Ki Tavo; Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8 By Rabbi Denise L. Eger

This week’s torah portion, Ki Tavo brings great joy with it! This week details many important mitzvot connected with the Land of Israel and the fulfillment of the covenantal promise by God to the Israelite. It describes a special ceremony at the foot of Mt. Gezerim and Mt. Ebal where the twelve tribes affirm their commitment to the covenant. It makes clear that the Children of Israel will cross over from the wilderness of the Plains of Moab into the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. What hope! What joy as the journey will soon be complete!

This portion must be read on many levels. Of course in the linear story of the Israelites freed from slavery in Egypt, this chapter is part of Moses’ exhortations to the Children of Israel in his final days. But this portion can be read beyond time! Only six weeks ago, the Jewish people observed Tisha B’av, the ninth of Av, that marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. In each case we, the Jewish people, were cast into exile. The first time in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and their king, Nebuchadnezzar and then we were exiled again in the year 70 CE by the Roman army. Jewish sovereignty and power was diminished and defeated. In these weeks following we continue to mourn our fate trying to understand how God’s covenant could have seemingly been withdrawn. According to the Talmud the first Temple, Solomon’s temple was destroyed because idolatry had crept into Jewish practice. The Second Temple, according to the Talmud was destroyed because of the sin of Sinat Chinam, wanton hatred of Jew against Jew. Each week following there are special Haftarot that articulate our pain of loss and exile and our hope for a renewed covenant with God.

Yet, we as we read this portion we have hope that all will not be lost forever. We will again cross into the Promised Land. “When you enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you as a heritage….” (Deut. 26:1). Just hearing those words read aloud reminds us that we can be restored and our people can be restored in the land! This portion helped us keep faith through more than 2000 years that the covenantal promise of Eretz Yisrael could be real. But even deeper than land itself, the covenantal promise of a restored and healed relationship with the Holy One is possible. The text outlines the various ceremonies that affirm that sacred relationship with the Divine but on a deeper level remind us as we zoom toward a new year that teshuvah, repentance must be on our minds and in our actions. If we truly want to heal our relationship with God and others then true and honest repentance of our errors and sins must be part of the formula.

As we approach both the Promised Land in this week’s portion and the Promised Land of a New Year we pray that a new beginning is soon upon us all and that the joy and blessing of starting over brings a renewed and refreshed energy and hope in the days and weeks ahead.

Parshat Ki Tizeh; Deut. 21:10 -25:19 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

As we are in the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish calendar, we are to take seriously the task of preparation and introspection in anticipation of the New Year which will soon be upon us. We are supposed to begin the cheshbon hanefesh—taking an accounting of our soul. We are to look inward at our deeds and actions in the past year and begin the process of teshuvah—repentance and turning our life around in a new direction. We are supposed to look closely at our relationships and clean up those problem areas of hurt feelings, grudges, perceived wrongs, and slights not only foisted upon us but those we have foisted upon others. And of course not only are we to examine the state of our relationships with other people, we are also to examine our relationship with God. Ask yourself who have I hurt with my words? Who have I disappointed this year? Is there someone with whom my manner has been brusque or someone who I feel has wronged me? Have I ignored my relationship with God? Have I asked God for help in repairing my spirit and attitude?

This is a lot of work to do in these hot summer final weeks!

Perhaps our mindset is more on vacation and taking advantage of long summer evenings than this kind of important work. Yet this is precisely the best time! School is out for the most kids, perhaps your children are even away at camp. At work people are in and out on vacations and so perhaps the usual office dramas and traumas are lessened. And those that have returned from vacation are often in a better mood than when they left having had some renewal time. Even if we are on vacation ourselves –giving ourselves permission to think more deeply about our own spiritual needs and the spiritual environment we create for ourselves through our relationships with others is excellent vacation work and precisely because you are not having to deal with some day to day pressures of work life, you might allow yourself the luxury of some time to reflect!

Interestingly our Torah portion this week, Ki Tizeh there is an interesting passage about what happens if you find someone’s ox or sheep that has gone astray. The torah tells us “Do not ignore it you must take it back to your fellow” (22:1) This is good advice for all those relationship nuances as well. Do not ignore it. Pay attention and if your relationship with your neighbor, co-worker, partner, spouse, brother, child, aunt, parent, friend, cousin, employee, boss, has gone astray—Do not ignore it. Take it back to your fellow! Now is the season of repair, repentance and yes, even forgiveness. Just as the portion tells us to return the ox or sheep to its owner if possible –we too are to get our relationships in balance and in their proper places, if possible.

This includes not only our relationships with other people but with God. So as the month of Elul is here and Rosh Hashanah only a few weeks away—let us not ignore the work that needs to be done in setting our relationship in the right frame and balance. Even in the hot final days of August allow yourself some time for consideration and thinking and reflecting. Come Yom Kippur –you will definitely be glad to have done so!

Parshat Shofetim; Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9 By: Rabbi Denise L.Eger

This week’s Torah portion Shofetim, has many instructions for wartime. Of course in the book of Deuteronomy the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land and anticipating battles with the local tribes and cities. So the information contained in this week’s portion is important to the Israelites. It contains important rules for how they must conduct themselves as they seek to fulfill God’s promise that the Land of Canaan will become Eretz Yisrael.

One of the most interesting parts of their rules of engagement has to do with the Israelites own exceptions for its soldiers. In every battle, there are soldiers who are not prepared to fight. Perhaps they are conscientious objectors or there are issues in their lives that will distract them from their jobs. Most recently an American soldier in Iraq left to rescue her children from her ex-husband’s home where there was continued domestic violence. She had sought permission 3 times from her commanding officer to extend her leave which indeed was granted. But it can only be extended three times. She did not return because she had no one with which to leave her children. She was declared AWOL-away without leave. Thankfully, when she did show up to the nearest base, with her children in tow, commanding officers compassionately understood the situation and rather than prosecute her (which was their right according to the Military Code of Justice) they granted her an honorable discharge. They recognized that she had a responsibility to keep her children safe that moved beyond her responsibility and vow to serve in the military.

So too our torah portion outlines several cases where the Israelite leadership must allow soldiers to return home and not fulfill their military service. Four cases, are cited. These include anyone who has built a house but not dedicated it; anyone who has planted a vineyard but not harvested it; any one who has gotten engaged to be married but not married yet; and anyone who is afraid. (Deuteronomy 20:5-8)

Our tradition understood that anxiety and fear infects and affects troop morale. If their mind was at always focused on unfinished business at home, then it was difficult to do their job and God’s work. The priest had to determine if a soldier was ready to fulfill his sacred duties.

If someone was really afraid it also meant that their faith was weak. For the Israelites believed that God was at their side in time of war-whether it was an obligatory war (milchemet mitzvah) or a pre-emptive war which was considered optional (milchemet reshut). Thus if a soldier’s faith waned and fear got the best of him, he would hardly be at top of his game. And his fears when shared with others could possibly reduce the effectiveness of the entire company or brigade. Thus sending the soldier home even before the start of any engagement was important. In later Jewish writings, the pre-emptive war, which was optional, was the only kind of war where these exemptions were applied.

Today our own American soldiers continue to endlessly fight in a milchemt reshut—not an obligatory war but what clearly was a pre-emptive, optional war. We must figure out a way to bring our troops home – and allow our brave and courageous troops the opportunity to be reunited with their families and taken out of harms way. Perhaps some of these traditional exemptions from our Torah could be applied to bring home more of our soldiers quickly and speedily without fear of repercussions.

Parsaht Re’eh; Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Re’eh is a very long Torah portion. In part, Parshat Re’eh’s length can be attributed to Moses’ trying to make sure every detail of Torah is conveyed to the Children of Israel before he ascends to heaven. These five chapters of Torah cover many diverse laws and statutes. Many have to deal with what happens when the Children of Israel will actually cross over the Jordan and live in the holy land of Israel. “These are the laws and rules which you must carefully observe in the land that Adonai, God of your fathers, is giving you to posses as long as you live on the earth” (Deut. 12:1).

Their first objective must be to purify the land from idolatry. “You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshipped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree. Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site” (Deut. 12:2-3). This is shocking to us. The Children of Israel are told to destroy the local peoples’ places of worship. The many pagan religions of the area of the Land of Israel are seen as a pariah and plague that infects God’s holy and chosen land of Eretz Yisrael. Like a disease on the land, the pagan altars and places of sacrifice must be dealt with forcefully and must be purged.

Why is this the manner in which God tells the Children of Israel to deal with the locals who are living in this land already?

First and foremost, there is something unique about this land according to God. This land is unlike any other in that it is holy land, set apart, unique, and according to the Israelite view of the world Divine in its essence. Thus the presence of pagan altars and their gods and goddesses made the land itself impure. The only way to purify and ensure that the sacrifices that will be made to Adonai are not tainted is to rid the land of all pagan influences. We have seen this command before in Exodus and earlier in Deuteronomy. This portion tells us too that God will centralize the Israelite worship. God will choose a place to build the Temple and it is there that the Children of Israel, all the tribes, will worship. “…look only to the site that Adonai your God will choose,” (Deut. 12:5). Moses and God wants there to be no confusion as to how to worship Adonai. They want ensure that Israelite religion will remain as God instructed and local practices should not creep in Israelite worship.

Often when a new power comes in local shrines and worship sites are co-opted. There are many cases in history of synagogues that became churches and then later mosques and then churches once again depending upon who controlled specific land or areas. One of the reasons for the command to destroy these pagan altars is so that the Children of Israel do not co-opt any of these pagan holy sites but wait for God to choose the site that the Mishkan will come to rest and eventually the Temple will be built.

Secondly, these local ways are tempting to the Israelites. On their journey thus far they have already been tempted by the Moabite women into paganism (See Parshat Pinchas) and their idol worship used as a tool militarily against the Children of Israel as a weakness. Ridding the land of the local pagan sites helps to guard against such temptations for the Israelites and such weaknesses. As the land was to be purified so too the People of Israel were to be pure and not diluted with foreigners that might bring their gods and their ways to weaken Israel’s commitment to its God and to the mitzvot.

But today these verses give us heartache and trouble. It is difficult to imagine that we might destroy another’s place of worship. They are hardly conducive to interfaith dialogue!

What is the way we can understand these verses today?

We must hear the voice of torah that asks us emphatically to guard ourselves against idolatry at every turn. We must smash any idolatrous practice that has crept into our own lives. This isn’t to be directed at other religions or other traditions but we must look deep within our own daily rituals and practices to make sure that we live up to our Jewish ideals. When we turn our backs on Jewish living it is as if we are practicing idolatry.

So this week take some time to think through and examine your own heart and actions and as our prayerbook says, “ V’taher libeinu l’avdecha b’emet- May we purify our hearts to serve You in truth.”