Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 9 Elul, 5783

Good morning! Shabbat Shalom!

Today’s portion is fascinating because we LITERALLY read about a woman grabbing a dude by the balls.

But really the focus today?  Dignity.  Embarrassment.  The Torah speaks a LOT about keeping people’s dignity.  How often do we struggle with our own emotions, we lash out and work to try and embarrass someone?  I am even reflecting on how we struggle within and our emotions and cause ourselves embarrassment and a loss of dignity.

Today’s portion gives a few examples of naturally losing our cool and causing someone to be embarrassed – and how that’s a problem.

And one example where the Torah SPECIFICALLY calls for someone to be embarrassed.

The one example the Torah gives to CAUSE embarrassment? Erasing someone from Israel.  The story of the two brothers – where one marries, and he dies before a child is born, and the second brother refuses to provide a child to carry on the name – causing the name of the brother to be lost.  THAT is worthy of embarrassment.

And think about it.  You’re a dude. Your brother gets married. He dies before a child is conceived.  And you are called – to marry this woman.  And give her a child.  And she wants this.  To the point she will go the elders and tell them – and he will confirm.

THIS is the reason to embarrass someone.

In our lives – not sure there is a situation the Torah would encourage us to embarrass someone.  So our desire should be to preserve one another’s’ dignity.

Don’t grab someone by the balls in front of a crowd.

As we continue our journey towards the spiritual new year. As we come closer to the full moon and the fullness of this final moon cycle of the year – are we reflecting on the pieces we want to release and let go of? Are we reflecting on what we want to carry with us into the new year?

The idea of dignity is something to reflect on and hopefully brings us comfort.  Hashem wants to preserve our dignity.  And this is freedom. This is liberation.

What are your thoughts?

My commentary from a year ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 14 Elul, 5782

Shabbat Shalom! It’s the full moon, when the moment of full introspection this month comes into view. May our lives shine as bright as the moon reflecting the sun!

Let’s dig in

Moses starts with paying your workers. Moses tells us regardless of whether they are a Jew, a convert, or an alien within the cities – we must pay them the day it is due. The goal here is not to cause another to cry out to Hashem because of us. The reason for this is that if another person cries out to God against us? Our sin will be upon us quicker.

It’s a good goal to have I think to want to avoid people talking to God negatively about us.

Moses then jumps back to death penalties – and how sons and fathers shouldn’t be put to death based on their testimony against each other. Meaning a son’s testimony shouldn’t result in his father being put to death.

Moses now goes to the convert, the widow and the Orphan;

One of the worst things we could do is perverting Justice of a convert or an orphan. Not take a widow’s garment as security for a loan.

The reason for all of this’ Moses wants us to remember we were once slaves in Egypt. God redeemed us while we were in slavery, gave us the Torah and direction for our true liberation, and this is why we are commanded to do what we are asked. The Torah mitzvahs point us to liberation.

Moses shares farming laws related to the poor. Farmers had a responsibility to leave things back so the poor could eat. We do this because we were once slaves in Egypt.

We now move back to the Justice system. If two men are quarreling and one is guilty and one is innocent – the guilty one gets lashes. 40 lashes; no more because this isn’t about revenge. The Torah tells us that more “your brother will be degraded before your eyes.”

Justice. Not revenge. Not degradation. Guilty men should keep their dignity. This is an important take away for us in the Torah. As we enter the promised land; as we enter liberation, dignity is a strong value in liberation.

Now we move into Levirate marriages. What is a Levirate marriage? We are about to find out:

If brothers live together in the world at the same time, and one dies without having a child, the wife of the deceased brother may not marry outside the family to a strange man. Her husband’s brother must come to her and take her as a wife for himself in Levirate marriage.

Why? Why do this? Because to Hashem it was important. We are told why; “so that his (the first brother who died) name should not be lost from Israel.”

The reason for this is because names are important. Carrying on the name is crucial.

However; if the brother does not want to do this? Let’s just say, his dignity is NOT preserved.

Basically, they go to the elders by the gate. She tells the elders he doesn’t want to do this. He confirms. She takes the shoe from the brother’s foot and then spits on the ground before him. She should say “this is what should be done to the man who will not build his brother’s household.”

It is fascinating – we just got done reading about dignity and the lashes for a guilty man. Yet, a brother being unwilling to provide for his brother’s name? Shoe and spit. And it gets worse. Because the next line tells us:

His name (the brother who refused) in Israel will be called “the household of the one whose shoe was removed.”

Next, we continue today’s theme of dignity.

If two men (brothers) are fighting? If the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from his assailant and she “grabs him by the balls.” (And no. I’m not necessarily paraphrasing there) – the people should decide an appropriate punishment for her, because she caused embarrassment with her hand. We should not have pity. So don’t grab someone by the balls in anger. Just don’t.

One of the final pieces of this Parsha is making sure weights and measures are trustworthy. If anyone who acts dishonestly with weights and measures? The act is an abomination to Hashem.

Finally, we close with a remembrance. It’s one of the six we remember each day. Remember we discussed the remembrance of Miriam? Today it’s Amalek.

It’s an interesting close. We are to remember what Amalek did to us on our journey; how we mistreated us. They did not fear God.

But then, we are told to erase the reminder of Amalek from beneath the skies. We are to remember what Amalek DID but not who he WAS. That’s crucial. And a good lesson for us to close today with.

What are your thoughts?

As every Shabbat, Haftorah thoughts will be in the comments below

Haftorah comments.

Today we read Isaiah 54:1-10 it’s a reread of the Haftorah of Parsha Noah.

In our fifth Haftorot of comfort leading to Rosh Hashanah, the comfort here is connected to God’s promise not to bring another flood that will destroy the world.

Isaiah reminds us that although in exile we were like a barren woman who never gave birth, we can now sing because we are free! We can live our best lives and do the things that help us “come alive” because we are liberated.

One of my favorite lines of the Haftorah is this:

“Do not be ashamed or embarrassed to proudly display your greatness, for fear that you may be exiled again, for you will not be disgraced with another exile.”

Just sit with that. Do not be ashamed of our greatness. We are indeed great. Be great. Don’t be ashamed of that.

What are your thoughts?