Parashat Ki Teitzei

The name of this weeks Parshah, “Ki Teitzei,” means “when you go out,” and it is found in Deuteronomy 21:10.

Seventy-four of the Torah’s 613 commandments (mitzvot) are in the Parshah of Ki Teitzei. These include the laws of the beautiful captive, the inheritance rights of the firstborn, the wayward and rebellious son, burial and dignity of the dead, returning a lost object, sending away the mother bird before taking her young, the duty to erect a safety fence around the roof of one’s home, and the various forms of kilayim (forbidden plant and animal hybrids).

ustice and Righteousness – Tzedek U’Mishpat.

“You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes…”

“You shall not judge unfairly…”

“Justice, Justice shall you pursue…”

Deuteronomy 16

Every just society must have laws which govern our interactions, our commerce, our behavior with others, and our ethics even when no person can see us.

Judaism teaches that there are some matters of fundamental justice that without them, a society can never truly be called righteous. Though we do not always know exactly what the right thing is, we are commanded to pursue justice and to let justice well up like a mighty river in flood, compelling us to strive for a more perfect world in which good and right behavior informs our daily choices.

Our Torah reading for this week establishes limits to the powers of judges, kings, priests, and prophets. Moses shares these restrictions with the entire people, and lays the groundwork for redress, supervision, and even criticism of human authorities.

Holding ourselves, and those we entrust with authority, to the highest standards is a cornerstone of the foundation established for us, and expected of us still today.