Honoring the Image of God

    Honoring the Image of God.

In this week’s parashah, Ki Teitze, the Torah commands:

“You shall not leave his body overnight on the tree… for a hanging body is a curse of God. You shall surely bury him on that day.” (Devarim 21:23)

Even someone executed for a capital crime must be buried without delay.

This is because the human being is created in the image of God.

To leave a body hanging is a disgrace and a dishonor not only the person, but to the Divine image itself.

The Midrash gives a parable: imagine twin brothers who look exactly alike.

One becomes a great king, the other a bandit.

If the bandit is caught and hanged in the public square, passersby might think the king himself was executed.

The disgrace of the bandit reflects upon the dignity of the king.

So too, says the Torah, when a human body which is made in God’s image is left hanging, it diminishes the honor of the One in Whose image we are created.

One of the meanings of being created in the image of God, means we like God have the ability to influence and affect the spiritual world.

Just as God’s will shapes creation, so too our actions shape reality, both in this physical and in the spiritual world.

What we do matters.

When we embarrass or diminish another human being, we also lessen God’s honor.

When we lift up others, and act with compassion and respect, we magnify the honor of God.

Our parashah is reminding us that every interaction, every choice, every word reverberates beyond what we see.

We are both physical and spiritual beings who have the capability of affecting both worlds.

It is the responsibility, and also the privilege, of being created in the Divine image.

May we live with that awareness; honoring one another and acting in ways that bring honor to the Creator, and at the same time elevates the whole world.

Wishing everyone a good Shabbos,

With love

Elissa