Ki Tetze (When You Go Out) D’Varim (Deut.) 21:10-25:19
Torah Portion: Ki Tetze (When You Go Out) D’Varim (Deut.) 21:10-25:19
Haftorah Reading Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 54:1-10
Today we read a Torah portion that contains more commandments than any other portion we will read. One of my questions was, what do you see as the overall theme of this portion? This portion is always read during the month of Elul. During this month we are to be focused on where we are in our relationship with our fellowman. Do we have issues we need to clear up? This subject plays into the overall point of this portion. What did you see as the emphasis of this portion? It seems to me from beginning to end, this portion speaks about our relationships with other people, even down to the mother bird sitting on her next. It is about relationships and how we are to live in peace and harmony with our world, our neighbors and others. The overriding theme is about a life of kindness and mercy toward others and G-d’s creation.
Naso (Lift) B’midbar (Numbers) 4:21-7:89
Torah Portion: Naso (Lift) B’midbar (Numbers) 4:21-7:89
Haftorah Reading Judges 13:2-25
This Torah portion covers a number of topics that I would like us to look at tonight. To start, let’s take a look at the name of the portion, Naso. This is an interesting word. In Hebrew it means to lift. We see this same word used in Psalms 121:1 where the verse reads, “I will lift up my eyes…” However, here the English translation is usually, take, as in count. If we translate this using the words lift up, it will carry a completely different feeling than to count. When G-d told Moshe to lift the heads of the people what impression does that give you, as opposed to count? To lift up implies each person was important. They were not just a number in a mass of people.