LEAD TIDBIT:
Bottom Line: Mitzvot
A look through Ki Teitzei calls your attention to the prominence of Mitzvot in the life of the Jew. They come in many shapes and sizes, in the Torah in general and in Ki Teitzei in particular. There are mitzvot between G-d and man, as well as between a Jew and his/her fellow. There are mitzvot that are dependent on the Land of Israel and others that can be observed all over the world. There are mitzvot that seem to be very logical and based on common sense. And there are enigmatic mitzvot that belong to that special class of CHUKIM, which defy logic and clear understanding.

The well-known mishna from the end of Makot that is borrowed to conclude each chapter of Pirkei Avot and as a finale to various and sundry shiurim on all subjects, is brought to mind by the plethora of mitzvot in Ki Teitzei. Rabbi Chananya b. Akashya says: G-d wanted to give (opportunity for ) merit to Israel, therefore he heaped upon them (us) Torah and Mitzvot. It does not say: Therefore He gave us Torah and Mitzvot, but rather He heaped upon us Torah and Mitzvot. We should be filled with a sense of gratitude to G-d for the mitzvot that He gave us and for the commitment to them and Him that He demands of us. As corny as it might sound, G-d WANTS to give us merit; that’s why He gave us the Torah. He didn’t give it to everyone on Earth. Only to us, the People of Israel. Many times throughout the Torah, we are reminded that the mitzvot are the essence of the “deal” that G-d has made with us since the birth of our nation, and for centuries before that.

That deal was made to all of us, in every generation. We must do mitzvot, with a good attitude, with sincerity, with a fear and love of G-d, with a happy feeling of Chosen-ness, with a challenge to rise above the mundane physical world and become spiritual and holy people (but firmly rooted to the same mundane world we try to rise above. Let Ki Teitzei be a reminder of the beautiful world of mitzvot that is ours and let us in this month of Elul recommit ourselves to them.