Parshas Ki Thetze 5765

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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Many mitzvos are discussed in the portion. One of them is shiluach ha-kan, sending away the bird. This mitzvah involves a person who chances upon a wild mother bird sitting on a nest of eggs or fledglings. If one wants to take the eggs, he must first send away the mother bird and only then take the offspring. Although this mitzvah is relatively simple, the Torah promises the reward of longevity for its fulfillment.

The commentaries explain that by sending away the mother and not allowing her to witness her offspring being removed, it teaches man to be compassionate to others.

The next section concerns a person who builds a new house. If the roof is flat, there is an obligation to build a ma’akah, a fence, around the roof to protect anybody from falling off the roof. (It was common for people to walk on flat roofs). A person must exercise great care with anything on his property that could potentially damage others.

The Torah then discusses kil‘ayim, the prohibited mixtures. One may not sow a vineyard with a mixture, i.e. plant different seeds together. A person may also not plow using two different species of animals together. A person may also not wear shaatnez, a mixture of wool and linen in the same garment.

The Torah then discusses the mitzvah of putting tzitzis (fringes) on the corners of a four-cornered garment.

The Midrash explains that the fulfillment of one mitzvah creates opportunities to perform other mitzvos. Although the main reward for fulfilling mitzvos is reserved for the Afterlife, there are nevertheless benefits that can be reaped in the present, too.

If a person will fulfill the mitzvos with objects that are found in the wild, i.e. the mother bird, he will be granted the ability to build a home and thereby be given an opportunity to fulfill the mitzvos associated with building a house, such as ma’akah. If he fulfills those mitzvos, he will be granted the opportunity to own a field and fulfill the mitzvos associated with plowing and sowing. This, in turn, will create the opportunity to acquire new clothing and fulfill even more mitzvos, such as sha’atnez and tzitzis.

This is the reason for juxtaposing certain mitzvos. The fulfillment of one mitzvah leads to the fulfillment of others. A person must first prove himself worthy by performing easy mitzvos in order to be deserving of having the opportunity to fulfill other mitzvos.

“You shall have a perfect and honest weight, a perfect and honest measure…” (Deut. 25:15)

Rav Eliezer Gordon, the rabbi of Telshe, Lithuania, would personally check all the stores in town to ensure their weights were honest. His honesty and fairness were so well known, that when Gentiles would shop at the Jewish stores they would ask for the “Rabiner’s weights.”

The Kav Hayashar cites an incident of a tailor who requested that his coffin should be constructed from his workbench. He said, “ Let my workbench testify before the Heavenly Tribunal that I never cheated a customer and I was honest in all my dealings with others.”

Did You Know...

It is customary to recite the Tashlich prayers on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashana near a body of water. If the first day is Shabbos, it is recited the second day. Preferably the water should contain fish, reminiscent of G-d’s constant watching over His people. It is prohibited, however, to throw bits of food into the water, as one may feed an animal on Shabbos or Yom Tov only if it depends on him for its food.

Tashlich is a serious prayer, beseeching G-d’s mercy in judgment, and it should not be an occasion for social activity. Many people prefer to recite Tashlich after Rosh Hashana, during the Ten Days of Repentance, when they can recite it in a quieter setting with more feeling.