Parshat Ki Tavo

Parshat Ki Tavo
September 19, 2008/ 19 Elul 5768

"Now if you will listen, truly listen, to the voice of God..." (Deut 28:1)

One of the stylistic features of Biblical Hebrew is that it often repeats key verbs twice in order to emphasize their importance. Traditional commentators, who operate from a paradigm in which not a single word in the Torah is without the possibility of meaning, find profound insights in many of these seemingly unnecessary repetitions.

In this week's portion, Ki Tavo, we are instructed that if we listen to God's commandments, then we will enjoy numerous blessings. This is a theme which is articulated again and again throughout the Book of Deuteronomy. However, in this instance the verb "sh'ma," "to listen," is repeated twice, making a proper translation something close to: "if you will listen, truly listen..."

The S'fat Emet, the Hasidic commentary of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter of Ger, suggests that the dual use of the verb "to listen" teaches us that while the voice of God is inside us all the time, we are often unable or unwilling to hear it. He writes:

"The living soul constantly hears the voice of the Torah, but this too is hidden from us. This is why the verse says: 'listen, listen'-- listen to that which you already are hearing." (S'fat Emet, Ki Tavo #2, trans. Rabbi Art Green)

In more down-to-earth language, I think that he means that our heart knows a lot more than our head is either willing or able to accept. Sometimes we all make choices which we know deep down are wrong, but in our head we find a way to justify them. We all have dreams that our reason ignores or tells us are impossible. We all know what it feels like to have a gut feeling about something or someone, but often we shut it down before we can truly listen to its message.

This parsha teaches us that many blessings are available to us as soon as we begin to listen to that which we are already hearing-- as soon as we open our minds to the wisdom that we already hold inside of us. This Shabbat, let's all make a point of trying to listen to what our hearts and guts are telling us-- it just might be the Voice of God.

Parshat Shoftim

Parshat Shoftim
September 5, 2008/ 5 Elul 5768

"When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them." (Deut. 20:19)

Parshat Shoftim is the source of a key principle in Jewish law-- bal tashchit -- one must not destroy. The rabbinic tradition understands this as a general prohibition against any wanton destruction or unnecessary wasting of resources. As the great Jewish legal philosopher Maimonides explains:

"Whoever breaks vessels, or tears garments, or destroys a building, or clogs a well, or does away with food in a destructive manner violates the negative commandment of bal tashchit." (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 6:10)

In modern times, many have understood this prohibition as the basis for a religious environmental ethic. They argue that our reckless attitude toward the Earth's precious and limited resources is not only a bad idea, it is a sin. One particularly fascinating element of this contemporary understanding of bal tashchit is that Jewish thinkers of all ideological backgrounds, from Reform to Orthodox, have come to similar conclusions about the religious necessity of environmental conservation.

This week, in place of a full d'var torah (I'm in the midst of packing for Israel), I want to share a text from Sampson Raphael Hirsch, the ideological founder of Modern Orthodox Judaism. His words speak with force and eloquence about the religious mandate to be stewards of our planet. We ignore them at our own peril.

Shabbat Shalom.

Sampson Raphael Hirsch
Horeb #56

"God's call proclaims to you, "Do not destroy anything! Be a mentsh [good person]! Only if you use the things around you for wise human purposes, sanctified by the word of My teaching, only then are you a mentsh and have the right over them which I have given you as a human. However, if you destroy, if you ruin, at that moment you are not a human but an animal and have no right to the things around you.

I lent them to you for wise use only; never forget that I lent them to you. As soon as you use them unwisely, be it the greatest or the smallest, you commit treachery against My world, you commit murder and robbery against My property, you sin against Me!" This is what God calls unto you, and with this call does God represent the greatest and the smallest against you and grants the smallest as also the greatest a right against your presumptuousness...

In truth, there is no one nearer to idolatry than one who can disregard the fact that things are the creatures and property of God, and who presumes also to have the right, having the might, to destroy them according to a presumptuous act of will."