KI TAVO, DEVARIM 26:1-29:8
Parshat Ki Tavo, at 26:1 :
Parshat Ki Tavo26:1-2,
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַֽחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ
“And it will be, when you come into the land which the Lord, your God, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it,
וְלָֽקַחְתָּ֞ מֵֽרֵאשִׁ֣ית | כָּל־פְּרִ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם
that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you. And you shall put [them] into a basket and go to the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to have His Name dwell there”.
The Mishnah Bikkurim asks another question (1:3): What are the specific “fruits” that fall into the category of fruits of the ground?
One only brings Bikkurim from the seven species; special to the Land of Israel,
These are the seven fruits or species for which Israel was renowned, namely wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, oil olives and date-honey (Devarim 8:8). And they must be of high quality.
Raisins can substitute for grapes, but wine may not. Any thoughts, why?
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Rabbi Riskin speaks about the Parsha, quoting 26:13 as it applies to Bikkurim:
"Then you shall say before the Lord, your God, "I have removed the holy from the house, and I have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, according to all Your commandment that You commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten".
Rabbi Riskin takes us back to the Commandment to destroy Amalek, the Amalek with out and the Amalek within. Watch the video. There is a lot to learn.
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In Ki Tavo a farmer who owns his land brings ripened first fruits, including olives from the seven species to the Kohen.
He makes a two-part declaration, the first part of which is in Hebrew. Since some of the farmers were Hebrew-language challenged (Is there anyone out there who can relate?), the Chazal had a Hebrew speaker make the declaration so that the farmer would not be embarrassed.
The rationale being that if the farmer was to be embarrassed he may be hesitant to bring the first fruits. This custom is employed today when a person is called up to the Torah, again not to cause embarrassment.
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At 26:17-19 we learn that we have entered into a contract with Hashem: We have chosen Him as our God. In turn He has chosen us as His לְעַ֣ם סְגֻלָּ֔ה, “treasured nation”.
And if you have any doubts what this means:
וּלְתִתְּךָ֣ עֶלְי֗וֹן עַ֤ל כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם֙
“to establish you above all the peoples.”
It may seem hardly politically correct, perhaps even racist. And whatever you may think, it is an enormous burden.
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In the Parshah at 27:9 Moshe and the Priests say to us:
וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם, אֶל כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר: הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע, יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
"And Moses and the Priests the Levites spoke to all Israel, saying: 'Silence! Hear, O Israel; today you have become a people for the LORD your God."
I am curious about the word "הַסְכֵּת" , translated here as "Silence!". It occurs nowhere else in the entire Torah.
בָּר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּבֹאֶ֑ךָ וּבָר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּצֵאתֶֽךָ
This is an adaptation of Rav Kook’s take on the
Bikkurim:
The Mishnah in describing the
Bikkurim offerings speaks of two groups of people: those who lived near to
Jerusalem and could bring fresh fruits; and those who lived further away and
had to be content with bringing an offering of dried fruit that could withstand
the long journey. These two situations correspond to two spiritual paths the
Jewish people have taken throughout history: the path of Prophecy and the path
of Torah, each with its own advantages and benefits.
The path of Prophecy deals with
Divine wisdom and lofty matters. It is closely connected to meditative prayer
and the Torah’s mystical teachings.
The path of Torah concerns the
development of the Oral Law, applying Halachah to all aspects of life. The
fruit of these legalistic efforts may seem dry and uninspiring.
When we lived in the Land of
Israel and the Shechinah dwelled in our midst, our spiritual world centered
primarily on prophetic enlightenment. When
we were banished from the Land it became necessary to take the second path - a
path capable of retaining our special character, despite exile and dispersion.
This is the path of Torah,
Now we are back in our land,
close to God’s Presence; it is not unreasonable to expect the gift of prophecy to
return once more.
However we still must rely on the
gift of Torah, which may appear dry, but has retained its flavor despite the
long journey.
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The Haftarah portion for Parshah Ki Tavo emphasizes the concept of a "chosen people". It is taken from the Prophet Isaiah, 60:1-22. It is one of the seven weekly consolation messages that we receive prior to Rosh Hashannah. And it is indeed beautiful. Consider verses 1 and 3:
קוּמִי אוֹרִי, כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ; וּכְבוֹד יְהוָה, עָלַיִךְ זָרָח
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you”.
וְהָלְכוּ גוֹיִם, לְאוֹרֵךְ; וּמְלָכִים, לְנֹגַהּ זַרְחֵךְ
“And nations shall walk by your light and kings by the brilliance of your shine”.
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Continuing with the Haftorah portion for Parshat KI TAVO, at 60:10 it reads:
“And foreigners shall build your walls, and their kings shall serve you, for in My wrath I struck you, and in My grace have I had mercy on you.”
וּבָנוּ בְנֵי-נֵכָר חֹמֹתַיִךְ, וּמַלְכֵיהֶם יְשָׁרְתוּנֶךְ: כִּי בְקִצְפִּי הִכִּיתִיךְ, וּבִרְצוֹנִי רִחַמְתִּיךְ
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I have annotated some of the answers in bold face to help you along.
KI TAVO
1-CAN YOU GIVE 3- MAIN REASONS FOR OFFERING THE
BIKKURIM?
TEACHES SELF CONTROL, APPRECIATION TO HASHEM , AND MAKES ONE HUMBLE
2-HOW CAN YOU GIVE BIKKURIM NOWADAYS ?
GIVING GIFTS OR PRESENTS TO TALMUD CHOCHOM AND SUPPORTING YESHIVA
3-WHICH PASUK WARNS US NOT TO BE SPOILED ?
"AND YOU SHALL BE HAPPY WITH ALL THE GOOD THAT HASHEM HAS GIVEN IN
YOUR HOUSE "
Devarim 26:11 - Then, you shall rejoice with all the good that
the Lord, your God, has granted you and your household you,
וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְכָל-הַטּוֹב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן-לְךָ יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֶיךָ--וּלְבֵיתֶךָ:
From here, [our Rabbis] said that
the first fruits declaration is recited only at the time of “rejoicing,”
namely, from Shavuoth until Sukkoth, for [then] a person gathers in his grain,
fruit, wine and oil [over which he rejoices]. However, from Sukkoth and
onwards, he must bring [his first fruits to the Temple], but he does not recite
the declaration. - [Pes. 36b]
4-ON WHICH MOUNTAIN ( EVAL OR GERIZIM ) DID
BNEI YISROEL SACRIFICE THEIR KORBANOS ?
ON
HAR EVAL TO COUNTER THE CURSES LISTED THERE
5-HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR A STUDENT TO FULLY
GRASP HIS REBBE'S TEACHING ?
IT
TAKES 40 YEARS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE REBBE'S TEACHING
6-WHEN WAS THERE A MITZVAH TO SLEEP OVER?
BRINGING BIKKURIM IN JERUSALEM, PEOPLE SLEPT OVER
7-WHY DID KING DAVID PLAY MUSIC OFTEN ?
CHINUCH SAYS THAT NOTHING CAN STIR A SOUL LIKE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
8-HOW MANY PESUKIM MENTION REWARDS AND
PUNISHMENT ?
11 - PESUKIM MENTION REWARD, AND 63-PESUKIM MENTION PUNISHMENT
9-WHICH LESSON DID ACHITOPHEL TEACH KING DAVID
?
HE ADVISED KING DAVID TO ALWAYS LEARN WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
ACHITOPHEL was a counselor of King
David and a man greatly renowned for his sagacity.
During Absalom's revolt he deserted
David.
Ahitophel advised Absalom to have
incestuous relations with David's concubines in order to show all Israel how
odious he was to his father [2 Samuel 16:20].
When Ahithophel surmised that the revolt would fail. He left the camp of
Absalom, and after arranging his worldly affairs, hanged himself.
10-IS RAIN GOOD OR BAD FOR ONE'S BUSINESS ?
GEMARA COMMENTS THAT RAIN INCREASES FINANCIAL BLESSING AS WELL
Devarim 28:12 – “The Lord will open up for you His good treasury,
the heaven, to give your land its rain in its [right] time,”
יִפְתַּח יְהוָה לְךָ אֶת-אוֹצָרוֹ הַטּוֹב אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם,
לָתֵת מְטַר-אַרְצְךָ בְּעִתּוֹ,
Ta’anith
טעa - . The fact that this verse is written
in the second person singular demonstrates that rain can fall even for the sake
of an individual.
11-WHICH MITZVAH DO MANY JEWS "REPEAT
" AS A SORT OF EXTRA CREDIT ?
TO WEAR A SECOND PAIR OF TEFILLIN D'RABBEINU TAM
Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin: tefillin in which the written passages are arranged in the order prescribed by Rabbeinu Yaakov ben MeirTam (c. 1100-1171)
12-HOW MANY AND WHERE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
CURSES ARE LOCATED IN THE TORAH?
THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 147 CURSES, 49 CURSES IN VAYIKRA, AND 98 CURSES IN
DEVARIM
13-WHY SO MANY TRAGEDIES BEFALLEN THE JEWISH
PEOPLE ?
BECAUSE WE SERVE HASHEM WITHOUT A JOYOUS HEART
Holocaust?
14-WHO IS REALLY CONSIDERED A TZADIK ?
HE WHO KEEPS THE TORAH'S MITZVOT WITH LOVE AND JOY
15-FROM WHICH CROPS MUST ONE BRING BIKKURIM ?
THE SEVEN SPECIES FOR WHICH ERETZ YISROEL IS PRAISED
16-WHO SHAKES THE BASKET CONTAINING THE
BIKKURIM ?
THE KOHEN PLACES HIS HANDS UNDER THE HANDS OF THE PROVIDER AND SHAKE
TOGETHER
17-WHAT WERE THE JEWISH NATION DO WITH THE 12
STONES ON MOUNT EVAL ?
BUILT AN ALTAR
18-TO WHICH TRIBE DID MOSHE GIVE THE TORAH
FIRST ?
TO
THE TRIBE OF LEVI
19-WHY IS THE WORD "ASHTEROS " USED
IN THE REFERENCE TO SHEEP ?
BECAUSE THEY ENRICH THEIR OWNERS
עשתרות, עַשְׁתְּרֹ֣ת: Devarim
7:13 – וְעַשְׁתְּרֹ֣ת
צֹאנֶ֔ךָ - He will bless “the choice of your flocks”
Because they enrich (מַעֲשִׁירוֹת) their owners (Chul. 84b).
Too much like Astarte, goddess of
the flocks.
Astarte is the Greek form of the
name Ashtart, who, along with Asherah and Anath, was one of the three great
goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon. Astarte is well known as a goddess of
sexual love and fertility but also has associations with war.
20-WHO CAUSES THE BLIND TO GO ASTRAY ?
ANY PERSON WHO INTENTIONALLY GIVES BAD ADVICE
21-HOW DOES ONE STRIKE ANOTHER SECRETLY ?
BY
SLANDERING HIM
22-HOW DO THE CURSES IN BECHUKOTAI DIFFER FROM
THE CURSES IN THIS PARASHAH ?
BECHUKOTAI CURSES ARE IN THE PLURAL, WHEREAS IN KITAVO THEY ARE IN THE
SINGULAR
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