The mitzvot of Ki Teitzei

To execute the law of the one of beautiful form as is written in the Torah

Positive · Deuteronomy 21:11

The sages said that the Torah permitted the captive woman only in view of the evil inclination, for had it not, a man would marry her in sin, overpowered by his desire. So the Torah shut the door in the face of his inclination - it commanded that her head be shaved, her nails grown, and that she weep in his house for a month, all so that she would become unattractive in his eyes.

To not sell one of beautiful of form

Negative · Deuteronomy 21:14

The mitzvah teaches our souls good and precious traits, for a precious soul is worthy of receiving good, and blessings rest upon it. God desires the good of His people and crowned them with every fine trait, and there is no doubt that selling a woman after a man has taken her to himself is the way of the lowest of people.

Not to make her serve after he has intercourse with her

Negative · Deuteronomy 21:14

Its reason is that of the ban on selling her - the Torah teaches us good and fitting traits. After a man has taken her to himself he may not degrade her and keep her as a maidservant for his work, for that is the way of the lowest of people, and a people that God crowned with every fine trait does not act so.

To hang one who is liable for hanging

Positive · Deuteronomy 21:22

The court's punishments exist to preserve society, for without fear of judgment people would swallow one another alive. The hanging comes to raise up the condemned and make the judgment known before all. When the people see the post set up and the whole act, awe and fear enter their hearts and they keep far from the gravest sins.

To not leave one that is hung overnight

Negative · Deuteronomy 21:23

A hanged body invites people to ask why he was hanged, and the answer - because he cursed God's name - brings the profanation of God's name to their lips again and again, and they bring harm upon themselves. God, who desires the good of His creatures, kept them from this, and so the hanged one may not be left on the post through the night.

To bury him on the same day, and so too all the dead

Positive · Deuteronomy 21:23

The sages explained the words "for a hanged man is a curse of God" - as long as the dead man hangs unburied, people ask what his sin was, and in answering they mention the curse of God's name again and profane Heaven's name. God, who desires their good, commanded that he be buried on the day of his death to spare them this profanation. And from here, every Jew who dies should be buried on the day of his death, and not be left lying in disgrace.

To return a lost item to an Israelite

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:1

This mitzvah benefits everyone and makes for a well-ordered society, for forgetfulness is common to all, and animals are always wandering off here and there. When this mitzvah is kept among our people, animals and belongings are guarded everywhere in our land as though they were in their owners' hands.

To not avoid his eyes from it

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:3

Its reason is that of returning a lost object - forgetfulness is common to all, and if everyone looked away from what his fellow lost, no one would be secure in his property. When we do not ignore it, everyone's property is guarded everywhere as though it were in his own hand, and that benefits us all.

To not leave the beast of his fellow falling under its load

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:4

The mitzvah teaches our souls compassion, a praiseworthy trait. Needless to say we must have compassion on one who suffers in his body; even for one distressed by the loss of his property it is a mitzvah for us to feel for him and save him, and not to pass him by and go on our way.

To load the load that has fallen together with his fellow

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:4

Its root is that of unloading - to teach our souls compassion. One whose load has fallen, with no one to help him, is distressed at his loss and his delay on the road, and we must have compassion on him and lift the load with him, not leave him alone.

That a woman should not wear the adornments of a man

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:5

The mitzvah comes to keep our holy people far from immodesty and from anything likely to lead to a stumbling. Were men's and women's clothing alike, they would mix together constantly, and immodesty would spread. Rambam gives another reason as well - to keep away from the practices of idol worshippers, who did this.

That a man should not wear the clothes of a woman

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:5

Its reason is that of the ban on a woman wearing a man's attire - a clear difference between men's and women's dress guards modesty and prevents the mingling that leads to immodesty. It also keeps us far from the customs of idol worshippers, who would exchange their garments in their rites.

To not take the mother upon the young

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:6

Its reason is that of sending away the mother bird - to teach us that God watches over the survival of every species and desires that none vanish from the world, and one who recognizes this merits His providence and endurance himself. It also trains us in mercy, so that we not accustom our souls to cruelty even toward a small bird.

To send away the mother bird if he takes it upon the young

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:7

The mitzvah sets in our hearts that God's providence over human beings extends to each individual, while over other creatures it extends to the species as a whole - God desires that every species endure, and so no species has ever vanished from the world. One who reflects on this understands God's ways and knows that one who keeps His mitzvot will likewise merit His providence and endurance in this world and the next, which is why the sages said that the reward of this mitzvah is children. And Ramban added that the mitzvah comes to teach us mercy and keep cruelty far from us, for cruelty spreads through a person's soul.

The commandment of a parapet

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:8

Though God watches over every person and all that befalls him is by His decree, the world was created on the foundations of nature - fire burns, and one who falls from a high roof dies. Only great pious men who cleaved to God merited to be masters over nature, and most people are not on that level. So the Torah commanded us to guard our homes and remove every danger from them, and not risk ourselves by relying on a miracle, for whoever relies on a miracle, no miracle is done for him.

To not leave a stumbling block

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:8

Its reason is that of the parapet - the world runs by nature, and a hazard left in a house or yard will in the end cause harm. One may not rely on a miracle and leave a danger in place; rather a person must guard himself and others and remove anything that could cause disaster.

To not plant forbidden mixtures in a vineyard

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:9

God created His world with wisdom, and every species was formed with the perfection suited to its role, so He commanded that each species bear fruit after its kind and that the species not mix, lest their perfection be marred. In a vineyard two species besides the vine are required, and perhaps the reason is that the vineyard is important and its power great, so a single species beside it is overwhelmed and does not count as a mixture.

To not eat forbidden mixtures of the vineyard

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:9

The Torah keeps us from each thing according to the stumbling it holds, and the vineyard leads to wine, which brings many stumblings - it rouses the evil inclination and pushes aside the good. God permitted wine only for the benefit of a little of it, so if sin enters already at the planting of the vineyard, no benefit may be had from it at all, and everything is burned - the fruit, the straw and the wood.

To not do work with two species of animals

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:10

Rambam wrote that the mitzvah stems from the root of the ban on crossbreeding animals, since farmers usually keep a working pair in one stall and might come to crossbreed them. There is also a reason of kindness to animals - beasts are greatly distressed to live with a creature not of their kind, all the more to work with it under one yoke. And from this the wise will learn never to appoint two people together to one task when they are far apart in nature and conduct, like the righteous and the wicked or the lowly and the honored.

To not wear shaatnez

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:11

Its deeper reason is hidden, but there is a hint of it in the root of the ban on sorcery - God gave each species its nature, and certain combinations of species were forbidden to man, for they are a kind of attempt to alter the Creator's perfect works. Rambam gave another reason - in his day idolatrous priests used to wear garments of wool and linen together, and the Torah kept us far from their custom.

To marry a woman with a marriage contract and betrothal

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:13

The Torah commands an act of betrothal that marks the bond between the man and the woman before they live together, so that their union not be a casual thing. So the woman will always bear in mind that she is bound to this man, be faithful to him and honor him, and both will dwell together in peace, and the world will be settled as God wills. For this reason Jews customarily betroth with a ring, so that it stay on her hand always as a reminder.

The commandment that the wife of one who "puts out a bad name" about her dwell with him forever

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:19

The mitzvah comes to discipline the base and keep them from such vile acts - spreading a false and evil report about one's wife to be rid of her. One who knows that if he does so his wife will remain with him all his days, that he must provide for all her needs and can never send her away, will master his inclination and refrain from the disgrace. It also protects the wronged woman, so that she not be cast out and left in her shame.

That he should not divorce her all of his days

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:19

Its reason is that of the mitzvah that his wife remain with him forever - one who spread a false report about his wife to be rid of her will not get what he sought. Knowing in advance that he can never divorce her, he holds back from this base act to begin with, and the woman's honor is preserved.

The commandment upon the court to stone the one liable

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:24

The court's punishments exist to sustain the world, for without fear of judgment people would swallow one another alive. The Torah set for each grave sin the punishment matching its severity, and stoning was given for the gravest of sins, so that the people would hear, fear and keep far from them.

Not to punish one coerced into a sin

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:26

Its reason is known to every thinking person - it is not right to punish anyone for what he did under compulsion, against his will. Punishment comes for an evil choice, and one who was coerced did not choose evil, so the Torah frees him entirely.

The commandment on the rapist to marry the one he has raped

Positive · Deuteronomy 22:29

The mitzvah comes to deter the base from this evil act, so that the daughters of Israel not be treated as ownerless. One who knows that he cannot carry out his wicked design and go his way, but will be bound to her and all her needs all his days, can never send her away and must also pay a fine at once, will master his inclination and refrain from the disgrace. It also offers some consolation to the wronged young woman, if she so wishes, that she have a home and not be shamed again by another.

That he not divorce her all of his days

Negative · Deuteronomy 22:29

The Torah binds the man who violated a young woman to her for all his days and never allows him to send her away. In this way a man is held back from the shameful deed, for he knows he cannot satisfy his desire and go on his way, and the daughters of Israel will not be treated as ownerless. There is also some comfort in it for the humiliated young woman - she remains in his home, and no other man will shame her over what happened to her.

That a eunuch not marry a daughter of Israel

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:2

The Torah wished to keep us far from any harm to the power of procreation that God placed in man. In ancient times kings would castrate men to appoint them as guardians over women, and there were those who agreed to it for money and a place at the king's court. By barring one who was maimed in this way by human hands from marrying a daughter of Israel, the Torah makes this practice repugnant in our eyes, and that is why there is a difference between one maimed by man and one born so by the hand of Heaven.

That a mamzer should not marry a daughter of Israel

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:3

A mamzer is born of a grave sin, of an act done in impurity and with a corrupt intention. The nature of the father lies hidden in the son, and so God in His kindness kept the holy seed of Israel apart from such offspring, just as He set us apart from everything evil.

That an Ammonite or a Moabite not enter the Congregation of the Lord

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:4

The verse itself explains the reason - Ammon and Moav did not greet Israel with bread and water as they passed, weary, through their land, and Moav even hired Bilam to curse them. From this we learn how great kindness is and how repugnant baseness and stinginess are. The Egyptians, who enslaved us for many years, were kept at a distance only until the third generation, for a great act of baseness done openly and without shame testifies to a corrupt nature beyond repair, and such a person is not fit to mingle with the holy people.

Not to seek their peace in a war

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:7

The reason is the one given in the previous mitzvah - Ammon and Moav showed such great baseness, failing to greet weary Israel with bread and water and hiring Bilam to curse them, that they are not worthy of peace and goodwill. Therefore, when Israel goes to war with them, peace is not to be offered to them as it is to other nations.

Not to distance an Edomite of the third generation from coming into the congregation

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:8

One might have thought that if Ammon and Moav were kept away because of a single act of baseness, all the more so should we keep away Edom, who made Israel suffer far more. Therefore the warning came not to refuse to intermarry with Edomites who have converted. The troubles they caused us were God's decree upon us, and we must not fix hatred in our hearts because of them; they are our brothers when they come to shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence.

To not distance an Egyptian of the third generation

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:8

The reason is as in the mitzvah concerning the Edomite - the servitude in Egypt was God's decree upon us, and we must not fix hatred in our hearts toward an Egyptian who comes to shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence, as the verse says, for you were a stranger in his land. This is not a command to marry an Egyptian, only the removal of a prohibition, so that we do not reject him on the claim that it is forbidden.

That one impure should not enter the Temple mount

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:11

Impurity weakens the intellectual power of the soul and confuses it, separating it from the higher holiness until it is purified. Therefore it is not fitting for an impure person to enter the holy and pure place where the spirit of God dwells, just as anyone whose body or clothes are soiled is kept away from the king's palace.

The commandment to set up a place in which to defecate

Positive · Deuteronomy 23:13

The verse says, for the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, therefore your camp shall be holy. The souls of Israel cleave to the Divine Presence, especially in the camp of war, where only the good remained after whoever feared for his sins went home, and so it is fitting for them to keep clean, for cleanliness is a good trait that leads to the holy spirit. It also brings honour to the nation when the envoys of other peoples see the camp of Israel holy and clean of all filth.

The commandment to set up a spike to dig with

Positive · Deuteronomy 23:14

The reason for this mitzvah is that of the previous one - God walks in the midst of the camp of Israel, so it must be holy and clean, and the digging tool serves to cover all filth. The sages drew another fine hint from this verse - a person's fingers are shaped like pegs so that if he hears something improper he can close his ears with them.

Not to turn over a slave that fled from his master

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:16

God wished, for the honour of the Land of Israel, that every slave who flees to it should go free there. In this way we take to heart how great the honour of that place is, and fix the fear of God in our hearts for as long as we dwell in it. All this is for the good of His people and to bring them merit, for He delights in kindness.

To not oppress a slave who has fled to us, from outside the Land, to the Land of Israel

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:17

The reason is the same as for the prohibition against wronging the convert. This man is among us without a helper or supporter, and any one of us could easily hurt him, so we are warned to master our inclination and not do all the harm that is in our power. And just as the Torah added a warning about the convert, whose spirit is weak because he is a stranger among the people, so it added one about the escaped slave, who is even weaker and more despised, so that we do not say that hurting him does not matter.

Not to have sexual relations with a woman without a marriage contract and betrothal

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:18

God wished the world to be settled in order and holiness, with every child knowing who his father is. A union without betrothal and a marriage contract leads to confusion in families - children will not know their fathers and will not be able to honour them, and relatives will not recognise one another. Moreover, such licence breeds jealousy and quarrels, and sometimes even bloodshed.

Not to bring the fee of a prostitute or the price of a dog

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:19

An offering is meant to purify a person's thoughts and soften his heart, until he regrets his sins and resolves not to return to them. If the offering comes from a harlot's fee, there is reason to fear that at the moment of offering he will think of that disgraceful deed and his thoughts will be tainted. And the dog is known for its brazenness, so one who offers from its price may harden his neck instead of humbling himself and repenting. The author himself offers this explanation humbly, as simple words only.

That the borrower not give interest to an Israelite

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:20

God desires the well-being of His people, so He removed the stumbling block of interest from their path. Interest swallows the borrower's property little by little, without his noticing, until his house is emptied of all good, and that is why it is called neshech, a bite. When the borrower too, and not only the lender, is warned not to pay interest, people keep away from the practice on every side.

To lend to the gentile with interest

Positive · Deuteronomy 23:21

In the view of the author of the Chinuch, a loan without interest is a special kindness that the Torah reserved for the people who know God and serve Him. When a person lends freely to his brother and at interest to a foreigner, it becomes clear that his love and compassion for his brothers stem from their holding fast to God's Torah. One who does so with this intention is rewarded for withholding that kindness just as for extending it to his own people.

Not to delay his vows for more than three festivals

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:22

It is not fitting for a person to be sluggish in fulfilling what he vowed to God. People take care to carry out the commands of earthly kings promptly, all the more so the commands of the King of kings. Yet the Torah did not burden him to go up to Jerusalem at once, lest people refrain from making vows and donations; it gave him time until the pilgrimage festivals, when he goes up in any case.

To fulfill what has come out of his lips, as he vowed

Positive · Deuteronomy 23:24

What a person utters as a vow to God he should fulfil eagerly and without sluggishness. If people take care to carry out the words of earthly kings, all the more so what they have taken upon themselves before the King of kings. Even so, the Torah did not make it heavy by demanding that he go up at once, so that people would not refrain from vowing; it expected them to bring their vows at the festival when they go up in any case.

The commandment to allow the wageworker to eat from the attached produce upon which he is working

Positive · Deuteronomy 23:25

The mitzvah comes to teach Israel a generous soul and good will, through which God's blessing rests upon them. One who begrudges a worker eating from the produce he toils over - above all from the fruits of the earth, in which a person rejoices as God's blessing - reveals meanness and a bad nature. And curse clings to the bad and blessing to the good, each to its own kind.

That the worker not take into his hand more than his eating

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:25

The Torah allowed the worker to eat from the produce out of generosity, but taking more than he eats is theft. A special warning was needed, because the worker might think there is no sin in taking from the field at harvest or vintage time, since people are not as particular about that as about what is inside their homes. So God in His kindness multiplied warnings precisely where stumbling is common, for He wished to bring Israel merit.

That the worker not eat during work time

Negative · Deuteronomy 23:26

The reason for this mitzvah is explained in the mitzvah that allowed the worker to eat from the produce - the Torah wants the owner of the field to be generous and good-hearted. But that generosity is no licence for the worker to neglect his work and cause loss to the owner. In this way fairness is kept on both sides, toward the worker and toward the one who hired him.

That one who wants to divorce his wife divorce her with a bill

Positive · Deuteronomy 24:1

Woman was created to be a helper to man, and if his soul has come to loathe her, the Torah does not force him to live with her against his will. Yet since she was created in the Divine image and endowed with understanding, some of the sages said that it is not fitting to send her away except for a weighty reason. The Torah required a written document and not words alone, so that a woman could not falsely claim to have been divorced, and so that divorce would not become frequent and easy. Moreover, in the time it takes to write the document the man's anger may subside and he may regret it, and great is peace.

That he not bring back his ex wife from when she has married

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:4

The mitzvah comes to keep Israel far from all licentiousness and from anything resembling it. There is something of licentiousness when a woman leaves one man, marries another, and then returns to the first. So the Torah closed off this path, to preserve the sanctity of marriage.

That a groom should not go out from his home the whole year, even for the needs of the community

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:5

The reason for this mitzvah is that of the mitzvah to gladden one's wife in the first year - during this year the groom must be with his wife, so that he grows used to her and his heart cleaves to her. Then every other woman will be a stranger in his eyes, and their home will be built on love and faithfulness. Therefore he is not sent on long journeys or to war, even for the needs of the community.

The commandment that a groom rejoice with his wife for one year

Positive · Deuteronomy 24:5

God wished the world to be settled by good people born of a properly married couple. So He commanded the groom to stay with his wife for a full year from their wedding, so that he grows used to her, his heart cleaves to her, and her image and her ways are engraved in his soul. For it is human nature to love what one is accustomed to, and so every other woman will be a stranger in his eyes, his thoughts will turn to his wife, and the children born to them will be worthy.

That we not take as surety vessels in which life sustaining food is made

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:6

The reason for the mitzvah is plain - it serves the good order of the world and its settlement. The tools with which a person prepares his food, like the millstones, are his very life, as the verse says, for he takes a life in pledge. One who takes them as a pledge takes from the debtor his very means of staying alive, and a world like that cannot be settled.

To not detach signs of tzaraat

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:8

The mitzvah teaches that a person must bear whatever suffering and punishment God brings upon him, and not kick against them. Let him not think that he can cancel them or hide them from people's eyes by some device; rather, let him plead with God to heal his wounds.

To not take surety from a debtor by force

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:10

The mitzvah ensures that people are not left defenceless and that violence does not multiply in the land. Were it permitted to take pledges by force, the strong would swallow the weak and seize his property without fear, and the weak could not claim justice for fear of him. So the Torah made them all equal - each collects his debt only by law - and thus the world is settled as God, who created it, desires.

To not prevent surety from its needy owner

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:12

God desires the good of His creatures and wants us to train our souls in kindness and compassion, so that we may merit good. A poor man who gave his garment as a pledge sometimes has nothing else to cover himself with at night, as the verse says, it is his garment for his skin. Therefore we may not keep the pledge from him at the time he needs it.

To return the surety to the owners at the time that he needs it

Positive · Deuteronomy 24:13

God desires the good and the merit of His creatures, and He wished them to train their souls in kindness and compassion so that they may merit good. When a person returns a poor man's pledge at the time he needs it, he accustoms his heart to have mercy on those who have nothing, and becomes worthy of God's blessing.

To give the wage of a wageworker on its day

Positive · Deuteronomy 24:15

The verse itself explains the reason - a hired worker needs his wages to live, so it is not right to hold them back. As the verse says, he sets his soul upon it, meaning that for these wages he puts himself at risk in hard labour. And God in His kindness commanded us to train our souls in compassion and kindness and to give every person his due at the time he needs it, so that we may merit to receive His goodness.

That a relative not testify, one about the other

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:16

All human affairs depend on testimony, so God wished that judgment be given only on the basis of strong and truthful testimony, free of all suspicion. To reinforce this, the Torah disqualified the testimony of relatives even against each other, so that people would not grow used to accepting it in their favour either, as is its way of removing stumbling blocks in advance. Moreover, relatives live side by side and sometimes quarrel, and were their testimony believed, one of them might testify against his relative in a moment of anger, and afterwards almost choke with grief.

To not sway the judgment of a stranger or an orphan

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:17

Human society endures only through just judgment, and reason demands that every person be judged by the same measure. The convert and the orphan are the weakest of all, with no family and no one to stand up for them, so they are the first to be harmed by a judge who perverts justice. That is why the Torah added a special warning about them, beyond the general prohibition against perverting judgment.

To not take the garment of a widow as surety

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:17

God has mercy on His creatures and wished to bring us merit by having us acquire the trait of compassion in our souls. So He commanded us to have pity on the widow, whose heart is broken and anxious, and not to take her garment as a pledge. All the ways of the Torah are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.

To leave what is forgotten to the poor

Positive · Deuteronomy 24:19

The poor look longingly at the harvest when they see the owners of the fields gathering sheaves, and they yearn in their hearts to have even a little of it to bring home. So it was part of God's kindness to fulfil their longing when the owner of the field forgets a sheaf. The owner benefits as well, for he acquires a generous soul that does not grieve over the forgotten sheaf, and God's blessing rests upon those of good soul.

To not go back to take what is forgotten

Negative · Deuteronomy 24:19

The reason is as in the mitzvah to leave the forgotten sheaf for the poor - the poor yearn for even a single sheaf to bring home, and God in His kindness fulfils their longing when the owner of the field forgets it. The owner who does not go back to take it acquires a generous soul, and God's blessing rests upon such a soul.

The commandment to lash the evildoer

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:2

Israel are called the children of God, and He wished to discipline them for their sins so that they return to Him and in the end merit the world that is wholly good. As the verse says, chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction. From this principle the punishment is measured by the person's strength, so that he comes out of it corrected and does not die.

To not increase in flogging him

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:3

The reason for the mitzvah is plain to all - it is neither just nor fitting to strike any creature beyond what his wickedness deserves, as discipline decreed by the court. A single blow beyond what was set is no longer correction but harm done to one of God's creatures.

To not muzzle an animal at the time of its work

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:4

The mitzvah comes to teach our souls to be refined souls that choose what is right and pursue kindness and compassion. When we grow used to having pity even on animals, which were created only to serve us, and to give them a share of the fruit of their labour, the soul learns from this to do good to people as well. Then we will know to pay every person his wages and to satisfy him from what he toiled over, and this is the path the chosen people should walk.

That a levirate wife not marry another until she is released

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:5

A married woman is like one of her husband's own limbs, and when he dies without children she is the only remnant of him left in the world. God in His kindness wished that offspring be raised for him from her through his brother, to fill his place, serve his Creator in his stead and bring him merit in the world of souls. Therefore, as long as the brother-in-law has not performed chalitza, she may not marry anyone else.

The commandment of levirate marriage

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:5

A married woman is like one of her husband's own limbs, just as Chava was built from the rib of the first man. When a man dies without children, she is the only remnant of him left in the world, so it was part of God's kindness to raise offspring for him from her through his brother, who is also like half his flesh. That son fills the place of the deceased, serves his Creator in his stead and brings him merit in the world of souls, for a son brings merit to his father. The author of the Chinuch adds that this mitzvah also holds a deep secret according to Kabbalah.

The commandment of release

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:9

This woman was fit to become the wife of the brother in place of the one who died, to raise offspring for him, and he does not want her. So the Torah commanded that she remove his shoe publicly before the court - an act of service showing everyone that she had been wholly bound to him and that he ought to have married her. And because he refused to raise up a name for his brother, she leaves his authority, and her spitting declares that she is completely released from him and owes him nothing more, and she may marry whomever she wishes.

The commandment to save the pursued with the life of the pursuer

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:12

God created the world and desires that it be settled, and the world stays settled when the weak is saved from the hand of one stronger than he. Moreover, the pursued always lifts his eyes and his heart to God to save him, as the verse says, and God seeks the pursued. Therefore God commanded us to help him and rescue him.

To not have concern about the pursuer

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:12

The reason is as in the mitzvah to rescue the pursued - the settlement of the world depends on the weak being saved from the hand of the stronger, and the pursued lifts his eyes to God to save him. Therefore we must not spare the pursuer and let him carry out his scheme, for that would abandon the pursued into his hands.

To not hold over deficient weights and measures

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:13

The reason for the mitzvah is known to every sensible person - it comes to root honesty in us and to banish robbery and deceit from among us. One who keeps short weights and measures in his house, even if he has not yet used them, holds a tool ready to cheat his fellow. When weight and measure are true, people can rely on one another, and their life together endures.

To remember what Amalek did to us

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:17

The mitzvah comes to make us take to heart that whoever oppresses Israel is hated before God, and that his downfall will match the greatness of his evil and the harm he caused. Amalek was the first to rise up to harm Israel with great evil, so God commanded that his memory be blotted out. The remembrance is meant so that the enmity he showed us is not forgotten from our hearts, so it is enough to recall it once a year, and hence the custom of reading Parashat Zachor on the Shabbat before Purim.

To blot out his seed from the world

Positive · Deuteronomy 25:19

The reason is as in the mitzvah to remember what Amalek did - whoever oppresses Israel is hated before God, and his downfall will match the greatness of the evil he did. Amalek was the first to fall upon Israel with great evil, so God commanded that his memory be blotted out from the world.

To not forget what he did to us

Negative · Deuteronomy 25:19

The reason is as in the mitzvah to remember what Amalek did - it comes to make us take to heart that whoever oppresses Israel is hated before God. The prohibition against forgetting is meant so that the enmity shown us by Amalek, the first to harm Israel, is not erased from our hearts.