Show Notes
In this week's parsha, Ki Teitzei, we explore laws that address human dignity and responsibility. These include, but are not limited to:
The law of a beautiful captive. A man must reflect before deciding to marry her, and once he does marry her, must treat her as a full-fledged wife.
The law of inheritance. One must give the double portion to the firstborn son, not the son of the wife one prefers.
The law of a hanged man. Since each human is created b'tzelem Elokim, we are obligated to bury this man before nightfall.
The law of the wayward son. From here we learn the importance of rebuke- it is a parent's job to try to prevent their child's behavior from escalating and getting worse over time.
The big ideas behind these laws still resonate today.
More from Parsha for Kids
In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?
This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include: