Parsha Poem: Ki Teitzei / Ki Seitzei / כי תצא

devarim/Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

If you visit a toy store, you’ll see lots of toys;

Looking amazing, promising joys.

The stuff there’s so shiny, packed up so bright;

Lined up on the shelf and crammed in so tight.

You might see a toy you want more than the rest,

A toy that you’re sure must really be best.

This parsha, Ki Teitzei, shows us what to do

About wanting a thing that is shiny and new.

How do you know that it’s really so fun?

How do you know that this toy is the one?

Find someone who owns one and ask if you may

Borrow their toy for a while to play.

Drive it around, or toss it up high;

Or dress it in dresses stacked up to the sky.

You may notice a few things while you’re there

That will help you decide just how much you care.

You may start to see that it’s not quite the best

If you try out the toy and put it to the test.

Is it easy to play with or much, much too tough?

Is it sturdy and strong; does it bend if you’re rough?

Does it look old and beat-up or still look quite good?

Do all of the buttons still work like they should?

This parsha can teach us and give us advice,

About things we see that we think are quite nice.

It says if a soldier finds a woman to love ,

He waits first to do things the Torah speaks of.

She must cut her hair short and unpolish her nails

Dress in plain clothes, maybe brown, like a snail’s.

She can’t be all fancy, all polished, all slick;

He has to find out if it’s all just a trick.

So he goes back to see her all worn-out and plain

To see if she’s like he remembers again.

Maybe he sees that she’s not quite so grand,

Then he says he can’t marry her like he had planned.

But the Torah says if she is just as he dreamed,

If she’s as wonderful as he thought she seemed,

He could make her his bride, she’d move into his home;

He could happily know he would not live alone.

The same thing is true when it’s toys that we see:

“I want it, I know, but is it meant for me?

Will I still love it when it’s old and worn-out;

When the handle falls off or it’s missing its spout?

When the battery goes, is it still fun to play,

Or will I get tired of it the first day?”

This parsha helps us to know how to tell

If it’s something good, or just junk that they sell.

Because soldiers need women who will be good wives,

And kids need toys that will last all their lives.