September 14, 2024 · י"א אלול תשפ״ד
Parashat Ki Teitzei · פרשת כי תצא
A PEEK AT THE PARSHA Parshat Ki Teitzei contains more mitzvot than other parsha! The parsha begins discussing the inheritance laws and emphasizing fairness. Even when there is family conflict, all the children get an inheritance, and the oldest son is entitled to receive a double portion of his father’s estate. The Torah also introduces the concept of the Ben Sorer U’moreh, the wayward son. The Rabbis in the Gemara say that this story never happened and never could happen but there are still important lessons to learn. The punishment for such a child is very serious and it reminds us of the
ONE BIG IDEA In Ki Teitzei, we are told be tamim with Hashem. What does tamim mean? At the Seder, one of the 4 sons is the tam, and there it means “simple.” But we also know that Yaakov was described as an ish tam, and we know that Yaakov was very wise. So, what does tam/tamim mean? Some say that it means “content,” which is a combination of simple and wise. We should be wise enough to live a simple life, to know what is important and to not always be wanting more and more things.
importance of listening to our parents and our leaders. Next, the parsha discusses various mitzvot related to kindness and respect for others. These include returning lost objects, helping a neighbor with a fallen animal, and the prohibition against wearing clothes meant for the opposite gender. The parsha also commands kindness toward animals, such as sending away a mother bird before taking her eggs, and requiring farmers not to muzzle an ox while it works so that it can eat. A few times in the parsha we are reminded to be kind to the convert, orphan, and widow since we were once people who had difficult lives, when we were slaves in Egypt. Ki Teitzei also addresses fair treatment of workers, the prohibition against charging interest on loans to fellow Jews and ensuring fair business practices. The Parsha closes with a commandment to remember what Amalek did to Bnei Yisrael after they left Egypt, emphasizing the importance of erasing the memory of Amalek, a symbol of evil. Overall, Ki Teitzei teaches the importance of justice, compassion, and responsibility toward others in creating a moral society.
TIMES - זמנים Candle-lighting: 6:48pm Havdalah: 7:42pm allah: 5:25pm