JCC Association's Early Childhood Curriculum Project 'This New Month'

The month of Elul completes the cycle of the Jewish calendar year. Although the cycle of reading the five books of the Torah actually begins and ends in the middle of Tishrei on Simchat Torah, we are presenting the final Torah portions in this month's section to coincide with the end of the calendar year.

The Torah as it was studied thousands of years ago is still studied now. However, the words of Torah are just words on a page if not studied in depth. It is the commentaries and sages who help us navigate it and explore the wisdom that is still relevant today.

Parshat Shoftim deals with subjects of particular relevance to the Jewish people as they are about to enter the Land of Israel, i.e., leadership, sovereignty, war, and faithfulness to G-d while surrounded by idol worship. The parsha opens with the commandment to create a fair and impartial judicial system with powers of enforcement. (Further on, judges are commanded to take difficult cases to a higher court. Toward the end of the parsha, the laws of testimony and examination of witnesses are discussed.)

Upon entry into the Land, the people are also empowered to establish a monarchy. The restrictions upon the people's choices and upon the king himself are listed here.

Interspersed throughout the parsha are prohibitions against the various forms of idol worship, and admonitions that the people not be drawn into the behavior of the surrounding nations, including child sacrifice, necromancy, and soothsaying. The people are reminded that G-d will send them prophets to help them in serving Him, and have no need of idolatrous practices.

The parsha reiterates that the Levites have no portion in the Land of Israel, but are to be given the tithes and sacrifices as their sustenance. It also repeats the laws of the cities of refuge and manslaughter.

Some of the laws of warfare are introduced in this parsha. The first is the commandment to free from the draft anyone who has built a new house but not lived in it, or who has planted a vineyard and not harvested it, or who has betrothed a woman but not lived with her, or anyone who is afraid to fight. The second commandment is that the army must sue for peace before attacking a city. The last of the war-related commandments in this parsha is the prohibition against cutting down the trees surrounding a city when the army lays seige to it.

The final section of the parsha deals with a ritual of atonement that must be performed by the inhabitants of the nearest city when the body of a murdered person is found. Implicit in this ritual is the idea that human life is precious and that those nearest the body bear some responsibility for the loss of that life.

Parshat Ki Tetze continues the discussion of war-related laws with a commandment related to the taking of captives. If a man wishes to take a woman captive during war, he must afterwards marry her and never divorce her. (The intent of the law is to discourage the rape of female captives.)

The parsha goes on to list many mitzvot, including:

The laws of inheritance when a man has more than one wife.
The rebellious son.
The prohibition against leaving a body unburied after capital punishment.
The commandment to return lost objects.
The commandment to send away a mother bird before taking eggs from her nest.
The commandment to build a fence around the roof of one's home.
Prohibitions against rape and seduction.
A listing of those who are forbidden to marry into the Jewish people.
The commandment to build a latrine in an army camp.
The prohibition against usury.
The prohibition against kidnapping.
The commandment not to withhold wages from a day-laborer.
The prohibition of discriminating against a convert or orphan in judgement.
The commandment to leave the corner of a field, and the gleanings of vineyard and olive grove for the poor.
Levirate marriage (marriage between the brother of a childless man and his widow.)
The commandment to keep honest weights and measures.

The effect of all these commandments is the maintenance of a just society.

The parsha concludes with a commandment that we never forget what Amalek did to the Jewish people on their way out of Egypt. Upon entry into the Land, when they have peace from all their other enemies, the Jewish people is commanded to wipe out the memory of Amalek.

Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzva of bikurim (first fruits.) The people are commanded to bring the first fruits of their fields every year as an offering to G-d.

Moshe tells the people that when they cross the Jordan, they should take large stones and write the words of the Torah upon them. They should then place these stones within the Jordan River and take out others with which to build an altar on the mainland.

Moshe goes on to describe how the ritual of blessings and curses should be enacted on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eval. Six of the tribes will "stand on the blessing" on Mount Gerizim, and six will "stand on the curse" on Mount Eval. The Levites will stand between the mountains and call out the curses that will come about if the people worship idols, and all the people must answer "Amen".

In describing the ritural, Moshe makes a point of telling the people of the great blessings that will come upon them if they keep the mitzvot. This is followed by a description of the horrendous sufferings they will experience should they stray from the path. (This part of the parsha is traditionally read very rapidly and quietly by the Reader in synagogue.)

The parsha ends with Moshe's reminder to the people of all the miraculous interventions and protections G-d afforded them in the forty years they spent in the desert. He points out that G-d had just defeated their enemies Sichon and Og, and given their lands to the Jewish people. Moshe wishes to encourage them to realize that, curses notwithstanding, G-d loves them and wants only what is to their benefit. This theme is continued in the next parsha.

Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech is a double parsha; each of these Torah portions is very short.

At the beginning of Parshat Nitzavim, Moshe tells the people that they are standing before G-d to enter into a covenant with Him, in order that they be His people, and He be their G-d. This covenant will be binding upon their descendants as well.

Moshe points out that idolatrous actions will have terrible consequences, but that they can always repent and return to G-d. He also reminds the people that the mitzvot are not too difficult for them, "not in the heavens... or across the sea..." but "very near... to you, in your mouths and your hearts to do them." G-d has placed before them a choice between life and death, blessings and curses, and they should choose life.

Parshat Vayelech opens with a personal statement by Moshe that he will not be able bring the people into the Land of Israel because of his advanced age and because G-d will not let him enter the Land. G-d Himself will lead the people into the Land, and Yehoshua will take Moshe's place as leader of the people. He urges the people to be strong and brave.

Moshe calls Yehoshua to him in the presence of the people and urges that he too be strong. He gives a copy of the Torah to the kohanim (priests) and commands them to observe the mitzva of hakhel (reading the Torah in the presence of the whole nation) every seven years during Sukkot. (The experience of hakhel is a way of reconstructing the effect of the revelation at Sinai.)

G-d then tells Moshe that his time to die has drawn near, and that he and Yehoshua should come stand before G-d in the Tabernacle so that G-d can command Yehoshua.

G-d informs Moshe that the people will stray after his death and will be punished for it, but that the word of the Torah will continue to bear testimony to the Jewish people. Moshe paraphrases G-d's message for the people.

In this month's 'A closer Look' section, we explore Torah readings from the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 16-30, which are read this year during the month of Elul.

A CLOSER LOOK