Shabbat Ki Tetze– Deuteronomy 21:10
Isaiah 54:1

There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and 72 of them are in this week’s Torah portion. In biblical times, these mitzvot formed the basis for Jewish societal behavior as they prepared to enter Israel. In contemporary times, we read them as we prepare for the High Holy Days. Some are readily understandable, such as the obligations to return lost objects to their owners and to use honest weights and measures in commercial dealings. You will also find laws that defy obvious rational explanation, like the prohibition against wearing a garment containing a combination of wool and linen (sha’atnez).

One of the many commandments that is easily understood is the directive that if one builds a house with a roof which can be used as living space, the owner must erect a fence around the roof to prevent people from falling off (Deut. 22:8). This may not seem like much of a ritual commandment, but it is reflective of the Jewish desire that we do everything possible to prevent unnecessary injury to another human being.

There is a story about the fabled village of fools, Chelm, which had in its midst a steep hill down which people often fell and injured themselves. The community decided to build a hospital at the foot of the hill to care for those who slipped. An astute person, passing through town, noted that it would have been wiser to build a guard rail at the top of the hill to prevent people from falling. By extension we are taught that we need to do all that we can to build guardrails in our society. Too often we react when there are emergencies and people have already fallen down the hill.

The many laws of Ki Tetze, like all laws, provide in part the minimal societal obligations to ensure the right thing is done in various real life situations: family relationships, business transactions, and even how to treat animals. As Jews we must look beyond these minimal standards, raise the bar, and lead with the highest moral behavior. We should figure out how to build guardrails, and not wait around foolishly at the bottom of the hill.

© 2005. Rabbi Peter C. Rigler, All rights reserved. Please do not use this material without express written permission of the author.

Shabbat Shalom,

HELP OUR DISCOVERY GARDEN GROW - Our Playground is nearly complete - Sponsorship opportunities for our new playground from pavers to Noah's Ark Playhouse. Contact Sharon Sood at (215) 782-8188 or by e-mail for information on how you can donate to this exciting project. A brochure was mailed to KI members and is available in the Administrative Office at KI.

KESHER: JEWISH AMERICANS & ISRAEL – MAKING THE CONNECTION – on Sunday, September 18, at 9:45 a.m. Speakers: Dr. Mitchell Bard, author of Myths and Facts; and Roz Rothstein, National Director of StandWithUs. Free community-wide program presented jointly by The Israel Action Committees of KI and Old York Road Temple – Beth Am. Complete flyer and registration Information - click here or call Selma Dafilou (215) 887- 2832. Program made possible by a grant from the Kehillah of Old York Road.

JEWISH GENEALOGY SEMINAR – Jewish Family Heritage: Connecting to Our Past on Sunday, September 18, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., at Adath Jeshurun. Registration: JGSGP members - $15; nonmembers - $20 Sponsored by Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia and Kehllah of Old York Road. Registration/Information: Mark Halpern via e- mail .

YIDDISHKEIT: GROWING UP JEWISH IN AMERICA - Temple Judea Museum exhibition opens on Sunday, September 18. Reception at 3:00 p.m. Program: artist Joan Myerson Shrager at 4:00 p.m.

WRJ/Sisterhood presents ETHEL HOFMAN, food columnist at the Jewish Exponent, on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00 p.m. Hofman, cookbook author and past president of the International Association to Culinary Professionals, will discuss her book Mackerel at Midnight: Growing Up Jewish on a Remote Scottish Island. Discount copies available at $13 Sisterhood members free - $4 for non-members. Special dessert reception. RSVP to Joan Kamen at (215) 947-5926 by Monday, September 12 .

MONTHLY LUNCH AND LEARN PROGRAM FOR SENIORS who want to continue to live vital and independent lives. Meets 4th Thursday of each month at KI. Sponsored by Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ STAR Program. Next meeting is Thursday, September 29, from noon to 2:00 p.m. Program: “Seniors and Friendship.” For more information, reservations and transportation, contact Michele Kramer (267) 808- 6264 and leave a message including your name, phone number and mailing address.

DEDICATION OF WALL HANGING- on Friday, October 7, at 7:00 p.m., before Family Service. Quilted wall hanging by KI member Lori Mukai, based on text from Isaiah (54:13), "All your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children." Information: Temple Judea Museum (215) 887-2027, or e-mail.

COMMUNITY FAMILY CONCERT— on Saturday, October 15—Stefan Jackiw, violin, Max Levinson, piano. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Concert at 8:00 p.m. Save the date!

PHILLY WITH FREDDIE - a Magical History Trolley Tour with Rabbi Fred Kazan on Thursday, October 27. From the Temple Judea Museum through Two Centuries of Jewish Life in Philadelphia.

CULTURAL COUNCIL 60+- Rabbi Lance Sussman—“Divergent Paths: Fundamentalism and Modernism in Contemporary Religion” on Thursday, November 10. KI member luncheon fee is $8.00 with a reservation by November 3, $10.00 for guests and member reservations after November 3. Send checks to KI, Attn: Cultural Council.  Doris Parker, 215-886- 9267. 

SONGS FOR THE JEWISH SOUL - on Sunday, October 30, at 3:00 p.m.. Concert by Cantors Amy Lefko, Marina Belenky, and Vadim Tunitsky, in conjunction with Yiddishkeit exhibition at the Temple Judea Museum. Open to the community. No admission fee.

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, Bids, Bites and a Bit of Jazz – on December 10, 2005, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., KI will host a goods & services auction to raise funds for KI’s scholarship programs. We hope you will come and bring your friends! We hope you will also consider donating a good or service. How about a weekend at your home in Aspen (or the Jersey shore) or that mint condition Dhurri rug? If you are a decorator, designer or other professional, consider offering a one-hour consultation. Let your creative juices flow and call Sharon Buckingham at (215) 885- 9429 to discuss donations. This event at KI in Elkins Park will include good food, good music and good fun.

STEM CELL DONOR TESTING – on Sunday, October 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (Rothschild Auditorium). Michael Brecker, famed jazz saxophonist and Cheltenham High School Class of 1967, for example, needs a bone marrow transplant to fight a leukemia- like disease. His siblings and his children are not a match. There is no match in the national donor registries, where Jews of Eastern European descent are severely underrepresented. If you are tested and you’re a match for Michael, or someone else, you could literally save a life. For more information, click here .

SHARING IS CARING HANUKKAH DINNER for residents of Federation subsidized housing – on Wednesday evening, December 7, 2005, in the Krauskopf-Ginsburg Auditorium. Volunteers are needed to cook, set up, host/hostess or serve. Sign- up information will be available shortly in the Administrative Office and on-line at the KI website. Send contributions to help defray the cost of the event (payable to KI – Sharing Is Caring) to KI. Information: Debbie Zlotnick (215) 782-8684 or e-mail or Ellen Edelman Grossman (215) 576-0160 or e-mail . This is a wonderful event. We hope you will be part of this mitzvah.