In this week's parsha's Bnai Yisroel are perparing to go into Israel and Hashem commands them to destroy the Canninites. The main theme is Justice and the concept of reciprocal punsihment is discussed.
If witnesses testify that Ned Flanders killed someone (making him worthy of the death penalty) and the witnesses are later found to have been unable to have wittnessed the alleged event, the witnesses recieve the death penalty. They are called Adim Zommim, conspiring witnesses.
The parsha describes a sort of karmic, newtonian justice. "A life for a life." For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Exactly what the conspiring witnesses tried to do they recieve.
The Parsha states " Innocent blood shall not be shed in the midst of your land..." Devarim 19:10
Why does Hashem command Bnai Yisroel to destroy the Canninites? Are they not innocent ? How can the Jews go in and destroy the indigenous people from the land? What have they done? Is this Justice?
The depiction of Aztecs in Neil Young's song Cortez the Killer, presents an idyllic version of Aztec life and describes an innocent nation. In reality it couldn't be further from the truth. " Hate was just a legend. War was never known. People worked together and lifted many stones." The truth is the Aztecs enslaved large groups and practiced human sacrifice. On a low estimate when they rededicated their temple they slaughtered 4,000 captives in 4 days.
The Canninite people were far from innocent. The parsha warns the Jews not to follow Canninite practices such as the worship of Molech, a god who was worshipped by sacrificing your child by throwing him in the fire.
Just as the Canninites burned their own children, so to the Jews destroyed the Canninites and burnt their cities to the ground. At times situations might not seem completely fair and just but in fact God deals with you just as you deal with others. Just as the conspiring witnesses who brought their punishment on themselves so to these Canninite and Aztec nations brought their own destruction on themselves.
This week I will try and treat others as I want to be treated.
Shabbat Shalom
Daniel Epstein
If witnesses testify that Ned Flanders killed someone (making him worthy of the death penalty) and the witnesses are later found to have been unable to have wittnessed the alleged event, the witnesses recieve the death penalty. They are called Adim Zommim, conspiring witnesses.
The parsha describes a sort of karmic, newtonian justice. "A life for a life." For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Exactly what the conspiring witnesses tried to do they recieve.
The Parsha states " Innocent blood shall not be shed in the midst of your land..." Devarim 19:10
Why does Hashem command Bnai Yisroel to destroy the Canninites? Are they not innocent ? How can the Jews go in and destroy the indigenous people from the land? What have they done? Is this Justice?
The depiction of Aztecs in Neil Young's song Cortez the Killer, presents an idyllic version of Aztec life and describes an innocent nation. In reality it couldn't be further from the truth. " Hate was just a legend. War was never known. People worked together and lifted many stones." The truth is the Aztecs enslaved large groups and practiced human sacrifice. On a low estimate when they rededicated their temple they slaughtered 4,000 captives in 4 days.
The Canninite people were far from innocent. The parsha warns the Jews not to follow Canninite practices such as the worship of Molech, a god who was worshipped by sacrificing your child by throwing him in the fire.
Just as the Canninites burned their own children, so to the Jews destroyed the Canninites and burnt their cities to the ground. At times situations might not seem completely fair and just but in fact God deals with you just as you deal with others. Just as the conspiring witnesses who brought their punishment on themselves so to these Canninite and Aztec nations brought their own destruction on themselves.
This is not the end of the Dvar Torah, it is the start of a conversation .
This week I will try and treat others as I want to be treated.
Shabbat Shalom
Daniel Epstein
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