Daf Yomi – Avodah Zarah 20b

Sometimes I like to read the lessons of Daf taught through the Daf Yomi. The Daf Yomi is a system of learning the Talmud which divides it into daily lessons. It takes 7 1/2 years to complete the entire Talmud. I was reading Daf Yomi Avodah Zarah and came across the following lesson.

2) THE PROHIBITIONS OF “V’NISHMARTA” AND “V’LO SASURU”

QUESTION: The Beraisa states that we learn from the verse, “v’Nishmarta mi’Kol Davar Ra” — “You shall guard yourself from any evil thing” (Devarim 23:10), that it is prohibited to have sinful thoughts during the day which might lead to becoming Tamei at night.

There is a similar precept in the Gemara in Berachos (12b). The Gemara there states that the reason why the Chachamim instituted that the Parshah of Tzitzis be recited as part of the reading of Keri’as Shema is because it contains five important topics. One of these topics is that a person must refrain from thinking sinful thoughts about women, which is expressed by the verse, “v’Lo Sasuru [Acharei Levavchem] v’Acharei Einechem” — “You shall not turn away [after your heart and] after your eyes” (Bamidbar 15:39).”

Why are both of these verses — “v’Nishmarta” and “v’Lo Sasuru” — necessary? They both seem to be teaching the same thing!

LINKS:
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/azarah/insites/az-dt-20.htm

Another Low-Life Arab Terrorist gets his head blown off

For the third time in the last year a Israeli Arab has come down with Sudden Jihad Syndrome and taken the tractor which he was driving and used it as a weapon against innocent Jews in Jerusalem. I am a peaceful man but when I see this jack-ass getting shot to death I rejoice. It is seldom we see instant justice against terror but luckily a cab driver on the scene had a handgun and he protected innocent Jewish lives from being wasted by an Islamic bag of nuts.

I enjoy watching the brave taxi driver unloading a clip into the douche-bag Arab whose limited brain capacity was not functioning. It will be glorious when we eradicate these evil people from Israel. All Arabs should be shipped out of Israel as soon as possible. If these ‘people’ cannot live in peace with Jews they need to either be terminated or relocated. Israel and Jerusalem are the exlusive birthright of the Jewish people. There is no such thing as a palistinian people, the very concept was a public relations plow which Arafat employed to delegitamize the existance of Israel.  The Jewish presence in Israel is established through history books, archeological evident and G-ds own word in the holy scriptures.

Arabs in Israel are the living form of Amalek in our day. This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat we are commanded to remember what Amalek did to our people. Amalek is the eternal enemy of the Jewish people and we see from the barbaric acts of these degenerate people that they are the remnants of Amalek. May we eradicate their memory speedily and in our time.

more about “LiveLeak.com – Surveillance video of …“, posted with vodpod

Dangerous Times

These are dangerous times we live in. Every day we have to avoid so much ugliness or else we are pulled down into the mire. A good man guards his eyes and his ears from giving any form of attention to the temptation which swirls around him.

The Yetzer Hara constantly tries to deceive, and his arguments always sound reasonable. It is no simple matter to turn away from the offer because it seems innocent. The vulture takes advantage of his prey, knowing his weaknesses.

A modern man need only turn the television on to see the depth to which we have sunk. It is possible to pretend there is no problem, but with wisdom the issue is clear. Our culture has prostituted itself for the mighty dollar, selling sex and perversion to the masses.

The new age leads us to believe that there is no ultimate truth. As the world has gotten smaller due to technology we have also been forced to accept a wider and more accepting attitude. What has been lost is that basic ethical ideas are not unique to one culture, but ethics are a basic human requirement. We are all created in the image of the master, we all are required to have ethical conduct.

Morals can not be relative because they must be absolute. Judgment cannot be based on prejudice, it must be based on evidence. The foundations of truth cannot be changed and in order for truth to exist a moral code must have been established.

Man cannot determine what is right or wrong because he seeks to always justify his action. Even a righteous man sins, and if he is true he realizes his imperfection. People who minimize their imperfections must realize that their loving father in heaven knows his blemish. It is written: The judgment of Torah is pure, it enlightens the heart.

But just as man deals with his Yetzer Hara he also has to deal with his Yetzer Tov which is a much nicer inclination. This good inclination leads us on to do the right thing.

A servant of the master in heaven knows that no matter what occurs in the physical world, his deeds will be reckoned in the world to come. The true servant of the master sees the world of creation as a performance stage, playing out history leading toward the redemption of all of creation. Every day is a testament to his kindnesses.

The mind is calmed by thoughts of being in the divine presence. When the thoughts of heavens glory soothes the nerves they also prevent the mind from the pain of straying. We compare his presence to the light and his absence as the dark. So much pain occurs in the depth of the darkness.

It is written in Torah (Parsha Shoftim) that we must place guards at the gates of our cities. It is well known that this refers to guarding our eyes and our ears. Only through looking at the world in truth can we protect ourselves from the deception.

Some of my friends have cast the television set out of the house. They will not have it available to pollute their children. Their concerns are understandable.

In the 60’s and 70’s the television was not as dangerous as it is today. It may be due to the moral codes which were imposed on the television industry.

What are the messages we tell over to society through the medium of television? Imagine for a moment an alien race should receive humanities television broadcasts? Our societies morality is not on display on television, instead our basest activities and behaviors are exploited.

Can you look at the face of a murdered child and then the face of his accused murderer without feeling something? Then the scene of the grieving mother? When the media sticks itself into the most intimate of human frailties. Is this not voyeurism?

Who wants to see people giving themselves over to verbal insults because they endeavored for fame? Do they call these people American Idols? What kind of people idolize these cruel judges? Is it supposed to be humorous? Could it be another form of gladiator combat?

There are times it seems that there are so very many more questions than there are answers. Our father Abraham was famous for asking many questions and seeking the answers instead of accepting what he was told.

A time is coming when all of the promises will come true. In order to visualize this it is essential to clear the mind of all troubles. All questions don’t need absolute answers at this time. The answer will be found on the path of the Torah lifestyle.

Pictures from my Sukkot Party

I just got home from a wonderful afternoon of celebrating the end of Sukkot. We had a lovely barbecue with all my good friends from Chabad in Contra Costa county. I snapped a couple of pictures on my cell phone and uploaded some of them here to share.

Pictures from Sukkot with Chabad

Boy Shaking Lulav & Etrog

Rabbi Kagan is master Griller

Hot Dogs/Hamburgers/Chicken for All

Monster Etrog

Child w/Balloon

Mitzvah of Shaking Lulav

It was a great time and I love the Chabad crew. I look forward to spending Simchat Torah with my good Rabbi.

muman613

More pictures @ http://mytorah.wordpress.com/593/

Happy Sukkot!

Lulav & Etrog

Sukkot time is always extremely exciting. This year it has been difficult and it is very invigorating. I am hoping everyone has a wonderful Simchas Torah.

muman613

New Videos posted on Video page

Shalom,

It has been quite a High Holiday week. I hope everyone had a good fast. I was so tired at the end of Yom Kippur but I incredibly got a second wind Thursday evening. I ate a good meal for the break fast and the energy to stay up and write several good posts on JTF.

I just added a number of good videos to my favorite video page. I have a couple from this new Jewish rapper from Israel named Jew Dah Maccabe and his videos are very impressive. I also posted a couple of my favorites from Matisyahu.

muman613

Check this one out: HOT!!!

Parsha – Nitzavim

Shalom,

We are quickly coming to the end of our Holy Torah once again. This Shabbat we read Parsha Nitzavim which relates some of the final messages which Moshe our teacher wanted to impart to the Jewish people.

Moshe gathers the people together to hear his words. He relates once again the covenant which we entered into with Hashem and the promise that Hashem will allow us to choose our own path. The first aliyah reads:

9. You are all standing this day before the L-rd, your G-d the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, 10. your young children, your women, and your convert who is within your camp both your woodcutters and your water drawers, 11. that you may enter the covenant of the L-rd, your G-d, and His oath, which the L-rd, your G-d, is making with you this day,

This first aliyah demonstrates the unity of the Jewish people because Moshe is addressing ALL of Bnai Yisroel. He mentions the leaders, the elders and officers, every man, woman and child, every sort of convert. All these are included in he covenant which Hashem made to the Jewish people.

12. in order to establish you this day as His people, and that He will be your G-d, as He spoke to you, and as He swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 13. But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath, 14. but with those standing here with us today before the L-rd, our G-d, and [also] with those who are not here with us, this day.

Moshe explains that Hashems involvement with the Children of Israel started long ago when he spoke with our Father Avraham of the promise to give the holy land to Avrahams descendants. The covenant which Moshe told to the people is binding on every generation.

The next aliyah contains rebuke for those who do not hearken to the words of Hashem. If the Jewish people forsake the G-d of our fathers and follow after foreign dieties of wood and stone Hashem will be the one who destroys us.

15. For you know how we dwelled in the land of Egypt, and how we passed among the nations through which you passed. 16. And you saw their abominations and their repugnant idols [of] wood and stone, silver and gold which were with them. 17. Perhaps there is among you a man, woman, family, or tribe, whose heart strays this day from the L-rd, our G-d, to go and worship the deities of those nations. Perhaps there is among you a root that produces hemlock and wormwood. 18. And it will be, when he [such a person] hears the words of this oath, that he will bless himself in his heart, saying, “I will have peace, even if I follow my heart’s desires,” in order to add the [punishment for the] unintentional sins [of this man] to that of [his] intentional sins. 19. The L-rd will not be willing to forgive him; rather, then, the L-rd’s fury and His zeal will fume against that man, and the entire curse written in this book will rest upon him, and the L-rd will obliterate his name from beneath the heavens. 20. And the L-rd will separate him for evil, out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant, written in this Torah scroll. 21. And a later generation, your descendants, who will rise after you, along with the foreigner who comes from a distant land, will say, upon seeing the plagues of that land and the diseases with which the L-rd struck it: 22. Sulfur and salt have burned up its entire land! It cannot be sown, nor can it grow [anything], not [even] any grass will sprout upon it. It is like the overturning of Sodom, Gemorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the L-rd overturned in His fury and in His rage. 23. And all the nations will say, Why did the L-rd do so to this land? What [is the reason] for this great rage of fury? 24. Then they will say, It is because they abandoned the covenant of the L-rd, G-d of their fathers, [the covenant] which He made with them when He took them out of the land of Egypt, 25. For they went and served other deities, prostrating themselves to them deities which they had not known, and which He had not apportioned to them. 26. And the L-rd’s fury raged against that land, bringing upon it the entire curse written in this book. 27. And the L-rd uprooted them from upon their land, with fury, anger and great wrath, and He cast them to another land, as it is this day. 28. The hidden things belong to the L-rd, our G-d, but the revealed things apply to us and to our children forever: that we must fulfill all the words of this Torah.

Here we learn that Hashem can cast the Jewish people out of the holy land if they do not perform the commands which Hashem gave us. The next aliyah lays out Hashems plan of free will. Hashem gives us the opportunity to return to him by doing Teshuva. The parsha continues:

30:1. And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the L-rd your G-d has banished you, 2. and you will return to the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children, 3. then, the L-rd, your G-d, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the L-rd, your G-d, had dispersed you. 4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the L-rd, your G-d, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. 5. And the L-rd, your G-d, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers. 6. And the L-rd, your G-d, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life.

We learn that Hashem makes a promise to us that if we return to him he will redeem us by virtue of the covenant he made with our forefathers. He will clear the land of the wicked and implant us in the land which flows with milk and honey.

7. And the L-rd, your G-d, will place all these curses upon your enemies and upon your adversaries, who pursued you. 8. And you will return and listen to the voice of the L-rd, and fulfill all His commandments, which I command you this day. 9. And the L-rd, your G-d, will make you abundant for good in all the work of your hands, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the L-rd will once again rejoice over you for good, as He rejoiced over your forefathers, 10. when you obey the L-rd, your G-d, to observe His commandments and His statutes written in this Torah scroll, [and] when you return to the L-rd, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul.

Hashem tells us that Torah is not in the heavens, or far away, it is within our grasp.

11. For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. 12. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” 13. Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and fetch it for us, to tell [it] to us, so that we can fulfill it?” 14. Rather,[this] thing is very close to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can fulfill it.

In the final aliyah Hashem explains the working of Free Will. Hashem has set before us blessing and curse, life and death. He asks the Jewish people to choose life.

15. Behold, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil, 16. inasmuch as I command you this day to love the L-rd, your G-d, to walk in His ways, and to observe His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances, so that you will live and increase, and the L-rd, your G-d, will bless you in the land to which you are coming to take possession of it. 17. But if your heart deviates and you do not listen, and you will be drawn astray, and you will prostrate yourself to other deities and serve them, 18. I declare to you this day, that you will surely perish, and that you will not live long days on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to come and take possession thereof. 19. This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live; 20. To love the L-rd your G-d, to listen to His voice, and to cleave to Him. For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which the L-rd swore to your forefathers to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob to give to them.

Wow, this is a powerful lesson about how much Hashem loves the Jewish people. He has set his eye upon us to be a sign to the world of Hashems power in the universe. When we are doing our mission he will provide for us the rains in the proper time and make sure our endeavors are successful. When we deviate from our purpose and dont hearken to the commandments Hashems anger flares against us and we are expelled from his holy land.

Tzedekka (Charity)

Shalom,

As we get closer and closer to the High Holidays it is important to remember that giving Charity is one way of softening the judgement. The importance of giving to the poor is clear to anyone who reads our Holy Torah because there are so many mitzvahs which involve helping our poor brothers and sisters.

From RAMBAMS list of the 613

1. To leave a corner of the field uncut for the poor Lev. 19:10
2. Not to reap that corner Lev. 19:9
3. To leave gleanings Lev. 19:9
4. Not to gather the gleanings Lev. 19:9
5. To leave the gleanings of a vineyard Lev. 19:10
6. Not to gather the gleanings of a vineyard Lev. 19:10
7. To leave the unformed clusters of grapes Lev. 19:10
8. Not to pick the unformed clusters of grapes Lev. 19:10
9. To leave the forgotten sheaves in the field Deut. 24:19
10. Not to retrieve them Deut. 24:19
11. To separate the “tithe for the poor” Deut. 14:28
12. To give charity Deut. 15:8
13. Not to withhold charity from the poor Deut. 15:7
14. To set aside Terumah Gedolah (gift for the Kohen) Deut. 18:4
15. The Levite must set aside a tenth of his tithe Num. 18:26

1. Lend to the poor and destitute Ex. 22:24
2. Not to press them for payment if you know they don’t have it Ex. 22:24
3. Press the idolater for payment Deut. 15:3
4. The creditor must not forcibly take collateral Deut. 24:10
5. Return the collateral to the debtor when needed Deut. 24:13
6. Not to delay its return when needed Deut. 24:12
7. Not to demand collateral from a widow Deut. 24:17
8. Not to demand as collateral utensils needed for preparing food Deut. 24:6
9. Not to lend with interest Lev. 25:37
10. Not to borrow with interest Deut. 23:20
11. Not to intermediate in an interest loan, guarantee, witness, or write the promissory note Ex. 22:24
12. Lend to and borrow from idolaters with interest Deut. 23:21

This evening I have been going through my list of Charities and sending in my contribution. I thought that it is good to motivate others to give tzedekka so I decided to write this blog post.

The usual charities I give to are:

• Jewish Task Force http://www.jtf.org
• Aish HaTorah http://www.aish.com
• Chabad http://www.chabad.org
• Ezras Torah http://www.ezrastorah.org
• TorahAnyTime.com http://www.torahanytime.com
• Yad Eliezar http://www.yadeliezer.org/site/whatwedo/Holiday_Fund/index.php

I hope that everyone reading this finds themselves with all that they need for themselves and their families to survive. It has been a very tough year and I know it is hard to give. Last year I gave a lot more than I was able to give this year. Please find it within yourself to give whatever you can. Our sages have revealed how important the quality of mercy and charity is for a persons soul. The rewards for giving are unfathomable merit in the world to come.

muman613

Deuteronomy 15:10-11
10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the L-RD thy G-d will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: ‘Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.’ {S}

Apologies to my loyal readers

It is erev Shabbat once again and I have been so busy this last week that I have not been able to prepare a Parsha talk. I will be attending a Shabbaton with my good minyan and am looking forward for some good ole Shabbat Menucha {Rest}.

I will be studying the Rashi and the Baal HaTurims interpretations of the Parsha and hope that by Sunday I will be able to write something worthwhile.

Shabbat Shalom,

muman613

Parsha – Ki Teitzei

Shalom,

It is nearing Shabbat once again and it is time to delve in the enlightening wisdom of our Holy Torah. This weeks Parsha is called “Ki Teitzei” which is from the book of Devarim {Deuteronomy} 21:10-25:19. This parsha contains so many mitzvahs, 74 to be exact, that it is always inspiring to read. Our Parsha contains the most mitzvahs of any portion in the Torah.

This Parsha contains the following well-known mitzvahs:

1. The laws of the beautiful captive.
2. The laws of the rebellious son.
3. Burial and dignity of the dead.
4. The laws of returning lost items.
5. The law of sending away the mother bird.
6. The law of erecting a parapet around a roof.
7. The laws of inheritance.
8. The command to remember what Amalek did to us.

The first aliyah starts with the discussion of what to do with female captives of war. Because the Torah recognizes that men in war are often fighting within themselves a mighty yetzer hara, it provides a method which allows them to take a non-Jewish captive woman as a wife. Let us read together:

21:10. If you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives, 11. and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her, you may take [her] for yourself as a wife. 12. You shall bring her into your home, and she shall shave her head and let her nails grow. 13. And she shall remove the garment of her captivity from upon herself, and stay in your house, and weep for her father and her mother for a full month. After that, you may be intimate with her and possess her, and she will be a wife for you. 14. And it will be, if you do not desire her, then you shall send her away wherever she wishes, but you shall not sell her for money. You shall not keep her as a servant, because you have afflicted her. 15. If a man has two wives-one beloved and the other despised-and they bear him sons, the beloved one and the despised one, and the firstborn son is from the despised one. 16. Then it will be, on the day he [the husband] bequeaths his property to his sons, that he will not be able to give the son of the beloved [wife] birthright precedence over the son of the despised [wife]-the [real] firstborn son. 17. Rather, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the despised [wife] and give him a double share in all that he possesses, because he [this firstborn son] is the first of his strength, then he has the birthright entitlement. 18. If a man has a wayward and rebellious son, who does not obey his father or his mother, and they chasten him, and [he still] does not listen to them, 19. his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place. 20. And they shall say to the elders of his city, “This son of ours is wayward and rebellious; he does not obey us; [he is] a glutton and a guzzler.” 21. And all the men of his city shall pelt him to death with stones, and he shall die. So shall you clear out the evil from among you, and all Israel will listen and fear.

In this portion we learn of the command to pelt the rebellious son with stones till death. This command was never carried out by the Jewish court but it is given to us in Torah to teach a lesson. It is better to kill the rebellious son while still young than to allow him to grow to be a murderer. Also the proximity of the mitzvah of the rebellious son to the captive woman would indicate that a child born of such a relation would probably grow up to be a rebellious son.

The next aliyah reads:

22. If a man commits a sin for which he is sentenced to death, and he is put to death, you shall [then] hang him on a pole. 23. But you shall not leave his body on the pole overnight. Rather, you shall bury him on that [same] day, for a hanging [human corpse] is a blasphemy of G-d, and you shall not defile your land, which the Lord, your G-d, is giving you as an inheritance.

22:1. You shall not see your brother’s ox or sheep straying, and ignore them. [Rather,] you shall return them to your brother. 2. But if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it into your house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it out, whereupon you shall return it to him. 3. So shall you do with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment, and so shall you do with any lost article of your brother which he has lost and you have found. You shall not ignore [it]. 4. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen [under its load] on the road, and ignore them. [Rather,] you shall pick up [the load] with him. 5. A man’s attire shall not be on a woman, nor may a man wear a woman’s garment because whoever does these [things] is an abomination to the Lord, your G-d. 6. If a bird’s nest chances before you on the road, on any tree, or on the ground, and [it contains] fledglings or eggs, if the mother is sitting upon the fledglings or upon the eggs, you shall not take the mother upon the young. 7. You shall send away the mother, and [then] you may take the young for yourself, in order that it should be good for you, and you should lengthen your days.

The first mitzvah is regarding the sanctity of the human body. Torah teaches that even a wicked man who deserves to be hanged to death should not have his body left for the vultures. Because every man and woman is made in the image of Hashem the body is sacred. The next mitzvah discussed is the mitzvah or returning lost items. A Jew is required to store an item which was lost until the owner comes looking for it. Torah expressly forbids men wearing womens clothing and vice versa. Then we learn the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird when taking eggs. Much has been written about this mitzvah because it is one of the only mitzvahs where Torah expressly lists the reward. In this case the reward for the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird is to lengthen our days.

The next aliyah contains the mitzvah of the parapet:

22:8 When you build a new house, you shall make a guard rail for your roof, so that you shall not cause blood [to be spilled] in your house, that the one who falls should fall from it [the roof].

Then Torah goes on an mentions all kinds of forbidden mixtures including:

1. plowing ox and donkey together
2. wearing clothes with mixed wool and linen

A man cannot make unfounded claims against his wife because he doesnt like her. If a man makes accusations against her which are not substantiated by evidence then he is unable to divorce her. But if she is unfaithful to him, she can suffer the death penalty. Torah then discusses the penalties for rape and adultery. The aliyah continues:

23:1. A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor shall he uncover the corner of his father’s [cloak]. 2. [A man] with injured testicles or whose member is cut, may not enter the assembly of the Lord. 3. A bastard shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even the tenth generation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord. 4. An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even the tenth generation shall never enter the assembly of the Lord. 5. Because they did not greet you with bread and water on the way, when you left Egypt, and because he [the people of Moab] hired Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim against you, to curse you. 6. But the Lord, your G-d, did not want to listen to Balaam. So the Lord, your G-d, transformed the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord, your G-d, loves you. 7. You shall not ever seek out their welfare or their good, all your days.

The fifth aliyah discusses keeping the camp clean of filth and abomination. It continues:

8. You shall not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not despise an Egyptian, for you were a sojourner in his land. 9. Children who are born to them [in] the third generation may enter the assembly of the Lord. 10. When a camp goes out against your enemies, you shall beware of everything evil. 11. If there is among you a man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come within the camp. 12. And it shall be, towards evening, he shall bathe in water, and when the sun sets, he may come within the camp. 13. And you shall have a designated place outside the camp, so that you can go out there [to use it as a privy]. 14. And you shall keep a stake in addition to your weapons; and it shall be, when you sit down outside [to relieve yourself], you shall dig with it, and you shall return and cover your excrement. 15. For the Lord, your G-d, goes along in the midst of your camp, to rescue you and to deliver your enemies before you. [Therefore,] your camp shall be holy, so that He should not see anything unseemly among you and would turn away from you. 16. You shall not deliver a slave to his master if he seeks refuge with you from his master. 17. [Rather,] he shall [be allowed to] reside among you, wherever he chooses within any of your cities, where it is good for him. You shall not oppress him. 18. There shall not be a prostitute of the daughters of Israel, and there shall not be a male prostitute of the sons of Israel. 19. You shall not bring a prostitute’s fee or the price of a dog, to the House of the Lord, your G-d, for any vow, because both of them are an abomination to the Lord, your G-d. 20. You shall not give interest to your brother, [whether it be] interest on money, interest on food or interest on any [other] item for which interest is [normally] taken. 21. You may [however,] give interest to a gentile, but to your brother you shall not give interest, in order that the Lord, your G-d, shall bless you in every one of your endeavors on the land to which you are coming to possess. 22. When you make a vow to the Lord, your G-d, you shall not delay in paying it, for the Lord, your G-d, will demand it of you, and it will be [counted as] a sin for you. 23. But if you shall refrain from making vows, you will have no sin. 24. Observe and do what is emitted from your lips just as you have pledged to the Lord, your G-d, as a donation, which you have spoken with your mouth.

Here we learn that Israel should always strive to be holy. We do this by removing ourselves from the unclean, keeping sexual purity, and by treating our brothers and sisters properly. We also must be true to our word.

There is much to learn from this Parsha. I will continue this in my next posting.

muman613

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/rashi/default_cdo/aid/36237/jewish/Ki-Teitzei.htm

http://torah.org/learning/livinglaw/5766/kiseitzei.html