Ki Seitzei - 2nd Portion

Join me as we learn the Humash for Monday, the second Torah reading of parshas Ki Seitzei. We are in chapter 21, verse 22. Yesterday we learned about the wayward son. We learned about a woman who was taken captive by war in war, a non-Jewish woman that he is able to keep. And as we yesterday we learned about the law the laws pertaining capital punishment, the Torah continues to tell us about the laws of capital punishment as well. If a man commits a sin of which he is sentenced to death, and therefore he is put to death, then we say you must afterwards suspend him on a pole. You hang him. Rashi The reason why these two Torah readings are juxtaposed, the one about the wayward son and about when a person is sentenced to death, might be to tell us all of that if his father or mother try to have as they have mercy on their own son, and therefore they're not going to bring him to the best in the not going to bring him to the rabbinical court to punish him, so if she ate the tar of Israel, the end result is that he's going to go bad on his own. They have a fetus and do even worse transgressions. He is liable of capital punishment in the rabbinical court anyway. Not that you are not that the death penalty is hanging. This is after he was done any of the other there four different methods of what capital punishment that the best thing would do. Skila, stoning, straight forward, burning at the legs, herig, which is knocking off the head, or hanging. If any of those were done, then they would hang him. The rabbi said call on the skull and Islam that the ones that actually were hung were the ones that were stoned to death. Afterwards they were hung. She never because it says that the curse of God is being hung by this individual. And from here we learn it is only by those sins where a person uh has done something for, so to speak, cursing such a type of death which is stoning. And that type of death that the rabbis that the rabbinic court does, then the individual is hung afterwards. Be a shame be skilo, meaning a person who defames God's name is liable of stoning and therefore any person who has this capital punishment of stoning will then afterwards be hung. Or is hanged. Verse 23. Lo yisalonu v'losay. But you may not leave this body hanging on the pole. Al ha'eitz, do not keep it hanging on the pole on the pole. Ki chover k'veder b'yom ha'hu, you must make sure to bury that person right away on that day. Do not let him hang overnight. Ki kilas al ha'kim talui bo, because he's the he's an affront of God that is hanging in this this guy is an affront of God and the hanging overnight is an affront of God. Lo yisame es ha'aretz asher Hashem Elokecha nosen l'cha l'nachala, your land asher Hashem Elokecha nosen l'cha l'nachala, that God gives to you as an inheritance. Rashi: Ki kilas al ha'kim talui bo, zilzuli shel malchut, this is an embarrassment to the king and disgusting to the king. Why? She'otam mosif l'yikna, because a person is made in the image of God. Because we know that God created man in His image. Yisrael banav, the Jewish people are the children of God. So therefore this is like l'shnei achim moshal l'shnei achim t'mimim, this is in a parable. For example, if you have two brothers who were twins, sheyidmu zeh lazeh, they were looked like one each looked alike. Echad naseh melech, when they grew up one of the identical twins became a king. V'echad nispallel and one continued to be a thief. He was part of the mafia, he was a big mobster. V'nishlan he was hung. Hanged. Kol ro'eh omer, whoever saw this individual who was hanging, omer ha'melech talui, would "Oh, look, that's the king that's hanging." They didn't realize that they were identical twins. Called Shimon and therefore what's it saying? As long as this person is hanging, it's an embarrassment to God cuz they are the son of God. They are the one that have carried the image of God. Anytime we use the terminology curse, it doesn't necessarily mean specifically to curse, but it means also defaming embarrassment. We find when he King David says about him that he cursed me meaning that he said despicable things about him. We now continue to the next mitzvah which is about returning lost items. Chapter 22 verse 1. You must not see your brother's ox or sheep or straying or straying and you shall them him and you will ignore them. Rather, what should you do? You should must return them to your brother. This is talking about the mitzvah of returning a lost item to your brother. You make as if you close your eyes and make as if you don't see it. What does it mean that you don't see and you can see it? You see that you say you don't see it that you should you don't see it meaning that in a way if it says it you can see it from you. That's a simple interpretation. That meaning that this is a like a commandment that there were times for example that you have to conceal yourself. For example, if there is a item for example in the cemetery, where a coin is not not allowed to make himself impure, so then he has to conceal himself meaning he has to make as if he doesn't see the item because he's not allowed to go into the cemetery to be able to find that item and return it to its owner. How do you return it? But if your brother is not near you or you don't know where he is you don't know where he is. You will take that item into your home. It will be with you until your brother will come to seek it and you shall and thereupon you will return it to him. Rashi Do you think that you can have to give it to him to show before he asks for it? Hello, what the verse is telling us is when your brother comes to ask for it, investigate, interrogate, make sure he's not lying and taking somebody else's thing and he has to give you actual signs that tell you who this item that this belongs to him and therefore you can then trust that this is his. Should the heavy a shovel. We're talking about now but you returning it to the owners, that will be considered that you returned the item meaning you have to keep it by you that it should be worth something to return. The let's say if it's an animal, it you shouldn't be able to have to keep it in your home that's going to cost you so much to keep this animal that it'll be worth what the animal is. If this boy him and then you're going to have some therefore they're going to go to the owner and he's going to come to ask for his lost item and you can ask him for what it cost you to take care of this animal for example. Me menu. You can number from where the sage you say called over Lisa the eagle anytime something who does something meaning that you get a profit from it through working for it but then it also eats that means it consumes it takes money to be able to keep it going. You have to you can use it to your benefit but at the same time you have to feed it. And then when the owners come, you can get from whatever he has worked at and he gets his work and that will be able to pay towards the expenses of what it took this item. But if something that does not do and eat meaning that its expenses are more than its profits. You mark it, you can sell it and keep the money until the owners come. So, what we have over here is that if the item that he found that item that I found is too expensive, for example, it's an expense to keep it. He's able to sell it. And then, when the owner comes, give him the money. The very famous story of Rabbeinu Bahya ben Asher said that he lost two chicks and then when the guy came back to pick up his item, he gave him the two goats and he explained to him what happened that these eggs that he These are chicks and more chicks and more chicks and he sold them. And all those chickens became to the value of the goat and that's why he's returning the two goats to this individual. Verse uh 20 verse 3. The same tassel come by the same tassel is to lost say this is what you should do. As so to you should do with his donkey, so to you should do with his garment. The same tassel come by the same tassel is to you should do with any article of your brother I shall take with me men who may have lost them at sunset and you found it. The same tassel is I will be cannot ignore it and therefore God commanded you to return that item. Rashi the same tassel is I will be silent. The same tassel is I will be silent to hold back to close your eyes and make as if you've never seen it. You have to make sure to return the item the lost item to your brother. Next mitzvah we're going to learn about is helping a person on the side of the road. The same tassel is I will be silent. The same tassel is I will be silent. You must not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road. The same tassel is I will be silent and you will ignore them. But what you rather should do come talk to me my you must help him and lift it with him and help him put his things back on. The same tassel is I will be silent. This is loading the donkey. Meaning if the donkey or ox fell with its load The same tassel is I will be silent and you should help the owners load the load back onto the ox or donkey. The same tassel The same tassel is I will be silent. You help the owner meaning the owner is to be there with you. Avli Malof Yoshev Lo, what happens if the owner says, "Okay, I got help. I'll sit down on the side. I'm relaxed." Then of Omer Lo Hoyel Balacham it will tell the guy, "Oh, it's your mitzvah. I don't want to take away your mitzvah." You would say to the owner, "You need to eat and then if you want to, then you could, but you don't have to do it because since the person is not helping you." Poter, you're poter, that means you're exempt from actually helping the person only if the person's going to help you out while you're doing the mitzvah. The next mitzvah we're going to learn about is the prohibition of cross-dressing. Lo Yikli Gever Al Isha. A man's attire must not be worn by a woman. Lo Yilbash Gever Simlas Isha. A man may not wear a woman's garment. Ki Sayiv Ashem Lo Yikali Say Ela because it's an abomination by God for those who do do these things. Rashi. Lo Yiklia Gever Al Isha She Tei Demel Isha Kedei She Telech Ben Nashim. He wants the woman who wants to be looking like a man, so therefore she can walk amongst the men. And then nobody should notice that she's a woman. She Ain't Zela Lishum Niuf. The only reason why a person would do this is only because of disgusting or promiscuous type of behaviors and therefore the the Torah calls it an abomination. Lo Yilbash Gever Simlas Isha. Because why would the person do this? Leil Chalish Ben Nashim. He's going to dress like a woman so he can go and be and sit amongst the women. Davar Acher, another explanation of why this prohibition. She Liashi Sar Erva. Veshe Eir Shel Ish Isha Shechi. Another prohibition that we learn from this is that a person a man is not allowed to remove any hair from his private parts or from here under his armpit, which that is common that women would do and therefore that is considered wearing women's clothing. Ki Sayiv As Lo Asar Torah Levusha Meivli Tei Tei'va. The only time that the Torah prohibited wearing men's clothing, men wearing women's clothing is with something that will bring about the promiscuity that because of this they change who they are so they can be amongst the other gender and this the Torah prohibits and calls it an abomination. Verse six, we now come to another mitzvah which is sending away the mother bird. If it happens to be, if you happen upon a bird's nest on the road. Whether it's on the any tree or on the ground, a freight my bait some could be chicks or eggs. And the mother bird is brooding upon the chicks or upon the eggs. Do not you must not take the mother together with the young while she's sitting on the young eggs. Rashi This is an exception to something which is already there, meaning that you set it up. A person puts a bird cage and therefore the birds come there. That you cannot do the mitzvah. It has to be something you chance upon. From this we also learn other laws that can't be on a person's property. It has to be Everybody has to be able to have the ability to get it and there's many different details to the law. It has to be a kosher bird and it has to make sure it's the female that's there. You cannot take the mother while it's still on You cannot take the mother while it's still on its child while it's still with its young. Verse seven You must first send away the mother bird. Only afterwards can you take the young for yourself. Also it should be good for you and you will have should live long. Rashi Imagine this the Torah is telling you a mitzvah which is so easy to send away the mother bird. There's no loss of money. The Torah tells you that it's going to be good for you and have a long life. How much more so the reward that you will get for the mitzvahs which are even more difficult and more strict. This concludes the second Torah reading of parshas Ki Seitzei.