KEEPING OUR PROMISE
A d’var Torah for Ki Teitzei by Jackie Menter
It has been a week of unanticipated chaos on the other side of the world. So many of us have been stunned watching the shocking humanitarian crisis produced by the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. The serial videos of terrified Afghans crowding the tarmac and clinging to aircraft leaves us to wonder, “Was there truly no other way?” Now more than ever we need Shabbat as a time to separate from these relentless and heartbreaking scenes in order to clear our minds and reflect on lessons learned and what we can do.
This week’s parshah, Ki Teitzei (Deut. 21:10-25:19) seeks to impose order on chaos by enumerating a litany of rules (74 to be exact) for situations ranging from war and poverty to immigration and infidelity. While many of these commandments would be considered irrelevant and, in some cases, offensive in today’s culture, the majority of laws presented were radically progressive for the era in which they were promulgated, with much to teach us today.
Deuteronomy 23:15 reads, “The Lord your God walks within your [military] encampment to protect you and deliver your enemies to you.” Adonai is present to help you and ensure that your behavior merits Divine protection. Why? Because “your encampment is holy. Let God not find anything unseemly among you and [therefore] turn away from you.”
As I pondered these verses, I wonder if Adonai is finding the departure of America’s military presence from Afghanistan “unseemly” at best and “horrifying” at worst.
Pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, declared on Tuesday that it is the military’s “sacred obligation” to assist Afghans that worked for U.S. forces in evacuating the country. The Hebrew word “neder” (נדר) is often understood as “sacred obligation.” The expression “b’li neder” (without making a vow) is used in daily parlance to distinguish between a routine promise and a sacred obligation. Deuteronomy 23:24 is the source: “What issues from your lips, you must protect and fulfill.” “Protect” (תשמור) is often used in Torah in association with keeping mitzvot, as in Deuteronomy 5:11, “Guard the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Once we make a promise or vow, it is as if we have taken on a sacred obligation that cannot be violated.
Americans viscerally understand that it a religious mandate to protect our committment to the Afghan people, and in particular, those who worked with and for the U.S. during our 20-year occupation. Popular pressure has helped ramp up evacuation efforts. We have yet, however, to realize our potential to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
While I feel a measure of joy as I watch people escaping the grim future of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, I cannot help but wonder what happens next?
Tens of thousands of Afghan allies will be fortunate to escape, many of whom will resettle in America. The questions at hand are, “How will they begin their new lives? and What can we do to help?”
Two thousand Afghan SIVs (Special Immigrant Visa recipients) have made it to the USA already. Last night, with one day’s notice, five families arrived in San Diego into the protective arms of Jewish Family Service. Their needs will be significant. Most SIVs will have travelled with nothing but the clothes on their backs and arrive before their assigned resettlement agency is able to secure permanent housing. They will need transitional housing from one to four weeks and people to help them navigate life in their new home.
IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A VILLAGE…
The Orange County Jewish Coalition for Refugees (OCJCR) is ready to provide assistance with your help. We are actively seeking individuals, couples and families who are willing and able to:
- Open their hearts and homes to these families
- Become part of a volunteer support team that will help acclimate new Afghans to life in the U.S. by helping do essential tasks like enroll their children in school, bring them to the DMV, furnish new apartments and be a friendly presence
If you would like to volunteer (THANK YOU!) you can sign up through OCJCR's volunteer interest form here.
ALSO, YOU ARE INVITED….
As part of a special film series underwritten by a generous grant from the Albert and Rhoda Yvette Weissman Arts Endowment through the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County, OCJCR is currently streaming the award-winning docufilm, "Midnight Traveller," about an Afghan family's escape from the Taliban and their arduous multi-year journey to safety. You can watch the film through August 25th. Sign-up here to watch.
All are invited this coming Tuesday, August 24, to join OCJCR for a Zoom program "Escaping Afghanistan,” featuring panelists from No One Left Behind, a nationwide nonprofit committed to ensuring that America keeps its promise to our allies and their families who risked their lives for our freedom. These experts will offer an up-to-the-minute update on the situation in Kabul and their efforts to bring our Afghan Allies to safety. Learn more and Register here.
At the end of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people that the Torah is not meant to be studied from a distance but rather read and interpreted in every generation to help all people fill this world with God’s presence. Thank you for joining this holy mission.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jackie Menter
