The primary focus of this week’s Torah portion is on ritual behavior: appropriate locations for sacrifice, a warning against worshipping false gods, the basics of kashrut — what foods can and cannot be eaten. In the midst of these ritual commandments there is this warning, “If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs. Beware lest you harbor the base thought, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,’ so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-9)

As we approach the High Holy Days, with all their ritual pomp and liturgical splendor, it is important to remember that our relationship with our fellow human beings in need is just as important as our relationship to the Divine. We show our greatest commitment to God and to Judaism not just through prayer and study, but when we take action to improve the lives of others.

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