Ki Tetze "Defining And Strengthening Our Communities"

Davar Torah 5769 Ki Tetze
“Defining and Strengthening Our Communities”

Torah: Deuteronomy 21.10-25.19 Haftarah: Isaiah 54.1-10

This week’s parasha, Ki Tetze, contains over seventy laws covering a wide variety of topics including the following: 

 •Respect for parents
 •Caring for others property and returning lost items
 •Appropriate dress
 •Concern for animals
 •Care of crops and fields
 •Sexual purity and marital integrity
 •Protection for unloved wives and children
 •Individual responsibility to care for those in need
 •Just laws and punishments 
 •Honest business practices 
 •Loans, interest and vows
 •Proper treatment and payment of workers

This is quite an assortment and it's not even a complete list. Despite their diversity, most of the laws covered in Ki Tetze do have something in common: They are laws governing personal life rather than communal worship and functions. However, as John Donne wrote, "No man is an island, entire of itself." Communities are made up of individuals and even those actions we view as personal or private affect the community as a whole, even if the link isn't immediately apparent. Or, as the rabbis of the Talmud put it in Shavuot 39a, "all Jews are responsible for one another." Even those laws that apply to our personal lives are important to the strength of the community as a whole.

 This is no less true today, whatever the community: whether families, nations, professions, or the Jewish people.

Laws define a community, giving it structure and unity. And the laws people choose to follow and respect help define which communities they consider themselves a part of as well. Whether it's following "house rules" as part of a family, keeping civil laws as responsible citizens, or adhering to high standards in our professions; the laws we keep show others what we are proud to be part of. As Jews we have laws that define us as well - like those in our parasha. As we look at the laws in Ki Tetze, we see some that clearly set the Israelites apart from the nations around them; such as not wearing wool and linen together, separating crops from one another, and not charging a fellow Jew interest. But many of the laws seem quite common and universal: respecting parents, being honest in business, and returning lost objects. Both the distinctive and the general laws were important to Israelite society as a whole.

It is the same with us as a Jewish community today. Whether we think of them as laws, mitzvot, or halakhah; the laws of our community give it structure and strength. Some make us distinct and different such as lighting candles and taking a break from our everyday activities on Shabbat, keeping kosher, and observing Jewish holidays, festivals and lifecycle events.

 Others are not so distinctive. They reflect the values and actions that are expected from all in our society. However, when we keep even these laws as Jews, because they are mitzvot and not just as general principles, we identify ourselves as part of the Jewish people. Societal issues such as care for the disadvantaged, fair labor practices and concern for the environment offer us opportunities to look at distinctly Jewish sources for guidance and inspiration as we address them. One of the strengths of Judaism is that it has a lot of wisdom to offer in dealing with concerns such as these. For the ancient rabbis, as well as us today, Judaism is about much more than just ritual and connection to God. Though covenant with God through Torah is the foundation, Judaism is also about how we connect to one another and the world around us. As Jews, we are not an island either. This is one of the things I appreciate most about Judaism in general, and Conservative Judaism in particular. Conservative Judaism, with its particular approach to Jewish law, allows our faith to both strengthen us as a distinct Jewish community as well as inspire us to touch the world around us rather than just staying isolated on our own.

 When we choose to respect and embrace mitzvot as Conservative Jews -- both those that make us distinct as Jews and those that allow us to have an impact on the world around us in a distinctly Jewish way -- we define and strengthen both our ties to God and our own Jewish identity along with strengthening our synagogue and the greater Jewish community. As we read the mitzvot in today’s parasha, I invite you to join me in considering how many – both public and private, distinct and common - are part of your own life.

 As we are now in the month of Elul, when we reflect on the year past in preparation for the fast approaching holidays, now is a good time to both recognize all we have accomplished as well as set goals for more growth in the year ahead. Even the smallest change will make us stronger both as individuals and as a community.

 Shabbat Shalom 

Karla Worrell
kjworrell@gmail.com

 Delivered at Temple Beth-El Richmond VA 29 August 2009