Ki Theitza: What if

The parsha plays on the  multiple meanings of ki; if, when, because, so that...Ki conveys a sense of cause along with probability.  It lives in the actuarial world.  Ki deals with things that will happen by the "laws" of probability, but we don't know how or when  or  to whom  they will happen, 

We do not know when, or if, the Israelite soldier will go out to fight a war.  But we begin, now, to deal with the contingency of his finding a woman among the captives overwhelmingly attractive,  The junior son will, occasionally be favored over the firstborn ( it has happened before.) An occasional adolescent son will become a rebellious, sodden, glutton who is a danger to society.

The parsha deals with contingencies.  It is the forerunner  of  insurance. It recognizes the virtual certainty of the infrequent 

It also recognizes catalysis, how circumstances may make certain behaviors more probable.  War leads to lust, lust leads to fatigue , fatigue leads to contempt,  A domino effect, sequential catalysts. 

Over a large population, such problems are so likely that they can be considered inevitable, 

Don't be a statistic!