In Parashat Ki Teizi, God reemphasizes laws stated in Leviticus. God reviews the process of dealing with a marriage or divorce with a slave, a defiant child, and kidnapping. In addition, God prohibits sex before marriage, prostitution, torture, and remarriage of the same spouse. The commandment to wear a tallis is also included in this week's text. Ki Teizi is full of dos and do nots for the Israelites as they enter the land.
Similar logic applies to every law. According to the Torah, these demands are not to be tedious, but rather sweep evil from our midst. Is it possible to purify society so there is no evil? Most likely, this is not probable. Humans' sense of right and wrong differs from person to person. Nobody can agree on what is truly justice. If society abided to the rules of the Torah, such as remaining abstinent, how better off would we be? A world without regulation would definitely be chaotic, but it seems like rules can get in the way of happiness. Could we lighten up on our legislature? For instance, look at a school. A wise person once said, "In school, you lose all your rights." It is perfectly logical that one is not allowed to shoot guns or smoke cigarettes in class. These kinds of restrictions protect the students. Would the world really end if a hat were kept on during the day? What about playing cards during study hall, which really is prohibited in some schools? The fine lines these institutions and the nations of the world operate by are considerably insane. Playing cards will not sweep evil into one's midst.
Furthermore, once these codes are broken one receives punishment. What kind of justice system is being run in this world? Criminals who do bad things are then put in a single room for an amounted time, sometimes even for the rest of their life. I am not denying that jail is an effective way to keep our neighborhoods safe. I argue the fact that criminals sit in cells where they may become more furious at the world than they were before their imprisonment is unethical. Rather than let our villains rot away behind bars, I suggest we figure out how to psychoanalyze the cause of their harsh actions. I was originally going to say that we should correct criminals' unacceptable behavior, but then I began to think. Is it sometimes necessary to break the law? Rosa Parks was breaking the law during her time, but she stood up for what she believed. In my opinion, laws are only unbreakable when the protest of said law will harm others. Perhaps, everybody should relax and enjoy life for a little while, rather than worrying about demands from an executive power.
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