Rosner’s Torah Talk: Parshat Ki Teitze with Rabbi Aaron Shub

Aaron Shub is the rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh and Director of Jewish Life and Learning at Levey Day School, Portland, Maine: Shub is originally from Los Angeles. While he received a BA in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MAEd from the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, he has spent much of his life living and working abroad. Aaron began his rabbinic training at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies before enrolling at YCT. He is a trained and experienced chaplain, having served in trauma, behavioral health, oncology, and cardiac care units at major hospitals around the US, as well as in hospice, home care and assisted living settings. His spouse, Dr. Abbie Yamamoto, is a translator, US-Japan cultural consultant, and independent scholar of Japanese literature. They are raising their two children, Aryeh and Mina, in both Hebrew and Japanese. In addition to his love of languages and cooking, Aaron is a dedicated martial artist.

This Week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Ki Tetize (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) – features a vast number of laws and commandments, including inheritance laws;  judicial procedures and penalties for adultery, rape, and for husbands who falsely accuses their wives of infidelity; laws concerning credit and debt; rules on the treatment of escaped slaves; and Divorce laws. Overall, this week’s portion contains 74 of the Torah’s 613 commandments. Our discussion focuses on the command to remember Amalek and on the role of remembrance in the Torah in general.