Rabbi's Message

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, contains more commandments than any other portion in the Torah. One common theme among them is the centrality of treating all people with dignity and respect. But it is not only human beings who must be treated in this way.  Animals too are deserving of kindness and respect.

One example of this is the teaching from Deuteronomy 22:4: “If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together.” One can imagine the weight that an animal transporting goods would have to carry. The Torah here demands that human passersby not ignore the animal’s plight and put it back on its feet. 

Our Etz Hayim Torah commentary notes that the best way to do this was to have two people lift the load, one on each side of the animal. This imagery reminds us that while the Torah may be speaking specifically about animals, it is really a lesson for us in supporting one another, especially during difficult times.  

We have all experienced loss in our lifetimes.  For many, the grief that accompanies loss leads to a sense of feeling weighed down and disoriented. We can feel as if we have lost all sense of balance and equilibrium. Ki Teitzei comes to teach that in moments of grief, pain, and struggle, we are not expected to pull ourselves up without help. We need others to help us stand and regain our balance. Just as the donkey needs help — ideally, one person on each side — so too do we need others during the grief-filled times in our lives. This is why following the death of a loved one, Jewish tradition instructs us to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish in the presence of a minyan, allowing others to support us and help us stand. And it’s why throughout the first week of mourning (shiva), it’s important for community to care for and lift up the bereaved.  

TBS is a community in which we lift one another up.  TBS is a community built on support and love.  TBS is a community that understands that by carrying our burden, we also carry our love.  As we move through the current month of Elul, moving closer and closer to the High Holy Days, may we continue to do the work of our kehillah kedosha (holy community) of supporting one another through our greatest times of need and lifting one another up each and every day.

Shabbat Shalom.