TORAH READING FOR 11 ELUL 5784 September 13-14, 2024
SHAZOOM ONLY 6:30 PM September 13, 2024
KETIVAH VECHATIMA TOVAH – A GOOD WRITING AND SEALING!
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE VICTIMS OF CONFLICT
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” p.60
BARUCH atah, Adonai Elohëinu, Mélech ha’olam,
yotzër ‘or uvorë chóshech, ‘oseh shalom uvorë et-hakol.
PRAISED ARE YOU, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe,
Creator of light and darkness, who makes peace and fashions all things.
PARSHA
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/ki-teitzei
Ki Teitzei [Ki Tëtzë] (כִּי־תֵצֵא — Hebrew for “when you go out (to battle)”)
Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19
When you [an Israelite warrior] take the field against your enemies, and the Eternal your God delivers them into your power and you take some of them captive, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her and would take her to wife…. – Deuteronomy 21:10-11
SUMMARY
- Moses reviews a wide variety of laws regarding family, animals, and property. (21:10–22:12)
- Various civil and criminal laws are delineated, including those regarding sexual relationships, interaction with non-Israelites, loans, vows, and divorce. (22:13–24:5)
- Laws of commerce pertaining to loans, fair wages, and proper weights and measures are given. (24:10–25:16)
- The parashah concludes with the commandment to remember for all time the most heinous act committed against the Israelites—Amalek’s killing of the old, weak, and infirm after the Israelites left Egypt. (25:17–19)
HAFTARAH
Isaiah 54:1-10
The fifth haftarah in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B’Av, leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which this year begins the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024. This haftarah corresponds to Parashat Ki Tëtzë.
RECOMMENDED READING
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/ki-teitzei
How Can Birds Teach Us About Compassion?
By: Rabbi Sari Laufer
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION
Until further notice, we will meet on Fridays for Shazoom only. Please see the NEW Shazoom schedule below. Read this week’s Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.21.10-25.19, and Haftarah at https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.54.1-10.
From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., Women of Reform Judaism/The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and URJ Press New York 2008
קי תצא Ki Teitzei – Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19
Contemporary Reflection – Judith Plaskow, pp. 1187-8
THE CENTRALITY OF MEMORY to Jewish self-understanding emerges with great vividness in parashat Ki Teitzei, which repeatedly enjoins us to remember events in ways that affect ongoing behavior and practice: “Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore … observe this commandment” (24:22, 18). “In cases of a skin affection be most careful to do exactly as the levitical priests instruct you…. Remember what your God יהוה did to Miriam on the journey after you left Egypt” (24:8–9). “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt … you shall blot out the memory of Amalek” (25:17, 19). Clearly, the major events of the Jewish past are not simply history but living, active memory that continues to shape Jewish identity in the present. Through telling the story of our past, we learn who we are and must become.
In insisting on the significance of memory for identity, the parashah shows that memory can serve a wide variety of purposes and can be used to support modes of being that seem to conflict with each other. The memory of enslavement in Egypt is repeatedly yoked with injunctions insisting upon justice and compassion: “You shall not subvert the rights of the stranger or the fatherless; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pawn” (24:17). “When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” (24:19). Because Jews once knew hunger and experienced what it was like to dwell as strangers on the margins of society, we are commanded to create a society in which the marginal are cared for and the hungry are provided with food.
Memories of the deeds of the Ammonites and Moabites and the perfidy of Amalek become the foundation for opposite injunctions, those concerning exclusion and vengeance. Because the Ammonites and Moabites did not provide Israel with food in the wilderness, the descendants of these nations should be excluded from God’s congregation, even to the tenth generation (23:3–4). Because Amalek cut down stragglers in the line of march when Israel left Egypt hungry and tired, the memory of the Amalekites should be entirely obliterated (25:17–19).
The memory of Miriam’s skin condition (tzaraat) is still another kind of memory, a highly truncated one. Already in the book of Exodus when Miriam is introduced, it seems clear that she is not being remembered fully. She appears suddenly, leading the women in song at a central moment of the people Israel’s history (Exodus 15:20–21) as if she materialized out of the desert sands. Later, her death and burial are recorded in one verse (Numbers 20:1). There is no account of her passing or of the community’s response; she vanishes, disappearing, as it were, into the desert sands. In this parashah, her tzaraat is remembered (24:8–9), but not her leadership; her punishment is recalled, but not the challenge to Moses’ authority that she mounts with Aaron (Numbers 12:1–2).
If memory is foundational to Jewish community, then perhaps this one-sided memory of a very important woman in the Torah is part of what creates the preconditions for some of the sexual legislation in the parashah. It makes sense that a community that cannot remember its central female figures in all their roundedness will also have difficulty imagining women as agents of their own sexuality–and thus will repeatedly subordinate their interests to those of fathers and husbands. We read that if a woman is found not to be a virgin when she marries, she is stoned to death on her father’s doorstep (22:13–21; that a virgin who is raped is then forced to marry her rapist (22:28–29); that a wife who ceases to please her husband can be given a bill of divorce (24:1-4); and that a woman who is widowed before she has children must marry her husband’s brother (25:5–10). The Torah in this section offers no store of memories of women’s perspectives and experiences that could provide the basis of an alternative ethic.
What do we do, then, when the demands of memory seem to be at odds with each other–when, for example, the partial and distorted memory of Miriam in this parashah collides with the notion of remembering the marginalized, including the marginalized within the Israelite community?
The process of remembering brings with it an obligation to ethical discernment: which memories do we want to affirm and further develop and which do we want to repudiate or transform? We cannot forget the commandments to exclude the Ammonites or blot out the memory of Amalek because their presence in the Torah reminds us of how easy it is to respond to vengeance with more vengeance, or injustice with more injustice. But we can also consciously cultivate memories that encourage us to stop the cycle of violence and domination. When we remember the courage and initiative of Miriam in helping to save her brother (Exodus 2:1–10), when we appreciate her importance to the Israelites who refused to move on without her (Numbers 12:15), when we honor her insistence that her own leadership be recognized (Numbers 12:2), then we lay the foundations for contemporary communities in which women and other “strangers” can take their full and rightful place.
Perhaps the process of sifting through memory also can help to make sense of the last, enigmatic verse of the parashah that enjoins us to “blot out” all memory of Amalek and yet “remember” at the same time. How is this possible? Having grown up in a Reform congregation in the 1950s in which women were on the bimah only to light candles, I am aware of how the enormous changes in women’s roles over the last half century make such memories of prior injustices difficult to believe. We blot out the memory of Amalek when we create Jewish communities in which the perpetual exclusion of some group of people–or the denial of women’s rights–are so contrary to current values as to be almost incredible. Yet, if we are to safeguard our achievements, we can also never forget to remember the history of inequality and the decisions and struggles that have made more equitable communities possible.
HIGH HOLY DAYS 2024/5785
Please read the emails from Dr. Sam Caron, Congregational President, regarding Temple Kol Hamidbar’s plans this year for observing Rosh Hashanah (evening of Wed, Oct 2 – Fri, Oct 4, 2024) and Yom Kippur (evening of Fri, Oct 11 – Sat, Oct 12, 2024).
In the meantime, various congregations within the Reform Movement are still providing online resources to anyone interested in participating in services. In some cases, registration is required. You may want to visit the following websites for their latest information on the High Holy Days and how to access them.
Kol Ami (formerly Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Or Chadash), Tucson, AZ https://www.katucson.org/
Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA https://orami.org/hhd/
Temple Sinai, Oakland, CA https://www.oaklandsinai-hhd.org/
The Union for Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/rosh-hashanah/how-find-high-holiday-community-wherever-you-are
PRAYERS
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:
FOR OUR COUNTRY p.376
THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.
O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL p.552
O HEAVENLY ONE, Protector and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel which marks the dawning of hope for all who seek peace. Shield it beneath the wings of your love; spread over it the canopy of Your peace; send Your light and truth to all who lead and advise, guiding them with Your good counsel. Establish peace in the land and fullness of joy for all who dwell there. Amen.
FOR HEALING – El Na R’fa Na Lah!
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
YAHRZEITS/ANYOS
We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.
This coming week, 11 Elul through 17 Elul, we lovingly remember:
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.
SHAZOOM ONLY
We will meet for Shazoom ONLY this evening, Friday, September 13, 2024. Dr. Sam and Mary Caron will lead the service. Please see the NEW Shazoom schedule below. During Elul, Mary Caron will sound the Shofar before the start of Shazoom.
Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this Friday evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.
Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service
Time: Sep 13, 2024 06:30 PM Arizona
To join Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
Passcode: 4NrMk0
Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.
Ketivah Vechatima Tovah – A Good Writing and Sealing!
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat – Gut Shabbos!
-Ruben
PS – NEW Schedule through October 2024 for Shazoom (Arizona Time Zone):
September 13, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
September 20, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
September 27, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[Leil S’lichot 9/28 nightfall – preparation for High Holy Days]
October 2, 2024 – Wednesday, Erev Rosh Hashanah
[Rosh Hashanah – Tishri 1-2]
October 4, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
Shabbat Shuvah – Sabbath of Returning
October 11, 2024 – Erev Yom Kippur
Kol Nidrë
[October 12, 2024 – Yom Kippur]
[October 16, 2024 – Sukkot]
October 18, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
Shabbat in Sukkot – Chol HaMoed Sukkot
[October 23, 2024 – Shemini Atzéret]
[October 24, 2024 – Simchat Torah]
October 25, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm