Parashat Ki Teitzei | Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19
This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, contains more mitzvot than any other Torah portion.
They touch virtually every part of human life: our relationships with one another, our responsibilities toward those who are vulnerable, how we treat workers and animals, what happens when someone loses something, and the ways we create a society grounded in justice and compassion.
Among them is the commandment:
“You shall make yourself twisted threads on the four corners of your garment.” —Deuteronomy 22:12
These twisted threads—tzitzit—are intended to be a visible reminder of our connection to the mitzvot.
I love the concept of threads being twisted together. One thread by itself is fragile. Joined with other threads, it becomes stronger. And when we weave those threads into the sacred tapestry of our lives, we become part of something larger—a connection that stretches from generation to generation.
Ki Teitzei repeatedly reminds us that we do not live only for ourselves. We are asked to pay attention to what happens around us. When someone has lost something, we are instructed to help return it rather than look away.
Torah tells us:
“You must not remain indifferent.” —Deuteronomy 22:3
We have a responsibility to show up for ourselves, for our families, and for our communities. I like to think of each of us as a thread in the tapestry of our people; together, we are weaving our ongoing story.
Here is my prayer for Parashat Ki Teitzei.
Holy Light
Eternal Source of Hope and Healing—
When we feel vulnerable and afraid,
show us that we are not alone!
When we are weary and in need of solace,
remind us that we cannot take care of others
if we don’t first take care of ourselves.
When we feel unwelcome and unappreciated,
grant us a sense of belonging
and inspire us to reach out
in love and friendship
to those in need.
Help us discover the spark of Divinity
implanted within each of our souls,
and allow us to know at a core level
that we are more than enough:
we are Holy.
May Your Infinite Holy Light
shine upon us and those we love
and bless us with creativity,
comfort, and connection.
Continuing Our Journey Through Elul
During Elul, I try to pay attention. To notice what is true for me in this moment.
Some things sustain me. Some connect me to the people I love, the values I cherish, and the person I am trying to become.
Other things weigh me down.
Last week, as we began our Elul journey together, I wrote about the first of four words that are guiding my spiritual practice this year:
Reflect. Release. Repair. Return.
Reflection invites us to look honestly at where we are.
And once we begin to see clearly, another question naturally follows:
What are we ready to release?
Sometimes we hold tightly to things simply because they are familiar: old expectations, disappointments, resentments, habits, fears, or ways of seeing ourselves that may once have served a purpose but no longer help us grow.
Releasing does not mean forgetting, dismissing, or pretending something doesn’t matter.
It means discerning what we no longer need to carry so we have more room for what we do.
When a Community Carries the Light
Last Friday night, after the frightening incident at Central Synagogue in New York City, I felt called to respond in the way I know best—by making art.
Years ago, I created a Hope Candle with the words:
“Hope is the candle that continues to burn even when we are lost in the dark.”
That night, I created a second candle:
“Courage is the flame we kindle again & again when darkness tries to extinguish our light.”
I placed them together in honor of Central Synagogue, with the words:
May we be inspired to pursue justice.
I posted the piece on Facebook before going to bed. When I woke up, I discovered that it had been viewed 78,000 times and shared more than 600 times!
In the days since, the image has been viewed more than 185,000 times and shared 1,200+ times. What astonished me most was discovering that almost 98% of the views came from people who don’t follow my Facebook page.
The piece had traveled far beyond my usual circle.
People shared it with friends, family members, congregations, and communities of their own.
And that is what touched me.
One person lights a candle.
Someone else carries the light.
Someone else shares it.
And suddenly individual threads begin to weave themselves into something much larger.
In a week when I have been thinking about what it means to release, this response has reminded me just as powerfully that there are things we need to hold onto.
Hope.
Courage.
Connection.
Community.
Our responsibility to one another.
Several people contacted me to ask whether they could purchase the Hope & Courage piece, so I have made it available in two ways. You can order a print through my Joanne Fink Judaica webstore, or download a digital version through ZenScribe.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has shared the image and helped carry its message into the world.
Elul Explorations: RELEASE
If you’d like to join me in this week’s guided journaling practice, you are welcome to download and print my RELEASE journaling page and spend some time with these questions:
What are you resisting releasing?
What is that resistance trying to protect?
What are you holding because it’s familiar,
even though it no longer serves you?
Where are you spending energy trying to control something
that is beyond your control?
What can you do to loosen your grip on the things
that are preventing you from taking flight?
There are no right answers.
The purpose is simply to notice.
What are you carrying because it belongs to you—and what are you carrying because you have forgotten that you are allowed to put it down?
What would become possible if you released even one thing that is taking up space in your heart, mind, or spirit?
Elul gives us time to consider these questions slowly.
We don’t have to release everything at once.
Sometimes loosening one thread is enough to begin.
Closing Blessing
As we do the work of teshuvah,
may the Light of Community
illuminate our path.
May we weave the sacred
into the tapestry of our lives
and bring compassion, courage,
justice, and truth into the world.
May each step we take
draw us closer
to who we are meant to become.
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