently, he has a dialogue as the focus of the teaching in which clarification and strengthening of faith would be possible. The people who had witnessed the multiplication of the loaves now followed Jesus and expected to be fed again. There was much misunderstanding and confusion in how they heard the words that Jesus spoke to them.
We hear in the First Reading, Elisha insisted “Give it to the people to eat, for thus says the Lord, They shall eat and there shall be some left over” (2Kg 4:43). This beautiful little tradition prefigures the miraculous feeding of the Gospel. The bread is multiplied to feed the poor. Earlier in (2Kg 4:1-7) tells of the widow who, like the widow of Zarephath (1Kg 17:7-16) has only a small jar of oil, but its amount multiplies so that she is able to fill all the empty vessels she can find. It also echoes something in the Gospel of Mathew, “you have received freely, give it freely”(Mt10:8-10). Elisha, upon seeing the supplies, did not hesitate but commanded the man to give the food so that others may eat.
In this week’s parashah ‘words’ are again in focus. The quality of how words are heard is significant, even a matter of life and death. (6:34) God uses words to dynamically engage in people’s lives and, in turn, the people’s own narrative is shaped by their response, as can be seen in the covenantal theme of all that God has done for the people and what they must do in response. (6:20-25)