"A beautiful woman"(Deuteronomy 21:11) Elul 8, 5783/August 25, 2023 This week's Torah reading, Ki Teitzei - When you go out (to war), is replete with commandments, seventy four in all. Many of them are familiar to us from earlier mentions in the Torah, and many of them we are seeing for the first time. Bearing in mind that we are hearing Moshe's farewell address to his people Israel, and that with each word from the lips of Moshe, we are inexorably drawing closer and closer to his final day on earth, we can understand the urgency felt by Moshe, compelling him to share with and teach and impress upon Israel every last commandment, every last responsibility and every last opportunity that HaShem's covenant with Israel has to offer. There is no clear thematic order to Moshe's presentation of commandment after commandment, one seemingly unrelated to the next, other than the obvious fact that the Torah is all-encompassing, and like its heavenly Author, an intimate part and parcel of every aspect of our lives. Themeless as parashat Ki Teitzei may be, it does open with the subject of war, and also concludes with war. Ki Teitzei begins "If you go out to war against your enemies, and HaShem, your G-d, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives, and you see among the captives a beautiful woman and you desire her, you may take her for yourself as a wife. You shall bring her into your home, and she shall shave her head and let her nails grow. 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. 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." (Deuteronomy 21:10-14) And Ki Teitzei concludes "You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear G-d. Therefore, it will be, when HaShem your G-d grants you respite from all your enemies around you in the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!" (ibid 25:17-19) Ki Teitzei begins with war and ends with a hope for peace. But how do we get there? The teaching of the captive woman seems straightforward. A soldier who has survived a life threatening situation, who entered into battle not knowing if he would live or die, suddenly finds himself in the strange calm of the aftermath of battle. The enemy army has been decimated. Only the women, now taken captive, have survived. The soldier, pumped up on adrenaline, grateful to be alive, and, perhaps, bursting with feelings of invincibility and unbridled privilege, lusts after "a beautiful woman." He wants her and who can stop him? The Torah can, by providing for him a path out of transgression. Recognizing man's passions and urges, the Torah sanctions the union of the soldier and the captive woman, but prevents the soldier from acting immediately on his desire. He must bring her back home with him, let her mourn her parents for thirty days, having shaved her head and shorn her nails. Shorn of adornment, eyes red and swollen with crying, if, after thirty days the soldier still desires her, he may marry her. Thus, the Torah has rescued man from himself, and the captive women from man's most base urges. But there is another way to understand the story, one that is shared by the Ohr HaChaim, the 18th century Moroccan sage. Our protagonist is not an ordinary soldier, but a holy warrior, dedicated to his Creator, who has just, as the verse clearly states, delivered the enemy into his hands. Our holy warrior feels neither invincible nor privileged to do as he may, but only gratitude to HaShem. His body is not pumped up with adrenaline, but his spirit has been lifted to unprecedented heights. He is filled with ruach hakodesh - the spirit of prophecy. The beauty that he spies in the captive woman is not an external, superficial beauty, but the beauty of a pure, redeemable soul, shining from deep within her. By bringing her back to his home for thirty days he is beginning a process that will liberate the captive woman in body and in soul. Two different soldiers, two different takes on life. One attached to the material, the other to the spiritual. One in danger of succumbing to his basest instincts. The other reaching new heights of prophecy and spiritual clarity. What does this have to do with our war against Amalek? Curiously, the Torah tells us "when HaShem your G-d grants you respite from all your enemies around you in the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens." That is, our final battle against Amalek begins in earnest in an era of peace - "respite from all your enemies!" Amalek is the progenitor of baseless hatred, not only of the people of Israel, but of the G-d of Israel. While our generations-long war against Amalek has often taken the form of physical warfare, our ultimate war with Amalek is a spiritual battle. And to win the spiritual battle against Amalek Israel requires holy warriors who sees HaShem's Presence in the battle, and who can see beyond the physical surface of events, discerning good from bad, the pure of soul and heart from the tainted, and not soldiers battling not to succumb to their bestial nature. The Torah exists for all souls, both those lusting after the physical beauty of the captive woman, and those who see the spiritual beauty within. But to win the final war against the hateful Amalek, we need to be the holy warriors, dedicated soldiers in the army of HaShem, bound by the laws of Torah. Peace with our neighbors established and Amalek vanquished, there remains but one last task - to build the Holy Temple, HaShem's "house of prayer for all nations!” (Isaiah 56:7) . |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven says it's time to wake up! get up! stand before HaShem! It's time to hear the shofar of Elul - reveille for the soul, and study the precious case of the righteous warrior! Elul has arrived, the shofar is sounded, and we're off - to fix and fine tune our souls and our selves, as we prepare for our upcoming audience with HaShem. Not only the shofar, but sublime Selichot and the unsurpassable Psalm 27 are heard throughout the month of Elul. The challenge of a soldier fighting HaShem's war - seeing hidden beauty and guarding over it. |
Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time! Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time! |
The Incredible Month Of Elul Elul, a month void of holidays, days of remembrance, or even fast days, is, nevertheless, one of the most momentous months of the Hebrew year. Following on the footsteps of Av, the 9th of which is the absolute nadir of Jewish history, (the day of the destruction of both the 1st and 2nd Holy Temple), Elul presents us with a steady rise toward the spiritual pinnacle of the Hebrew year, the month of Tishrei, whose two towering peaks, Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur are followed by the sublime holiday of Sukkot, the festival of joy! |
"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 HaShem, your G-d." Western secular society may be way past the issue of cross dressing, but cross dressing is definitely where the Torah draws the line. Anything beyond that is most definitely an affront to our Creator. Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19)
Parashat Ki Teitzei is read on Shabbat:
Elul 9, 5783/August 26, 2023 |
Haftara For Shabbat Parashat Ki Teitzei Isaiah 54:1-10: "'Sing you barren woman who has not borne; burst out into song and jubilate, you who have not experienced birth pangs, for the children of the desolate one are more than the children of the married woman,' says HaShem. Widen the place of your tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of your habitations, do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For right and left shall you prevail, and your seed shall inherit nations and repeople desolate cities..." |
A Temple Mount Moment: Visit to the Temple Institute, Part 2 Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld steps down from the Temple Mount and pays a visit to the Temple Institute! In part 2, Dr. Kronfeld learns about the Golden Showbread Table, the Golden Menorah , the Golden Incense Altar and the Ark of the Covenant! |
The Urim & Tummim: Two Opposing Opinions "You shall place the Urim and the Tummim into the Choshen of Judgment so that they will be over Aharon's heart when he comes before HaShem, and Aharon will carry the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before HaShem at all times." (Exodus 28:30) We recently posted a picture depicting the king of Israel standing behind the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), asking a question of HaShem, via the Urim and Tummim. They are both seen standing outside of the Holy of Holies facing the Ark of the Covenant. This understanding of how the Urim and Tummim were employed is according to the opinion of Maimonides. |
¿Comenzó la RECONSTRUCCIÓN del TEMPLO en JERUSALÉN? Close to 300,000 people have already viewed this video! Our Spanish speaking friends will enjoy this wonderful video filmed by Gastón and Oxana in Israel, at the Temple Institute's Jerusalem Visitors Center. We had a great time hosting them, and invite you to view and share this exciting and informative video! Bien hecho Gastón y Oxana! |
National Geographic Deprecates Jewish Theology And Ignores Archeological Fact Andrew Lawler’s biased account of the history and religious significance of the site don't meet the magazine's traditional standards.
By Karen Bekker. Earlier this summer we saw multiple media outlets using various methods to attempt to separate Jews from their holiest site, the Temple Mount. Now National Geographic continues this trend in a long article by Andrew Lawler that privileges the Muslim narrative regarding the site. (“An unprecedented look inside one of Jerusalem’s holiest—and most controversial—landmarks,” August 15.) |
Evidence Of Jerusalem’S Destruction At The Hands Of Babylonians, Then Romans Now Revealed On Mount Zion Jerusalem was destroyed twice, in 586 B.C.E. and 70 C.E. New archaeological work at Mount Zion reveals evidence of both horrors, a new theory for Nehemiah's walls, rare weights from the First Temple period – and a magical rib bone |
Parashat Ki Teitzei - Shiluach Haken In this week's Torah reading, Ki Teitzei, (Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19) we come across a commandment, that by all measures, is quite unusual: "If, along the road, you chance upon a bird’s nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life." (Deuteronomy 22:6-7)
Known in Hebrew as shiluach haken (literally, sending away from the nest), this commandment has puzzled our sages from the earliest of times. |
Today, The 5th Of Elul, The Vision Of Ezekiel
As told by the prophet Ezekiel (Yechezkel), it was on this very day the 5th of Elul, that he experienced a dramatic vision, which took up chapters 8 - 11 of the book of Ezekiel:
"It came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth [month - Elul], on the fifth of the month, that I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judea were sitting before me, and the hand of HaShem G-d fell upon me there. And I saw, and behold, a likeness like the appearance of fire; from the appearance of its loins and below-fire, and from its loins and above-like an appearance of splendor, like the color of chashmal.//" |
This Week: Parashat Ki Teitzei The concluding three verses of this week's Torah reading Ki Teitzei - When you go out...," (Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19), command us to remember and never forget what Amalek did to Israel (to us): "You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear G-d. Therefore, it will be, when HaShem your G-d grants you respite from all your enemies around you in the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!" (Deuteronomy 25:17-10) |
Over A Thousand Jews March Around Temple Mount To Mark New Month In Age Old Tradition Over a thousand people participated last weekend in the traditional tour around the gates of the Temple Mount, in which the participants marked the beginning of the month of Elul - according to Jewish tradition, the month of mercy and forgiveness while accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. |
See The New Moon Of Elul! The first and only photographed sighting of the new moon of Elul, (on August 17th), was by Gadi Eidelheit of the Israeli New Moon Society. The photo was taken of the moon over Machtesh Rimon, (the Rimon Crater), which is in Israel's Negev desert, far from city lights. The new moon symbolizes renewal, redemption and teshuvah - repentance and return. How appropriate for the current month of Elul - the month of spiritual preparation in anticipation of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur! |
Mikdash Monday - Elul - 40 days of Teshuva (Part 1) "Be ready by morning, and in the morning come up to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to Me, on the top of the mountain." (Shemot 34:2) |
Shavua Tov from the Temple Mount! Last Thursday 100's of Jews ascended the Temple Mount in purity to welcome in the incredible month of Elul! Elul is a month totally dedicated to preparing ourselves for the upcoming holy days of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Special prayers and supplication are recited and sung all throughout Elul, and a shofar is sounded in synagogues around the world, serving as a wake up call for our souls! Wishing everyone a shavua tov - a very good week - and a chodesh tov - a very meaningful and rewarding month of Elul! |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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