ki tetzei

Without a shovel, no camp kit's complete
'cause God goes with us, when we march to war.
A scandal to besmirch His awesome feet
by inattention to the basest chore.
In war, like peace, the Chosen must conform;
in this world, we're the agent of God's Hand.
Josiah's seventh century reform
affirms our lease agreement on the Land.
The deuteronomistic quid pro quo
like everything else, shapes our rules for war.
But most important's the internal foe
when combat's understood as metaphor.
To d'rash the parashah  as mere p'shat
reduces Torah to be what it's not.