Welcome Back D'var by Freshman Jori Epstein

Parshat Ki Teitzei, 14 of Elul

Hi my name is Jori Epstein and I’m a freshman here at UT. First I want to welcome everyone to Chabad and thank Rabbi Zev and Ariella for having us as well as everyone who worked so hard to make this night a success.

In this week’s Torah portion of Ki Teitzei, G-d reminds the Jews of many prohibitions and rules to follow as they leave the desert and enter Israel. At first glance, the list seems a bit outdated—stone a disloyal son, do not retrieve dropped grains from your field and remember our battle against the nation of Amalek. Though each of these principles was applicable at the time, they seem much less connected to our lives now, as we dwell far away from the desert, farm infrequently, and don’t stone on our children.

Yet the principles as a whole and as individuals in fact offer great insight to our lives. We see the importance of discipline in both domestic and public settings, reminding us there will be consequences for our actions. And though we don’t gather grapes from our vineyards in Austin, the prohibition comes with reasoning—that the fallen grains shall go “to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.” (Deuteronomy 24:21)

This specificity applies much more broadly than to the field. We learn from G-d, that as we make a livelihood and work to sustain ourselves, we need not forget the less fortunate. G-d will support us but we must emulate him in support of others.

The portion concludes telling us “זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם", to “Remember what Amalek did to [us] on [our] journey, after [we] left Egypt.” (25:17) As the battle of Amalek did not end triumphantly, it seems weird we should recall that struggle. We so often aim to “forgive and forget”—not dwell on our enemies and failures.

As we all return to Austin, some of us here new as freshmen, we must look to the future and our potential for progress. Yet the portion teaches us a valuable lesson—that we can’t forget our past. If we forget our past struggles, the work it took to get here and the trials we’ve overcome, we can’t reach maximum success in the future. Only by understanding our mistakes and working to improve them can we truly succeed.

I hope that with these lessons in mind, we can all continue our semesters off to great starts. Shabbat Shalom and Hook Em Horns!