d’var torah
Leaning Into the
Diffi culty
BY RABBI JASON BONDER
E Parshat Ki Teitzei
very Rosh Hashanah, we read
the Biblical story called “Th e
Binding of Isaac.” In that story,
Abraham ties up his son, Isaac, lift s
a dagger above him and is seemingly
ready to end Isaac’s life.

A story like this reminds us that the
Torah isn’t some storybook for chil-
dren. Mixed with the uplift ing stories
of our people are some very challeng-
ing and frightening ones. It is fun to
learn and discuss the inspiring stories,
but Jewish tradition challenges us to
make meaning of it all. Th e good sto-
ries and the bad stories. Th e fun tales
and the very uncomfortable ones.

Th e Binding of Isaac is terrifying,
but it is hardly the grimmest of stories
in the Hebrew Bible because — spoiler
alert — Abraham doesn’t go through
with it. An angel stops Abraham before
he gets the chance to sacrifi ce his son.

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki
Teitzei, however, we are presented with
a truly gruesome scene. Th e Torah tells
of a person whose life has already been
taken. In Deuteronomy 21:22-23 we see
the following instructions: “If a man is
guilty of a capital off ense and is put to
death, and you impale him on a stake,
you must not let his corpse remain on
the stake overnight, but must bury him
the same day. For an impaled body is
an aff ront to God: You shall not defi le
the land that the Lord your God is giv-
ing you to possess.”
Th ere are many, far milder, aspects
of this week’s Torah portion. Yet in
preparing to write this article, inspired
by the upcoming new year and the
diffi cult texts we will read, I wanted
to answer the challenge and search for
meaning in this passage.

When I began searching the tra-
ditional Jewish commentaries, I was
delighted to see that I am far from the
fi rst to fi nd meaning in such a chal-
lenging passage. For every ounce of ink
in the Torah that conveys grim images,
from the word “kal” meaning “light”
— as in “not heavy.” Rashi makes the
point that, oft entimes, an “aff ront” is
when we make light of a person, of a
situation or of the Almighty.

In this Hebrew month of Elul, as we
engage in “Heshbon HaNefesh” — “an
accounting of the soul” — we are to
look back on this past year and on our
lives in general. It is always so much
easier to look at the good things we’ve
accomplished and to simply gloss over
the disappointments.

By facing the tough passages of our
Torah and fi nding meaning within
them, Rashi shows us that we cannot
recoil from the challenging parts of our
lives. We must face them with bravery
When you review this past year,
I hope that you won’t gloss over the
parts of your life which might be
easier to ignore.

our great sages spilled a pound’s worth
of ink to share the wisdom that they
found within it the problematic texts.

The 11th-century commentator,
Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak, better
known as Rashi, presents two lessons
that we can learn from these instruc-
tions about the impaled person. First,
Rashi teaches that this commandment
reminds us of how we are created in
the image of God. In this passage, the
Torah challenges us to see the Divine
spark even within those who commit
heinous crimes. Even in those who,
according to the Torah, are deserving
of capital punishment.

Th e second lesson comes from
Rashi’s close attention to one particu-
lar phrase within these verses. He notes
that the Hebrew words translated above
as “aff ront to God” are the word “kile-
lat Elohim.” Rashi points out that the
word translated as “aff ront” is derived
30 SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
and fi nd meaning in them.

When you review this past year, I
hope that you won’t gloss over the parts
of your life which might be easier to
ignore. Take the time to confront the
things we’d rather not face. Th ere is so
much meaning and learning for us in
the challenges of our lives. JE
Rabbi Jason Bonder is the associate
rabbi at Congregation Beth Or in Maple
Glen. Th e Board of Rabbis of Greater
Philadelphia is proud to provide diverse
perspectives on Torah commentary
for the Jewish Exponent. Th e opin-
ions expressed in this column are the
author’s own and do not refl ect the view
of the Board of Rabbis.