This weekly blog series, published on Fridays, features insights from WRJ leaders on the Torah portions from a women's perspective. Enhance your Torah learning and understanding by adding Voices to your reading list.
In the book of Deuteronomy, we read the many and various strictures upon behavior of the Israelites, which they will need to abide by when entering and conquering the land promised to them. The parashah, Ki Teitzei (Deut. 21:10-25:19), contains laws in different categories, many of which apply directly to women and family matters.
This week’s Torah portion is Shof’tim. It discusses the importance of setting up a judicial system and appointing judges. The most memorable verse in the portion states, “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.” When we read this commandment we are moved to action. How though can we as individuals make this part of our lives (especially if we are not lawyers)? Every time we engage in social action we are pursuing justice.
It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through WRJ’s Centennial year. And what a year it has been! We celebrated the Centennial in our own synagogues with Centennial Shabbat services and cakes decorated with the Centennial logo. We celebrated the Centennial with our sisters from North America and abroad at the WRJ Fried Leadership Conference and on the WRJ Centennial Trip to Berlin and Israel. At the Centennial Symposium in New York, we learned our history, studied the legacy of our founders and honored our fore-sisters.
Eikev—meaning “if…” or “as a result of…”— is an interesting parashah and is referred to in WRJ’s The Torah: A Women’s Commentary as, “Conditions for Life in the Land.” Throughout this parashah, we are reminded of the central position that the Promised Land has in the relationship between God and Israel and that it is a “good land” and a land of “milk and honey.”