This week’s parsha, Parshat Keitzei, is packed with the laws regarding 74 of the 613 mitzvot. These include the laws regarding burial, what to do with lost objects and many more. While looking on aish.com, I came across this dvar torah, which pointed out one of the commandments stated in this week’s parsha. Right after the passuck which deals with interest and how we as Jews are not allowed to charge other Jews interest is a commandment which states that, “ When you make a vow to the Lord, your God, you shall not delay in paying it… Observe and do what is emitted from your lips just as you have pledged to the Lord, your God, as a donation, which you have spoken with your mouth.” Rabbi Lieberman, the writer of the dvar Torah, touched upon the point that most people today speak with little to no regard for carrying out the words they say to someone else. Now lets think about, we are starting off a brand new year of school. We’ve made a long list of expectations that we hope to meet and a long list of promises to others that we hope we’ll keep. And during the summer when we look at these lists we have little doubt in our minds that we wont be able to accomplish what we have set out to do for ourselves and for others; so, we keep on making more and more promises. But as school starts and the work piles up, we lose sight of our lists, and in doing so we make our words and our promises less meaningful. We lose the trust of our peers and we loose faith in ourselves when we realize that we have not kept our word. So, with the being said, I challenge every one of you to be wary of the words and the promises that come out of your mouths. We want to start off the year and continue the year with making the promises that we have set out for our selves (and for others) meaningful, manageable and over all beneficial.