| This week's parsha, Re'eh, continues the recitation by Moshe of the laws which will apply in the Promised Land.
One of these is the law of "Ir Hanidachas," a city where the majority of the population has succumbed to the worship of foreign gods. When the Jewish court has witness testimony that this "abomination" has taken place, the Torah establishes rigorous evidence requirements before punishment can be imposed. The court must "investigate and inquire and interrogate," to determine that the testimony is "true" and "established." The Talmud refers to these court proceedings as "drishot" and "chakirot," and several tractates of the Talmud are devoted to the detailed cross-examination requirements of what we would now call "due process."
The parsha goes on to set forth the laws regarding the various festivals. These sections of the parsha constitute the Torah readings during those Festivals. For instance, in regard to Pesach, the parsha states that we must eat matzo for seven days (now, in the diaspora, eight). Matzo is referred to as "lechem oni", the bread of affliction, which reminds us that the Jewish people fled Egypt "be'chipazon," hurriedly. In the Book of Shmot, which tells the story of the Jews' departure from Egypt, the Torah states that the Egyptians forced the Jews to leave hurriedly, saying, "kulanu meisim," we are all dying. (The plague of the First Born made the Egyptians think like that.)
In the haftorah which we will read next Shabbos with the parsha of Shoftim, the prophet Isaiah says as follows: "Ki lo be'chipazon teitzei'u,” When the ultimate redemption takes place, "You will not depart in haste, because the Lord is marching before you." When the Egyptians were behind you, you rushed out, but when God is leading you, there will no longer be any need to hurry, because God will be there to protect you.
This week's haftorah (Isaiah, 54:11-55:5) is the third of seven haftoros of consolation, all from the book of Isaiah, that follow TIsha B'Av.
Pirke Avot, Ethics of the Fathers
Chapter 5, Mishna 19: A love that is based on a single factor, if the factor disappears, the love disappears. An example is the love of Amnon for Tamar (in the Book of Prophets) which was based on sexual attraction. But a love not based on a single factor continues forever. An example is the love of David for Jonathan. |
