September 9th: Ki Tetzei
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
The thing that always strikes me about Ki Tetzei is that it does not paint an idyllic picture. “When you go forth to war against your enemies…” is speaking about unfortunate circumstances, situations which may be necessary but are certainly not ideal. While our Tradition understands that wars must be fought, armed conflict is never a good option. Though our Tradition bids us to prepare ourselves militarily and to be able to protect ourselves, we are not urged to be a warlike people. While our military is to be supported and our soldiers appreciated, the ideal our Tradition holds aloft is that of peace, tranquility, and prosperity. As King Solomon counsels in Proverbs (12.20), “Unto the counselors of peace there is joy.”
The nature and dynamics of our vision of peace is sketched in a very famous passage from the Prophet Micah (4.1-5). Notice how he combines godly influence with peace and religious tolerance: “It shall come to pass, in the end of days, that the Mountain of the Lord’s House shall be exalted above the hills. The nations shall flow unto it, and many peoples shall say: Come ye, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob. God will teach us holy ways—that we may walk in holy paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. God shall judge between many peoples and shall decide concerning far away nations; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they study war anymore. But they shall sit everyone under their vines and fig trees, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken it. All the peoples shall walk in the name of their gods, while we walk in the Name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
While the Prophet hopes for a time when implements of war—and “studying” how to use them—will no longer be necessary, he does not preach pacifism. Human history has always involved conflicts in which survival meant defending oneself and one’s tribe. Indeed much of the wisdom of Ki Tetzei and other passages in the Torah involves how we can behave both strategically and morally—how we can bring a moral perspective to intense and brutal conflict.
An example of this balance is the word shalom. Shalom means peace, and, as such, it is used for Hello and Goodbye. However, the root of the Hebrew word approaches the concept of completeness. Kaddish Shalem is the whole/complete Kaddish. When one pays a bill, the term is l’shalem, to complete/balance the exchange. In its expansive form, shalom speaks of well-being and preparedness. As much as we want to live relaxed, we also want to be able to respond well to the challenges that may arise. Like the proverb says, “Do not pray for an easy life; pray to be strong.” Or, as the Psalmist (29.11) explains, “Adonai oz l’amo yiten; Adonai yivarech et amo vashalom. The Lord gives strength to our people; the Lord blesses our people with peace.”
The less-than-ideal situations in Ki Tetzei remind us of the strength and determination that life requires—of knowing how to take care of ourselves both strategically and morally. Whether we are sitting under our vines and fig trees or struggling furiously, God offers us guidance and support.