Ki Teitzei excerpts

כי תצא

Shabbat Shalom

Help. Something many of you like to scream when you are scared.

22:1- You shall not see your brother's animals on the way, running away, and pretend like you don't see it. The Torah goes on to say that this shall be done for all lost objects of your brother...kind of like the lost cellphone at the shule BBQ the other day, which was not returned, because somebody turned a blind eye to all the contacts that were on the phone, who could have told them whose phone it was...Look out for your other people's lost objects, otherwise, you cannot pocket it. That is the lesson Mr. Shwanzenstein learned at the BBQ...

Rashi- 'Hide yourself from them' means to cover your eyes as if you do not see

The Shwanzenstein's daughter does not have money for clothes- we cannot hide our eyes from that...Many of times, your rabbi has been at movies where there has been licentiousness and people not wearing modest clothing. It disgusts me. But I have learned from Rashi that it is wrong to cover the eyes, and to pretend as if the problem is not there. And as thus, I have had to sit there, in these movies, watching these scenes with people with no clothing. It bothers me. But your rabbi makes it a point to not cover his eyes. And if I would see their clothing, I would return it to them...As I did for the young ladies on the beach the other day....It is about help. It is about not turning your eyes away from the problem and pretending it is not there.

We are commanded to help. We are commanded to not be lazy. We are even commanded to help in our friend's burden. 22:4- You must help your brother lift his animal...

You cannot see the sisterhood put out kiddush and not one of you complainers in this synagogue helped them with the burden of the spread...And you wonder why we are still eating puffed air cookies or kichel...

You cannot sit in shule and pretend like you were here...

You cannot look at Mrs. Fishbern and not notice that she needs help...We understand you have a personality disorder. But it is our responsibility to help you. To not turn a blind eye and...How I hate the saying blind eye. But we have to help blind people too. We have to help everybody. 

Rashi (22:4)- Yet, we are only commanded to help, if he us not just sitting there, saying 'This is your Mitzvah..'

There is no commandment to help somebody who is not helping themselves. Mrs. Fishbern likes bringing up uncomfortable conversation about random people...Maybe sometimes families have to take the first step. Maybe by Chelsea some clothes that Hanna Montana wouldn't wear. Maybe Hanna Montana is not the right role model for a girl who wants to be a doctor...

You people are always saying 'Do this for me.' The attitude is 'What can I do for you?' In a 'What can I do for you society?' Only then can we find and give help and some decent cookies for kiddush...Talk about that Mrs. Fishbern.

***These are excerpts from the sermon. For the sermon in its entirety, come see David Kilimnick perform at the Off The Wall Comedy Basement, in downtown Jerusalem.

David also tours as a Maggid with very few stories, if you invite him.

Shabbat Shalom uMvorach