Ki Teitzei: Zemer of The Week
PARSHAT KI TEITZTEI
The zemer for this week: מה ידידות
This zemer first appeared in 1545. It begins and ends with praise for Shabbos and Shabbos observers. In between, the middle stanzas cover a wide variety of Hilchos Shabbos. The zemer’s author, Menachem, hid the acrostic of his name at the beginnings of the second, third, fourth, and sixth stanzas.
Central elements of this parsha include business, inheritance, housing, and familial practices.
Some of the zemer’s connections to the parsha:
· 1st line of 4th stanza:
“חפצך אסורים, וגם לחשב חשבונות” (“Your personal pursuits are forbidden [on Shabbos], and also to calculate accounts”) – Business issues recur in the parsha. For instance, we need to maintain fair weights and ethical business practices (Devarim 25:13-15) and should not charge each other interest (Devarim 23:20).
“חפצך אסורים, וגם לחשב חשבונות” (“Your personal pursuits are forbidden [on Shabbos], and also to calculate accounts”) – Business issues recur in the parsha. For instance, we need to maintain fair weights and ethical business practices (Devarim 25:13-15) and should not charge each other interest (Devarim 23:20).
· 1st line of 3rd stanza:
“נחלת יעקב יורש” (“The portion of Yaakov he will inherit”) – The bechor – even if he is the son of a less-treasured wife – receives a double portion of inheritance (Devarim 21:17).
“נחלת יעקב יורש” (“The portion of Yaakov he will inherit”) – The bechor – even if he is the son of a less-treasured wife – receives a double portion of inheritance (Devarim 21:17).
· Last line of 5th stanza:
“כשושנים סוגה” (“As fenced-in roses”) – When you build a new house, you have to make a fence for the roof (Devarim 22:8).
“כשושנים סוגה” (“As fenced-in roses”) – When you build a new house, you have to make a fence for the roof (Devarim 22:8).
o 2nd line of 6th stanza:
“כל המתענגים בה, יזכו לרוב שמחה” (“All who delight in [Shabbos] will merit much gladness”) – As in this part of the zemer, where delighting in Shabbos leads to further merits, Rashi (Devarim 22:8) cites the making of a fence (sparked by fulfillment of the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird) as an example of מצוה גוררת מצוה.
“כל המתענגים בה, יזכו לרוב שמחה” (“All who delight in [Shabbos] will merit much gladness”) – As in this part of the zemer, where delighting in Shabbos leads to further merits, Rashi (Devarim 22:8) cites the making of a fence (sparked by fulfillment of the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird) as an example of מצוה גוררת מצוה.
o Chorus: “ושליו” (“And quail”) – This is another echo of the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird (Devarim 22:6-7).
· Two contrasts to elements that open the parsha:
o 2nd line of 1st stanza:
“בואי כלה נסוכה” (“Come, royal bride”) – This contrasts with the less pleasant circumstances under which the Eishet Yefat To’ar bride is found (Devarim 21:11).
“בואי כלה נסוכה” (“Come, royal bride”) – This contrasts with the less pleasant circumstances under which the Eishet Yefat To’ar bride is found (Devarim 21:11).
o 3rd line of 4th stanza:
“ותינוק ללמדו ספר” (“And to teach [Torah] to a child”) – This is the ultimate antidote to the problem of the Ben Sorer Umoreh (Devarim 21:18).
“ותינוק ללמדו ספר” (“And to teach [Torah] to a child”) – This is the ultimate antidote to the problem of the Ben Sorer Umoreh (Devarim 21:18).
§ Last line of 5th stanza:
“ובת בן ינוחו בו” (“Sons and daughters will rest on it [Shabbos]”) – Raising children to keep the Shabbat may serve as another antidote.
“ובת בן ינוחו בו” (“Sons and daughters will rest on it [Shabbos]”) – Raising children to keep the Shabbat may serve as another antidote.