Roadside assistance developed alongside the automobile itself. As cars became more common in the early twentieth century, breakdowns left motorists stranded on roads that often had few garages, telephones or other sources of help. Early automobile clubs began organizing patrols to assist their members. Britain’s Royal Automobile Club introduced uniformed road patrols in 1901, while the Automobile Association, founded in 1905, later equipped patrols with motorcycles, sidecars, tools, spare parts and fuel. In the United States, AAA introduced its first formal emergency road service in 1915 through the Automobile Club of St. Louis, whose “First Aid Corps” consisted of five mechanics on motorcycles who searched for stranded motorists and repaired tires, engines and other minor problems at the roadside.

As automobile ownership expanded, roadside assistance evolved from small patrols into organized networks available around the clock. Tow trucks supplemented roadside repairs, telephone boxes and later centralized dispatch systems made it easier for stranded motorists to summon help, and services expanded to include battery starts, tire changes, fuel delivery, lockouts and towing. Modern roadside assistance combines large service networks with GPS, mobile apps and sophisticated diagnostic equipment, while newer services are adapting to electric vehicles with mobile charging and specialized recovery equipment. The basic purpose, however, has remained much the same for more than a century: when a vehicle and its driver become stranded on the road, someone comes to help them continue their journey.

Here in Israel, roadside assistance has also developed into a remarkable volunteer network through Yedidim, an organization founded in 2006 that provides free “non-medical first aid” to people stranded on the road or facing other everyday emergencies. Its more than 65,000 volunteers, spread throughout the country, respond to calls for help with flat tires, dead batteries, locked vehicles, lack of fuel, oil or water, and vehicles stuck off-road, among other problems. Calls are received by a national volunteer dispatch center and routed to nearby volunteers who can respond, allowing ordinary citizens equipped with basic tools and training to help other motorists in need. Yedidim operates around the clock except on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays, turning roadside assistance from a commercial service into a widespread form of organized neighborly help.

Just as roadside assistance comes to the aid of a stranded motorist, the Torah in this week’s reading of Ki Tetze (Book of Deuteronomy, Chapters 21-25) commands us not to ignore another person’s animal when it has fallen under its burden: “You shall surely help him lift it up.” In the ancient world, the donkey was an essential means of transportation and livelihood, so helping to raise it was the practical equivalent of helping someone whose vehicle had broken down on the road. Organizations such as Yedidim give this ancient commandment a remarkably modern expression, with volunteers stopping what they are doing to help a stranger change a tire, restart a battery or otherwise get moving again. The technology has changed from donkeys to automobiles, but the underlying obligation remains strikingly familiar: when we encounter someone stranded on the road, we should not simply pass them by.

The Torah reading of Ki Tetze starts off with Moses describing the case of an Israelite soldier who captures a woman during war and wishes to marry her. She is brought into his home, cuts her hair, trims her nails, removes the clothing of her captivity, and mourns her parents for a month. Only afterward may he marry her. If he later no longer wants her, he must let her go freely and may not sell or mistreat her.

If a man has two wives (in the days when polygamy was common and allowed) and loves one more than the other, he may not deprive the firstborn son of the less favored wife of his rightful inheritance. The firstborn must receive a double portion.

The case of a persistently rebellious son is described. If he refuses to obey his parents despite their efforts to discipline him, they bring him before the elders of the city and present the case against him. He is subject to death. The sages say there was never such a case brought to judgement.

If someone is executed and his body is hung on a tree, it must not remain there overnight. The body must be buried that same day.

If someone finds a neighbor’s lost animal or property, he may not ignore it. He must return it, or keep it safely until the owner can reclaim it. Likewise, if he sees another person’s animal fallen on the road, he must help raise it.

Men and women are prohibited from wearing clothing or articles associated with the opposite sex.

If a bird’s nest is found with the mother sitting over eggs or young birds, the mother is to be sent away before the young are taken.

A person building a new house must place a protective railing around the roof so that no one falls from it.

Several prohibitions against mixtures follow. Different kinds of seed are not to be planted together in a vineyard. An ox and donkey are not to be harnessed together for plowing. Wool and linen are not to be worn together. Fringes are to be placed on the corners of garments (Tzitzit).

Laws concerning marriage and accusations of sexual misconduct follow. If a husband falsely accuses his new wife of having been unfaithful before marriage, the matter is investigated and evidence is presented. If his accusation is false, he is punished and may never divorce her. If the accusation is proven, the prescribed penalty follows.

Adultery is punished severely. Other cases involving sexual relations, engagement, assault, and seduction are treated according to the circumstances and whether consent was possible.

Certain people are restricted from entering the congregation. Ammonites and Moabites are singled out because they did not provide Israel with food and water during the journey from Egypt and because they hired Balaam to curse Israel. The Torah recalls that Balaam’s intended curse was turned into a blessing.

Edomites are not to be despised because they are relatives of Israel, and Egyptians are not to be despised because Israel once lived in their land. Their descendants may eventually enter the congregation.

An Israelite military camp must remain clean. A soldier who becomes temporarily impure leaves the camp until purified. A designated place outside the camp is provided for bodily needs, and waste is to be covered.

An escaped slave who seeks refuge among the Israelites is not to be returned to his master. He may live wherever he chooses and must not be oppressed.

Israelite men and women are forbidden from becoming cult prostitutes. Money earned through prostitution is not to be brought as an offering.

Interest is not to be charged to a fellow Israelite on money, food, or other loans, though it may be charged to a foreigner.

A person who makes a vow must fulfill it promptly. Making a vow is voluntary, but once it is spoken it becomes binding.

A person passing through another’s vineyard may eat grapes until satisfied but may not collect them into a container. Similarly, someone passing through a field may pluck grain by hand but may not use a sickle to harvest another person’s crop.

Laws of divorce are given. If a man divorces his wife, he gives her a written document of divorce. If she marries another man and that marriage also ends, her first husband may not marry her again.

A newly married man is exempt from military service and other public duties for one year so that he may remain home with his wife.

A millstone or other essential tool needed for a person’s livelihood may not be taken as security for a loan.

Kidnapping and selling another Israelite is a capital crime.

The people are warned to follow the instructions of the priests regarding skin afflictions and are reminded of what happened to Miriam, who was afflicted, during the journey from Egypt.

A creditor may not enter a borrower’s house to seize collateral. He must remain outside while the borrower brings it to him. If the borrower is poor and gives a garment as security, it must be returned by night so he can sleep in it.

Poor and needy workers must be paid on the day they work. Their wages are not to be withheld overnight.

Parents are not to be executed for the crimes of their children, nor children for the crimes of their parents. Each person is responsible for his own wrongdoing.

Justice must not be denied to the stranger or orphan, and a widow’s garment may not be taken as security for a loan. Israel is reminded that they were once slaves in Egypt.

When harvesting grain, if a sheaf is accidentally left behind, the farmer must not return for it. It is left for the stranger, orphan, and widow. Similar rules apply to olives left on the tree and grapes remaining in the vineyard.

When a dispute between people results in a court judgment requiring lashes, the punishment is administered according to the offense but may not exceed forty lashes.

An ox is not to be muzzled while it threshes grain.

If a married man dies without children, his widow is not to marry outside the family. His brother is expected to marry her and establish offspring in the deceased brother’s name. If the brother refuses, a public ceremony takes place before the elders in which the widow removes his shoe and spits before him, marking his refusal.

If two men are fighting and the wife of one intervenes by grabbing the other man’s genitals, a severe punishment is prescribed.

The people are forbidden to keep dishonest weights and measures. Their weights and measures must be accurate so that they may live long in the land.

The portion concludes by recalling Amalek’s attack on Israel after the Exodus. Amalek attacked the weak and exhausted people at the rear of the nation and showed no fear of God. Once Israel is secure in the land, they are instructed to erase the memory of Amalek and not forget what Amalek did.

Next week we will see the command to bring the first fruits of the land and declare gratitude for Israel’s journey from slavery in Egypt to settlement in the Promised Land. Moses then describes a national covenant ceremony on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, with blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The portion will give an extended description of the prosperity that will follow faithfulness and the severe consequences of abandoning the covenant. It closes with Moses reminding the people of all they have witnessed during the forty years in the wilderness as they prepare to enter the land.