Magazine 2023-08 web

Words of Rabbi Eli J. Mansour The special month of Elul is observed every year as a time for introspection and repentance, a period when we put in extra effort to correct our bad habits and improve ourselves, in preparation for the judgment that will take place upon the conclusion of this month, on Rosh Hashanah. We are all well aware of our faults, our struggles, our character flaws, the areas in which we fall short of what we should be expecting of ourselves. As Elul begins, most of us already have a list in our minds of the things that we do which we shouldn’t, and the things that we don’t do which we should. I would like to propose, however, that this is not the correctmindset for Elul, that this month actually requires a far more ambitious undertaking, one which, if done properly, could propel us to much greater heights and make this season an especially productive one. The “Wayward” Teacher??? Every year, toward the beginning of Elul, we read Parashat Ki-Tetzeh, which includes the unusual law of the ben sorer umoreh – a term commonly translated as “wayward son.” Under very specific circumstances, a 12-year-old boy who commits certain offenses, and ignores his parent’s admonitions, would be put to death. The Talmud teaches that the Torah imposes so many conditions which must be met for this law to take effect, that, as a practical matter, such a situation could never happen. It is simply impossible for a child to meet all the conditions required to be declared a ben sorer umoreh and thus worthy of execution. The Torah nevertheless introduced this law, the Gemara explains, for the purpose of “ derosh vekabel sechar ” – literally, “study and receive reward.” Meaning, this subject is worthy of study and analysis not because such a situation will arise, but rather because it offers us important and rewarding knowledge and insight. There is a great deal to discuss about this intriguing law, but for now, we will simply examine the title that the Torah gives to this young man: ben sorer umoreh . The word “ sorer ” is derived from the root s.u.r. , whichmeans “turn away,” and it thus refers to the child’s having deviated from the proper course of conduct. This yields the common translation of “ ben sorer umoreh ” as “wayward” son. However, this translation fails to take into account the additional word – “ umoreh .” What does the Torah mean when it describes this child as not only “wayward” ( sorer ), but also “ moreh ”? One explanation of this word is that it stems from the term meri – “rebellion.” The ben sorer umoreh , then, is “wayward” and also “rebellious.” We might, however, question this interpretation. If “ moreh ” denotes rebelliousness, then, seemingly, the sequence should be reversed; the child should be referred to as a “ ben moreh vesorer .” After all, a youngster first becomes rebellious, and this leads him to stray. The rebelliousness, we would assume, is what results in the youngster’s becoming “wayward,” and thus the word “ moreh ” should have preceded the word “ sorer .” We thus prefer a second understanding of the word “ moreh ,” one which is familiar to everyone who ever studied in a Jewish school, or who ever had a child who studied in a Jewish school. A “ moreh ,” of course, is a teacher (and a “ morah ” is a female teacher). The phrase “ ben sorer umoreh ,” then, means “a child who is a wayward teacher.” Wayward teacher?! This 12-year-old boy is a teacher? What does this mean? Wrongful Conduct vs. Wrongful Ideology I believe the Torah here is teaching us something exceedingly profound. The Elul Challenge 10 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE