In Song: Ki Tetzey
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Vincent Van Gogh, detail from ‘Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background,’ 1889.
Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock ‘n’ roll.
This week’s parsha, Ki Tetzey, begins with rules about how to treat a female captive from war, and goes on to give many mitzvot that set moral standards for individuals and society as a whole. These include laws pertaining to loans and collateral, family and extramarital relations, how to exact punishments such as death and lashes, the requirement for fair weights and measures, and many others.
One law concerns a rebellious son who, if he fulfills certain conditions, we are commanded to execute before he becomes a menace to society. David Bowie might describe it like this:
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
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