Appetite: How Laws Rescue Us From Self-Delusion

פרשת כִּי־תֵצֵא In this parasha, we see God show compassion on us by giving us commandments which, if heeded, can prevent us from giving away our lives on impulse. It is human nature to be drawn to diverse genetic traits in mates – diversity helps us avoid genetic inbreeding are repeats of genetic errors. This good aspect of our instincts renders us vulnerable to being overwhelmed by an exotic, foreign exterior. In this parasha, we see a pattern for making sure whom we think we love, we actually do "love" as a person.