Ki Tetzei

How Can I Atone?

Rabbi Jill Hammer & Rabbi Laura Duhan Kaplan

Parshat Ki Tetzei is a mini-encyclopedia of moral, ethical, and social teachings. We read Ki Tetzei only a few short weeks before Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, a time of reflection, repentance, and resolutions. At this time of year, many readers of Ki Tetzei ask, "What would happen if I failed to put these teachings into practice? How might I make up for the harm done?"

In answer, some of our sages point to the Biblical story of King David. David, who already has seven wives, has a short, passionate affair with Batsheva. Batsheva becomes pregnant, David panics, and orders Batsheva's husband into a battle where he will certainly be killed. The prophet Natan confronts David, and David becomes horrified by his own actions. David fasts and prays, begging God to punish him - not the nation, Batsheva, or the child. Over time, David is reborn as the loving partner of one wife, Batsheva, who becomes his political confidante and the mother of all his future children.

The poet Jacob Glatstein imagines David, reflecting at the end of his life, and wishing for a deeper absolution. David considers the psalms he has written, and does not find them good enough to balance the harm he has done. Yet he goes on looking for songs "steeped in truth."

King David offers a model of repentance:  we can listen to the perspectives of friends and advisors, recognize the consequences of thoughtless actions, practice rituals that awaken our inner spirit, explore ourselves through art, learn to behave differently, and continue to pursue the path towards true and right action.

Return to Reb Laura's "Taste of Torah" list.

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