SPIRIT

Assessing Our Lives 
O

ne of the most bewil-
dering command-
ments in the entire 
Torah shows up at the end of 
this week’s parshah. Ki Teitzei 
opens by describing some of 
the complex Jewish 
laws regarding warfare. 
From the earliest days 
of our Jewish people, 
even the most dis-
turbing aspects of life, 
such as slavery, capital 
punishment, or (dare I 
say it) disobedient chil-
dren, were expected to 
be pursued in an eth-
ical manner. Precisely 
in situations like these, 
God demands actions 
befitting a holy people. 
This leads to the problem of 
Amalek. Amalek was one of 
Esau’s grandsons — part of the 
family of Abraham, but on the 
outside after Jacob seized the 
blessing to continue the line of 
our patriarchs. In Jewish cus-
tom, the name Amalek is spo-
ken with disdain, evoking a sim-
ilar (if less emotional) reaction 
to hearing Haman or Hitler. It is 
this very parshah in which the 
name Amalek is enshrined as 
a pariah for all time: “You shall 
blot out the memory of Amalek 
from under heaven. Do not for-
get!” (Exodus 25:19)
The immediate reason given 
for this harsh commandment 
is that soon after escaping from 
slavery in Egypt, it was the 
Amalekites who first attacked 
our people in the wilderness. 
Even the manner of the attacks 
was reprehensible — lying in 
wait and picking off the strag-
glers. Rather than engaging in 
ethical warfare, Amalek tar-
geted the slowest and weakest. 
Rabbinic literature described 

Amalek as “like a leech eager for 
blood,
” and “like a fly looking 
for sores to feed on.
”
No matter how insidious 
Amalek may be, the command-
ment itself seems problematic. 
Are we supposed to blot 
out the name Amalek, as 
if it didn’t exist? Or are we 
supposed to remember it? 
Perhaps we are to remem-
ber to forget his name?
Reflecting on this passage 
within the context of 2021, 
it makes more sense to me. 
Part of the human condi-
tion is figuring out how 
to handle the aftermath of 
difficult moments. Putting it 
behind us could be consid-
ered repressing something 
important. But dwelling on it 
could be considered neurotic. In 
the wake of a pandemic, what 
will be the most effective way 
for any of us to learn and grow 
from the experiences we have 
had, from all we’ve lost?
This parshah arrives just as 
we are walking through Elul, a 
full month dedicated to prepar-
ing for the High Holidays. We 
are meant to show up to Rosh 
Hashanah with an open, honest 
assessment of ourselves. What 
has hurt us? What has limited 
us? What has agitated us? What 
has disappointed us?
And then Yom Kippur pro-
vides us a chance to enter 5782 
with a clean slate. Not a brand 
new slate, but a clean one. The 
path is somewhere between 
remembering and forgetting 
— a place that is, as our Torah 
portion reminds us, confusing 
and mystifying. But ultimately 
accessible. 

Rabbi Mark Miller is senior rabbi at 

Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi Mark 
Miller

Parshat 

Ki Teitzei: 

Deuteronomy 

21:10-25:19; 

Isaiah 54:1-10.

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24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110

Southfield, MI 48034

1-248-945-1111

24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110
Southfield, MI 48034
1-248-945-1111

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Southfield, MI 48034
1-248-945-1111

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24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110

Southfield, MI 48034

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Southfield, MI 48034
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24725 West 12 Mile – Ste. 110

Southfield, MI 48034

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Southfield, MI 48034
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42 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

TUESDAY EVENINGS at the Bais Yaakov Auditorium 
14390 W. 10 Mile Road, Oak Park
DINNER 
7:00 PM 
PRESENTATION 
7:30 PM 
STUDY 
8:00 PM

tuesday, august 24

