Medinat Yisrael has many soubriquets: Start-up Nation; Originative Nation, Productive, Imaginative, Innovative, Inspiring Nation. All are correct to a degree, but none succeed in conveying the essence of the Medina and its universal game-changing mission. Therefore, I suggest the soubriquet – The Sling-Shot Nation. Why?
The fleeting moments just before Yom HaDin – the day of judgment, is our final opportunity of this year to make a reckoning of what we have or have not done properly in the eyes of HaShem.
Just as Hashem is infinite so too are the depths of understanding necessary in order to grasp His motives and actions; nevertheless, there are several basic concepts which can lead one along the path of understanding.
Our parsha begins with the mitzva of “bikurim” – a landowner who grew any one of the seven species of flora which are indigenous to Eretz Yisrael: wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive or date, must bring a sampling of the first growth to the Bet Mikdash (holy temple in Jerusalem) starting after the holiday of Shavuot.
The landowner declares his recognition and thanks to HaShem for the bountiful blessings he received as an owner of land in Eretz Yisrael and presents the fruit to a Kohen who places it near the altar.
The Torah states that if A divorced his wife, and thereafter she married B and he too divorced her or died, she may not go back and remarry A.
Several reasons for the prohibition have been suggested, including the idea that the Torah knew that it could lead to halachically legal but morally repulsive adultery, where B pays A to divorce his wife so that he can live with her for a time and then return her to A. While no halacha has been violated, the Torah calls this conduct “to’ayva” – repugnant and obscene – and hence declares it prohibited.
In any event, the Torah set down the principle that a woman who was divorced by A and then committed her allegiance to B, may never return to former husband A.
The parasha opens with the command to appoint judges and law enforcement officials without which a society will disintegrate into chaos and eventual oblivion (Devarim 16,18):
Appoint judges and law enforcement officials for each of your tribes (gates) in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.
It is unusual that the verse uses the singular tense “lecha” when the plural “lachem” is more appropriate, since the command focuses on the nation’s leadership in all generations who are vested with the authority to appoint public officials.
I submit that the verse is directed not only to the nation’s central authority, but to each individual; that he or she should see their pure Jewish conscience as their judge (shofet) to discern between right and wrong, together with their ability and willingness to implement the decisions of their conscience (shoter).
The Medina is in need of positive forces of love and optimism for our future. Forces that join together in defense of the land and toil to strengthen our security, as well as our economic and political independence.
The Medina is not in need of negative, critical and undermining elements which would weaken the fabric of our society.
