Character is what we do when no one is watching

Torah study

RABBI ANDREW STRAUS
Ki Tavo/Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Imagine you are just about to enter a new country. You have been traveling for months, maybe even years. You are excited and cannot believe that your dreams will finally be fulfilled.

Just as you enter into this new land, the leaders of your community say: "Stop, not so fast. Let us tell you about the potential blessing and curses that you can receive in this land - this is the way we expect you to behave in this new land."

This is exactly what happens to the Israelites as they are about to enter the Land of Israel.

God commands them, saying the Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God's commandments. The Levites then go on to give a specific list of deeds for which one will be cursed. It is a great list of deeds and not at all what one might expect. Cursed shall be the person who insults his/her parents; the person who moves a land marker; who misdirects a blind person; who subverts the rights of the stranger, the orphan or the widow; who commits bestiality; who accepts a bribe.

It is a strange list, but these things all share something in common. They are all things that we do when we assume that no one else is looking and that no one else will ever find out about. The blind person cannot see who misdirects him; the stranger, the orphan and the widow (and in our world we would add the undocumented worker) have no rights in society - what are they going to do, go tell the police?

These are the things that you are cursed for. Many might argue that these are seemingly minor crimes. But as one of my bar mitzvah students taught me this week, they teach us the important lesson: "Character is what you do when no one is looking." Torah is reminding us that we will be cursed for the things that we do when we lack character.

Parsha overview from www.urj.org

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing 10 percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow (26).
The people are told to display on large stones God's commandments for all to see (27:1-8).
The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God's commandments (27:15-26).
The Israelites are told that if they obey God's mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their b'rit with God, many curses will descend upon them (28:1-69).
Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all they undertake (29:1-8).

Andrew Straus is the the rabbi at Temple Emanuel of Tempe.

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