Not Able to Look Away Ki Teitzei/Board Installation

September 5, 2025

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, has the distinction of being the parashah with the most mitzvot in it – 74 laws, in fact. But don’t worry, I want to focus on just a few verses tonight. Here they are: “If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your peer…. You shall do the same with that person’s ass; you shall do the same with that person’s garment; and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow Israelite loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent. If you see your fellow Israelite’s ass or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must raise it together” (Deut. 22:1-4). It’s a seemingly simple mitzvah, to return a lost animal or other object to its owner. But it represents a whole orientation in the world, a certain way of seeing ourselves in relation to others in our community. These verses remind us that we are meant to look out for one another, literally. Three times we are told not to ignore or remain indifferent, literally not to “hide our eyes,” from the misfortune a missing animal or other possession would cause our neighbor. Instead, we are meant to be looking for ways to help one another. If we see a lost animal, we return it. If we see a fallen animal, we help raise it. We don’t walk on by, either oblivious or indifferent to the situation just because it doesn’t affect us personally. We don’t assume that someone else, someone who’s less busy or less important than we are, will come to help. Each one of us is commanded to pay attention, to stop what we’re doing, and to take responsibility to restore what has been lost. This is what is meant by the famous dictum, “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh. Every Jew is accountable to one another” (BT Shev. 39a). What happens to one of us is the responsibility of all of us.

I said that three times we are told not to “hide our eyes,” but actually, we are only told twice not to do so. The other time, the Torah really says, “לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לְהִתְעַלֵּֽם, you shall not be able to hide your eyes” (22:3). In other words, ideally, with enough effort and enough practice, we will become so attuned to the needs of others that we simply cannot ignore them. It will become second nature to do what we can to help.

This second nature is easier for some of us to achieve than others. Some people seem to just be wired to be helpful and generous, as if they are literally incapable of ignoring a problem they come across and can’t rest until they have solved it. They don’t look to see who else will shoulder the responsibility; they are the first to say, “I’ll do it.” There is a term for this sort of person: it’s “member of a temple board.” Temple board members make it their business to look for ways to help sustain and strengthen the community. When they see a problem, they don’t pretend not to see it, or wait for someone else to do something about it. They take upon themselves the burden of tending to the needs of the synagogue and its members. It’s not a glamorous job. It’s certainly not a lucrative job. But all of us here can make sure it’s not a thankless job. 

So I’d like to call up Temple Beth Torah’s 2025-2026 Board of Directors for the honor of the aliyah, and to receive our blessing:

Lisa Akselrad

Ron Barnett

Jackie Bazeley

Cheryl Cohen

Jim Cohen

Gigi Dornfest

Michelle Eisenbruck

Terri Gladish

Steve Horwitz

Cindy Monroe

Ronnie Petersohn

Laurie Ravenscroft

Sharon Sacks

Rachel Sapiro

Pip Ziman

Mi shebeyrach avoteinu v’imoteinu, may the One who blessed our ancestors before us bless you, TBT’s Board of Directors, as you begin this year of service. May your work for the sake of this community bring you satisfaction and fulfillment. May you grow together in friendship and solidarity, united by your shared love for Temple Beth Torah and your commitment to its well-being. May your disagreements be l’shem shamayim, for the sake of heaven, resulting not in animosity but in wise action. And may you feel the gratitude and support of this congregation, tonight and always.

 וִיהִ֤י ׀ נֹ֤עַם אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֭דֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָ֥ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃ 

May the favor of the Eternal, our God, be upon us; let the work of our hands prosper, O prosper the work of our hands! (Ps. 90:17).