[Par-reg] For Parshat Ki-teyze
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Thu Sep 4 16:08:42 EDT 2014
*********************************************
****************
THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag
*********************************************
****************
PARSHAT KI-TETZEH - shiur #1
Mitzvot, and more mitzvot; and all kinds
of mitzvot -
that would certainly sums up Parshat
Ki-Tetzeh. Yet, it's not
clear why we find such a wide assortment and
random
progression of laws specifically at this
point in Sefer
Devarim?
In this week's shiur, we attempt to
explain why - by
exploring an intriguing parallel to the Ten
Commandments,
while considering (once again) the overall
theme of the 'main
speech' of Sefer Devarim.
INTRODUCTION
As Parshat Ki-Tetzeh is located towards
the end of the
main speech of Sefer Devarim, we begin our
study with a quick
review of the overall structure of that
speech in order to
appreciate its location:
* MOSHE'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS (5:1-6:3)
Explaining when these mitzvot were
originally given (i.e.
at Ma'amad Har Sinai) and why Bnei Yisrael
heard them
from Moshe (and not directly from God).
* THE 'MITZVA' SECTION (chapters 6 - 11)
Mitzvot relating primarily to 'ahavat
Hashem':- the
proper attitude towards God and the
underlying obligation
to observe His mitzvot and not to follow
other gods.
* THE 'CHUKIM & MISHPATIM' SECTION
(chapters 12-26)
A wide assortment of commandments
pertaining to the
establishment of an 'am kadosh' [a holy
nation], its
institutions, and various laws pertaining
to daily life
in the Land of Israel.
Therefore, Parshat Ki-Tetzeh (chapters
21 thru 25) forms
an integral part of the chukim & mishpatim
section, and
continues the laws found in Re'eh (chapters
12 thru 16) and
Shoftim (chapters 17 thru 20).
Nonetheless, the laws in Ki-Tetzeh appear
to be quite
different. Recall how the mitzvot in Re'eh
focused on the
establishment of national institutions such
as the national
center - 'ha-makom asher yivchar Hashem',
and 'shmitta'
economic system, and the national pilgrimage
holidays, etc.
Similarly, Parshat Shoftim discussed the
institutions of
national leadership such as the judges, the
supreme court, the
king, the 'navi' , etc, cities of refuge and
laws governing
the army and war.
In contrast, the focus of Parshat
Ki-Tetzeh seems to
shift from mitzvot related to the nation as a
whole to mitzvot
directed towards the individual. As you scan
through the
Sedra, note how virtually all of its mitzvot,
despite their
variety, all relate in one manner or other to
the behavior of
the individual within the framework of the
society, and most
all of them fall within the category of 'bein
adam le-
chavero'.
A LOGICAL PROGRESSION
One could suggest a very logical reason
for this order of
presentation. Considering that the purpose
of these mitzvot
in the main speech is Bnei Yisrael's creation
of an am kadosh
in the land which they prepare to conquer
(see 6:1, 14:1-2 &
26:16-19), the speech must first and foremost
address the
establishment of the national institutions.
Once this
national framework is achieved (e.g. a
judicial system, an
organized system of educators and national
leaders, a national
center, etc.), a more suitable environment
will exist to
facilitate and encourage the fulfillment of
the numerous
mitzvot bein adam le-chavero that relate to
the daily life of
each individual. Without an organized court
system and a
functioning political entity, it would be
quite difficult to
establish a society characterized by 'tzedek
u-mishpat'.
Although this reasoning line adequately
explains the
overall structure of this unit (i.e. the
progression from
Parshat Shoftim to Parshat Ki-Tetzeh), it
does not account for
the internal sequence within this Parsha. To
explain this
arrangement, our shiur will follow the
approach of Rav David
Tzvi Hoffman, who demonstrates that the
mitzvot of the main
speech in Sefer Devarim follow the order of
the aseret ha-
dibrot [the Ten Commandments].
THE PARALLEL TO THE DIBROT
To properly identify and appreciate this
parallel, we
must first draw a distinction between the
first two
commandments and the remaining eight.
Recall that the first two dibrot deal
primarily with the
concept of 'emuna', fundamental belief in
God, and the
consequent prohibition against worshipping
other so-called
deities. As such, these two dibrot form the
very foundation
of our relationship with God. The remaining
eight
commandments involve concrete, practical
mitzvot, through
which this fundamental principle is
implemented and manifest
in daily life.
[Recall as well that the first two dibrot
are recorded in
first person, while the remaining eight are
in third
person. See Ramban's explanation for this
in his
commentary on Shmot 20:4 (i.e. the reason
for the switch
from first to third person in the third
dibbur).]
Corresponding to this division within
the dibrot, the
mitzvot of the main speech of Sefer Devarim
also divide into
two very distinct categories:
1)The mitzva section, dealing primarily with
the issue of
emuna, and hence parallel to the first two
dibrot
2) The chukim & mishpatim section, the
practical mitzvot
and hence, parallel to the remaining
eight dibrot
Taking this parallel one step further,
one may suggest
that the dibrot also provide the general
framework for all the
mitzvot in the main speech of Sefer Devarim,
and hence its
mitzvot progress in topical order, similar
and corresponding
to the sequence of the Ten Commandments. In
this sense, each
group of mitzvot in Sefer Devarim could be
understand as an
'expansion' upon the underlying principle of
each dibbur.
[To borrow an analogy from Hilchot Shabbat,
the dibrot
serve as 'avot' (primary categories), while
the mitzvot
in the main speech may be considered
'toladot' (secondary
categories).]
The rationale for this parallel is
clear. The mitzvot of
the main speech are the laws to be observed
upon entering the
Land (see 6:1). Thus, these laws apply the
abstract
principles established in the dibrot to the
realities of life
in the Land of Israel - conquering,
occupying, settling and
establishing a nation.
Let's use a table to show how our
analysis works:
CHAPTERS DIBUR TOPIC IN THE MAIN SPEECH
-------- -----
------------------------
[THE 'MITZVA' SECTION]
6 -11 I 'Ahavat Hashem', emuna
II Not worshipping 'avoda zara'
(parallel to the first
two dibrot)
[THE 'CHUKIM U-MISHPATIM' SECTION]
12-14 III Establishing God's Name in the
mikdash
["ha-makom asher yivchar Hashem
leshaken shmo sham"]
(parallel to not saying God's
Name in vain)
15-16 IV The seven year Shmitta cycle
and the holidays
(parallel to Shabbat)
17-18 V The national leaders (shoftim,
kohanim & levi'im,
melech, and navi)
(parallel to honoring
parents)
19-21 VI Laws of war, murder, and
capital punishment
(parallel to 'lo
tirtzach')
21-25 VII-X Misc. laws 'bein adam
le-chavero'
(parallel to the final
dibrot)
[Before analyzing this structure in detail,
a word of
clarification is in order. The fact that
the dibrot
create the framework for the entire speech
does not mean
that there can be no digression whatsoever
from this
general arrangement. The dibrot merely
establish a
general pattern; this does not constrain
the internal
structure of the individual parshiot. We
may (and
should) find isolated exceptions to this
structure, but
they in no way undermine or violate the
general pattern.]
Let's take a few minutes to explain the
parallels cited
in the table above.
THE 'MITZVA' SECTION AND THE FIRST TWO DIBROT
As we explained in detail in our shiur
on Parshat Va-
etchanan, the mitzva section of the main
speech contains
primarily mitzvot relating to ahavat Hashem
as well as
numerous warnings against avoda zara
(worshipping other gods).
These mitzvot of the mitzva section simply
apply the
principles of the first two dibrot to the
realities of
conquering and settling the Land.
For example, to ensure God's assistance
and continued
'Hashgacha' (providence) throughout the
conquest, Bnei Yisrael
must maintain the proper religious outlook
and exhibit general
belief in, and devotion to, God
('Anochi...'). They must also
be careful not to fall into the trap of
'over-confidence' or
fall prey to the influences of the decadent
Canaanite culture
('Lo Yihiyeh...').
[Scan chapters 6-11 to verify this point.
Pay particular
attention to 11:22-23.]
THE 'CHUKIM & MISHPATIM' SECTION
Likewise, the mitzvot in the 'chukim
u-mishpatim' section
apply the underlying principles of the
remaining dibrot to the
realities of forming a nation in the Promised
Land.
We will now explain how each general
topic in this
section relates to its corresponding dibbur:
LO TISA (chapters 12-14)
As we explained in our shiur on Parshat
Re'eh, the
primary topic of these chapters is 'ha-makom
asher yivchar
Hashem leshaken *shmo* sham'. In order to
make God's Name
great (both to ourselves and to other
nations), Bnei Yisrael
must build a bet mikdash, frequent that site,
and gather there
on the national holidays.
This commandment relates to the third
dibbur - not to
utter God's Name in vain. Just as it is
forbidden to defile
His Name through irreverent and inappropriate
misuse, so is it
imperative that we proclaim His Name in the
proper manner.
The primary vehicle designated by the Torah
to accomplish this
goal is the bet mikdash - 'ba-makom asher
yivchar... leshaken
shmo sham' (see Melachim I 8:15-21,41-43!).
At this site the levi'im sing and praise
God (see 10:8,
21:5), proclaiming and sanctifying His Name.
Ideally, Am
Yisrael's service of God at the bet mikdash
would lead all
mankind towards the recognition of His Name
(see Isaiah 2:1-4,
Melachim I 8:41-42).
[To confirm this point, simply read the
second paragraph
of the 'Aleinu leshabeiach' prayer, the
section of 'al
ken nekaveh...' (in case you never paid
attention to the
words before).]
[The 'digressions' from this theme in
Parshat Re'eh, i.e.
the warnings against those who encourage
idolatry
(chapter 13) and the dietary laws
(14:3-21), may also
relate to this general theme. The worship
of other gods
by definition detracts from God's Name and
honor, and the
dietary laws involve the general obligation
to be an am
kadosh (14:2,21). In our shiur on Parshat
Kedoshim, we
connected this topic to the mishkan, as
well.]
SHABBAT [Devarim chapters 15-16]
In the second half of Parshat Re'eh, we
find two types of
toladot or derivations of Shabbat. First,
there appears the
law of shmitta, which follows a seven year
cycle, similar to
the seven-day cycle of Shabbat. These laws
require that we
rest from working the land on the seventh
year. In fact, we
can even consider the laws of 'ma'aser sheni'
& 'ma'aser ani'
- which are functions of this seven year
shmitta cycle - as
the beginning of this section and a suitable
'transition' from
the topic of 'ha-makom asher yivchar Hashem'
(note 14:22-23).
The second 'tolada' is the 'shalosh
regalim' - the three
pilgrimage holidays described in chapter 16.
Their most basic
and obvious resemblance to Shabbat is the
prohibition of work
(note Vayikra 23:1-3). Furthermore, the
number seven emerges
as the prominent number in the context of
these holidays. For
example, on chag ha-matzot we celebrate seven
days (16:3, note
also 16:8! - cute?) and then we count seven
weeks until
Shavuot (16:9). On Sukkot, we once again
celebrate for seven
days (16:13).
[In fact, these holidays are actually
referred to as
shabbatot in Parshat Emor! The laws of
'bechor' which
precede this section (15:19-23), clearly
connect to the
discussion that immediately follows, the
laws of Pesach
(see Shmot 13:1-2,11).]
"KABED ET AVICHA..." - HONORING PARENTS
(16:18 -18:22)
The concept of respecting authority at
the family level
can easily be expanded to the national level
as well, thus
requiring us to honor our national leaders.
Therefore, the
next general topic - the national
institutions of leadership:
the shofet, kohen, levi, navi, and melech -
can be understood
as a tolada of 'kibbud horim'. This section
includes the laws
regarding proper and effective leadership -
judges, officers,
priests, the king, and nevi'im - as well as
laws pertaining to
leaders who must be eliminated: those who
lead others to idol
worship (17:2-7), false prophets (18:20-22),
and dissenters
who disobey and snub the authority figures
(see 17:12).
LO TIRTZACH [chapters 19-21]
The toladot of 'lo tirtzach' are the
most obviously
identifiable, as almost all the laws in
these three chapters
expand upon (or apply) this dibbur. For
example:
* Cities of Refuge - 'arei miklat'
(19:1-10);
* How to conduct war (20:1-20);
* 'Egla arufa' (21:1-9) - an entire city
takes
responsibility for a homicide perpetrated in
its vicinity;
* Yefat to'ar (21:10-15) - laws relating to
prisoners of
war;
* Ben sorer u-moreh (21:18-21)- the
obligation to kill a
rebellious son;
* Hanging the body of a criminal executed
by bet-din
(21:22-23);
* The mitzva of 'me'akeh le-gagecha' -
putting a fence on
one's roof to prevent accidental death
(22:8-9), etc.
[Many laws presented in this section
digress from the
specific context of murder and related
issues. However,
even those digressions relate in one form
or other to
mitzvot bein adam le-chavero.]
LO TIN'AF [22:10-23:19]
This section includes various laws
relating to forbidden
sexual relationships. For example:
* 'Motzi shem ra' (22:13-21);
* The classic 'affair' (22:22);
* The various instances of 'na'ara
ha-me'orasa' (22:23-
29);
* Forbidden marriages (23:1-9) and
harlotry (23:18-19).
[Once again, this section contains
several other
laws, in addition to these derivations of
'lo
tin'af'. Many of these digressions are
tangentially
related to the central theme. The
prohibition of
'kil'ayim' (working two animals together)
and
'sha'atnez' (weaving two types of thread)
[22:10-11]
may be perceived as relating to illegal
marital
relationships. Likewise, the mitzva of
tzizit
(22:12) could be understood as a
prevention of 'lo
tin'af', as suggested by Bamidbar 15:39.]
LO TIGNOV (23:20-26)
* The prohibition against taking interest
(23:20-21);
* Stealing from 'hekdesh' by neglecting
one's vow (23:22);
* Stealing produce from one's neighbor's
field (23:25-26).
Various other toladot of 'lo tignov'
sneak in at
different places throughout Parshat
Ki-Tetzeh, mostly as
'digressions' within other sections (see
below).
LO TA'ANEH BE-RE'ACHA ED SHAKER (19:15-21)
The situation of 'eidim zomemim' could
be considered a
tolada of 'lo ta'aneh...'. It is included in
the lo tirtzach
section as a 'digression' from the laws of
capital punishment
(19:11-13). Admittedly, this case does not
fit 'perfectly'
into the overall structure, but is included
within the
framework of bein adam le-chavero (see
below).
LO TACHMOD (chapter 24)
'Lo tachmod' is so general that almost
any law can be
considered its tolada. Most likely, the laws
of divorce (24:1-
4) and the prohibition of the divorcee to
remarry his
remarried wife prevent a 'legal affair' (read
24:4 carefully),
and could be considered a tolada of coveting.
Also, throughout the mitzvot in Parshat
Ki-Tetzeh we find
many references to 're'echa' (as in 've-chol
asher le-re'echa'
5:17, such as the laws of eating while
walking through one's
neighbor's vineyard or field (see 23:25-26).
These laws could
also be considered toladot of lo tachmod.
[Note the word
're'echa' in that commandment.]
VI-X - AN IMPORTANT NOTE
As we noted several times in our
analysis, we encounter
many exceptions to this general pattern
within Parshat Ki-
Tetzeh (what we have called 'digressions').
Not all the
mitzvot line up perfectly as toladot of each
dibbur in exact
sequence. Additionally, the various toladot
of the last five
dibrot seem intermingled within these
chapters. Nonetheless,
almost all the mitzvot in this Parsha are
toladot of at least
one of the last five dibrot.
One could suggest that these final five
dibrot actually
comprise a single, general category -
'mitzvot bein adam le-
chavero'. They all involve conduct and
relationships amongst
people.
[Significantly, within the 'aseret
ha-dibrot' these final
five commandments are merged into one pasuk
(according to
the 'ta'am tachton').]
THE FINALE
The final mitzvot of the chukim
u-mishpatim section
include the mitzva to destroy Amalek
(25:17-19) and 'mikra
bikkurim' (26:1-15).
One could view the law of destroying
Amalek as a tolada
of 'lo tirtzach' and the finale of this unit
of the last five
dibrot. [Why this mitzva was chosen to close
this unit will
be discussed iy"H in a shiur for Parshat
Zachor.]
Similarly, the laws of 'mikra bikkurim'
in chapter 26
complete the topic of 'ha-makom asher yivchar
Hashem' and
hence close the entire chukim & mishpatim
section which now
forms a chiastic structure. [We will deal
with this parsha
iy"H in next week's shiur.]
SIGNIFICANCE
This parallel may emphasize the point
that all of the
laws of the Torah originate from Har Sinai.
The dibrot, given
directly by God, serve as avot - the very
basic principles of
the covenant between God and Bnei Yisrael.
The mitzvot of the
main speech serve as toladot, applying these
principles to
govern our national and individual conduct.
This model of
'avot and toladot' teaches us that we must
apply the
principles of Matan Torah to every aspect of
daily life.
Furthermore, this model teaches us that
when we apply the
principles of the dibrot, we raise them to a
higher level.
For example, not only is one forbidden to
steal, one is also
required to return a lost item to its owner.
In this manner,
the laws of 'hashavat aveda' and the
obligation to help even
one's neighbor's animal in distress, both
toladot of lo
tignov, expand the fundamental precept
established by this
dibbur to maintain a heightened sensitivity
to the property of
others, beyond the actual prohibition of
stealing.
Expanding the principles of Har Sinai to
every aspect of
our daily life, as exemplified by Sefer
Devarim, forms the
basis and foundation of our development into
an am kadosh.
shabbat shalom,
menachem
=============================
FOR FURTHER IYUN
A. As explained in earlier shiurim, Parshat
Mishpatim, which
was transmitted after Matan Torah at Har
Sinai, also features
a collection of mitzvot, quite similar to the
main speech in
Sefer Devarim.
1. Skim through that set of mitzvot
(20:19-23:33) and try to
find within its structure, as well, a
parallel to the dibrot.
2. Can you detect the chiastic structure
towards the end?
B. Aside from Parshat Mishpatim and Sefer
Devarim, the only
other collection of laws focusing on issues
bein adam le-
chavero' appears in Parshat Kedoshim. As
your review Vayikra
chapter 19, see if you can find a parallel to
the dibrot.
C. Use the above shiur to explain why Moshe
deemed it
necessary to repeat the dibrot in chapter 5,
as part of his
introduction to the main speech.
D. Relate the nature of shabbat in the
dibrot as recorded in
Parshat Va-etchanan (as opposed to the dibrot
in Yitro) to the
nature of the laws of shmitta as recorded in
Sefer Devarim
(chapter 15) and in Parshat Behar. Pay
particular attention
to the aspect of social equality and justice,
etc.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.atlchai.org/pipermail/par-reg/attachments/20140904/3c65ec3d/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: kitey1.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 49503 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mail.atlchai.org/pipermail/par-reg/attachments/20140904/3c65ec3d/attachment-0001.pdf>
More information about the Par-reg
mailing list