So what is important in life?

 So what is important in life?  That is a very broad question that I’m sure different people answer differently.  Let’s focus on what is important for us to do in life in order to live our mission.  I’m not talking about our own personal needs like food, clothing and housing, etc.  I’m talking about what important responsibilities we have in order to fulfill Hashem’s will.  Most people identify religiosity with prayer, shul attendance, keeping Shabbat and kosher, and indeed those are all important and necessary to Jewish observance.  Nevertheless, as we read this week’s Parsha which has 74 out of the 613 Mitzvot, more than any other Parsha, we begin to see the importance of human to human interactions.  Conventional wisdom defines a religious person as one who appears holy or, as another religion puts it, a “church goer.”  Let’s take a look at some of the Mitzvot in the Parsha of Ki Teitzei.

 

It starts with treating captive women with dignity, then how parents should treat their children equitably whether we feel love for them or not.  It tales about treating a dead body with dignity, even of a person who was guilty of murder.  We are obligated to return lost items to their owners, and to look for them if we don’t know who they are.  To help someone unload an animal that is crouching under its load.  To show true respect for each other, recognizing the value of each gender, recognizing the beauty of how Hashem created us.  To protect people from dangers, like setting up a fence on a flat roof.  The importance of treating a spouse well and not to allow feelings of anger or hatred toward one another.  That rape is to be treated like murder – that we should proactively protect a potential victim at all costs.  To maintain a moral lifestyle and the sanctity of intimate relations.  To lend money to a fellow Jew without interest.  To keep our word.  To leave produce on the fields and orchards for the poor.  To pay employees on time.  To not blame or punish children for the sins of their parents.  We are not only forbidden from using inaccurate weights and measures, we are not even allowed to own such items.

 

This is a partial list of some of the Mitzvot in the Parsha.  We are now approaching the new year, and this is the time for us to consider what we are doing well and how to improve them, and what we need to fix in our behavior.  Perhaps the reason we read this Parsha at this time is to remind us that true connection to Hashem is expressed in how we behave toward His children.  It is definitely important to increase our Torah learning, our prayer and holy meditation, and the other Mitzvot that relate directly between us and Hashem.  It is customary to have our Mezuzot and Tefillin checked for kashrut by a scribe during the month of Elul.  (Contact our office to help with that.)  At the same time, the Torah places great emphasis on the human to human Mitzvot.  Tzedakah in abundance is, in fact, one of the most important Mitzvot for this time. 

 

Our Sages taught that it is because of unwarranted hatred that our Temple was destroyed and we were exiled.  The greatest New Year’s gift that Hashem can give us is to end the exile, rebuild the Holy Temple, and bring Divine revelation to the world.  The way to achieve this is to undo the cause of the exile, by showing “unwarranted” love for one another.  This is a great time to mend fences, to step back from disputes and apologize.  Along with making sure our Mezuzot are kosher, we must make sure that our business practices are kosher.  To ensure that we are treating others with dignity and kindness, and taking care of those less fortunate than us.

May we succeed in doing our part to make the mundane world a holier place, and bring about the actual redemption with Moshiach, and celebrate the New Year in the rebuilt Holy Temple.