Parasha Ki Tetzei
SAN DIEGO — This week’s parasha, literally meaning, “When you go out…” opens with a description of facing war with enemies. The parasha however covers a treasure trove of mitzvot involving family, work, sexuality, justice and general daily living. What’s one got to do with the others?
From weights and measures and collecting debts in a righteous way, to proper ways to divorce, keeping promises, and male garments upon women and women’s garments on men, and so many more, Moses recites these with seeming ease. Following these mitzvot, however, isn’t so easy for most people.
Perhaps the parasha is more about another war with our real enemy, our internal mindset. Moving against our nature, especially lifting ourselves beyond our natural impulses and desires, is a struggle, a fight with our “yetzer hara” or “evil inclination.”
The Chovos Halevavos points to this in his commentary saying, “Your greatest enemy in the world is your evil inclination.” Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter, known as the S’fat Emet, described this internal struggle common to us all and teaches that while it’s essentially impossible to constantly, perfectly, overcome making bad choices, it is possible because, “G-d will deliver it into your hand” – we just have to be mindful and open to receive it from Him. What is this “it”?
We learn in the Talmud, in tractate Kedushin, that what G-d delivers to us is an antidote for our misguided confusion, erroneous beliefs and misleading thoughts. What is His antidote? The Torah, our “tree of life.”
An interesting mitzvah among the many described in Ki Tetzei is that of “hashavat aveidah,” the obligation to return a lost object to its owner.
But what is this mitzvah about? Is it just about returning a lost object? No. It’s more about overcoming our inner impulse to not do what’s right, to avoid restoring order in the world, therefore it’s about character development. Think way outside of the box and see how this can apply to many areas of life – including restoring lost health. Maimonides actually refers to this mitzvah as the basis for restoring a person’s health.
Within the coming weeks, we are being asked to return, “teshuva,” to restore what is missing, lost, in our lives. How can we help others restore what they’ve lost, as well? Consider inviting friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers who may not be attending High Holiday services, who don’t attend a Shabbat meal, to participate with you. By sharing our heritage with others, in any way with no pressure or judgment, we will have done a great deal in fulfilling the mitzvah of “hashavat aveidah,” and overcoming our own yetzer hara.
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Dr. Mantell writes a d’var Torah each week for Young Israel of San Diego, where he and his family worship.