The privilege and good fortune of a full life on earth carries with it countless inescapable lessons of humility along the way. Whether it’s the result of saying, “Watch this!” as a child or being let go from a job you’ve held for years, humans don’t have to learn to be humble. It’s forced on us.
“Silence of the lips means not speaking. In contemplative silence, even the inner dialogue is stilled.…The tongue is the pen of the heart and to be silent demonstrates a high level of self-mastery. To be inwardly still, however, is to abide in a suspended state of receptive reverence.” -Alan Morinis
Resentment, just as Brené Brown suggests, keeps us from joyful connections with our fellow human beings. Like Parshat Ki Tavo teaches, mitzvot are the focus of Torah, but it’s the joy and gladness of Judaism that keep us full-hearted.
"It's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.”- Queen Elizabeth II
Accidents, by nature, aren’t choices. However, we do have the choice in how we react to something we’ve overlooked. Parshat Ki Teitzei reminds us that sometimes it can be better to let it go, to embrace the happy unintentionally and make a mistake that might just lift someone else up.
"It is often believed that anger can be both noble and essential, helping the oppressed to assert themselves and pursue justice.…Anger is not only unnecessary for the pursuit of justice, but also a large impediment to the generosity and empathy that help to construct a future of justice."
Martha C. Nussbaum, Anger and Forgiveness
It’s easy to go on consequence overload when you’re in an emotional moment. The Torah is itself, however, a grounding resource. Reading these same texts year after year is what grounds us emotionally and spiritually, and it reminds us, especially in this week’s portion, that only when we’re in that grounded space can we act justly.
