With Ki Teitse, Moses reaches the heart of the detailed provisions of the covenant. The parsha contains no fewer than seventy-four commands, more than any other in the Torah. Among them are laws about family dysfunctions, moral and legal obligations towards neighbours and fellow citizens, sexual misdemeanours, moral behaviour in relation to financial matters, and other rules of social responsibility. The parsha ends with the command to be eternally vigilant about Amalek, the Torah’s paradigm case of hatred and cruelty.
Covenant & Conversation
Parshat Ki Teitse
With Ki Teitse, Moses reaches the heart of the detailed provisions of the covenant. The parsha contains no fewer than seventy-four commands, more than any other in the Torah. Among them are laws about family dysfunctions, moral and legal obligations towards neighbours and fellow citizens, sexual misdemeanours, moral behaviour in relation to financial matters, and other rules of social responsibility. The parsha ends with the command to be eternally vigilant about Amalek, the Torah’s paradigm case of hatred and cruelty.