Ki Theze: passion

Ki Theze: passion

 

The Parsha contains several incidents of passion ... and its consequences. The captive woman bears  the wayward child, the seduced woman and the divorce ( yes, I am purposely skipping rape, it is too complex), adultery is a capital offense.

 

The common understanding is that religion offers  alternative to passion.  really, it generates new, nationalistic passions. The parsha ends with the never ending hatred of Amaklek and contains the everlasting animus toward Moab and Ammmon. 

 

The parsha  also uses the language of passion: toavah - disgust, which in the Shlomo world of distorted etymology is related to taavah passion

 

Give passion its due:  without it we would not be here and yet we are here despite its murderous side.

Shoftim:

Shoftim: memories of egla arufa

 

Every art has  receptor, a sense that that the art appeals to. Music: hearing, dance: motion. Literature appeals to memory. 

 

The egla arufa is calf that is killed in an unusual, cruel manner as expiation for a cold case murder.   The evoked memories includes the murder committed by Cain, where he is asked, Where is your brother?  ( Breshith 4:9).  The story of Cain and Hevel involves a denial of responsibility and a denial of place. the  egla arufa  involves identification of place ( measuring the distance to the nearest city)  and acceptance of responsibility by the elders of  that city.  Note that Cain must then wander and is banished form the city....and he becomes a city builder (4:17)

 

The story of the brothers attempting the murder of Joseph is strongly evoked.  The Rabbis say that Joseph and Jacob were studying the law of egla arufa just before Joseph was sent to find the brothers who tried to kill him. ( Breshith  45: 27 Rashi)  When Joseph sent wagons ( agaloth) to carry Jacob and his household down to Egypt, Jacob was reminded of his last interaction with Joseph.

 

 Any aygel must remind the listener of the golden calf. The loss of the vision that  a single being sees all allows the murderer to do his evil deed.

 

Re'eh: distinctions

Re'eh: distinctions

 

 רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם  בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה 

Re'eh begins with the word look - no LOOK!.But what is there to see? 

 

Previously the Bnei  Y were admonished to recognize that they heard a disembodied voice, something that cannot be seen. קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים וּתְמוּנָה אֵינְכֶם רֹאִים זוּלָתִי קוֹל  (Dvarim 4:12)

 

Now they ( we) are told to  that there is a blessing and a curse placed before  them(us).   We are asked to make a clear distinction between between things we cannot see - between us and them.

Eikev: trampled

Eikev: trampled

 

The  word Eikev is a thread in Genesis.  The closest association of this word  is with Yaakov whose name is derived form Eikev, in the sense of the heel of the foot.  Yaakov is born hanging on to the heel of Eisav (who is trampling him)

 

Yaakov eventually takes to his heels ( runs away) from  Eisav and in his downtrodden state Gd appears to him in a dream ... and Yaakov proposes a deal.  If Gd will take care of him, Yaakov will recognize the lordship of Gd and give Gd  a tithe. 

 

In Devarim, Moshe proposes the other end of that deal to the children of Israel (nee Yaakov). Perhaps it is just a reminder of the previous deal , the deal that Yaakov entered into on behalf of his descendants.  (The parsha says that the agreement is not with the unborn descendants).

 

What deals did my parents make when they were downtrodden?