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Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

“My father was a fugitive Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5).

We must never forget that our history began when we were refugees, fugitives. We
must always try to help those who are in tough situations, especially refugees and
fugitives. Welcome them and help them retain their dignity and their homes.

Parsha Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא “My father was a fugitive Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5). We must never forget that our history began when we were refugees, fugitives. We must always try to help those who are in tough situations, especially refugees and fugitives. Welcome them and help them retain their dignity and their homes.

Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

יְקִֽימְךָ֨ יְהֹוָ֥ה לוֹ֙ לְעַ֣ם קָד֔וֹשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר נִֽשְׁבַּֽע־לָ֑ךְ כִּ֣י תִשְׁמֹ֗ר אֶת־מִצְוֺת֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ֖ בִּדְרָכָֽיו׃

Adonai will establish you as God’s holy people, as was promised to you, if you guard the mitzvot of Adonai your God and walk in God’s ways. – Deuteronomy 28:9

The Torah teaches us that God will establish us as a holy people, not that God has established us as a holy people. This teaches us that holiness isn’t some far-off destination and isn’t static: it’s an ongoing, sacred process of becoming. May we have the presence and the wisdom to find the holiness woven throughout our journey of life.

Parsha Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא יְקִֽימְךָ֨ יְהֹוָ֥ה לוֹ֙ לְעַ֣ם קָד֔וֹשׁ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר נִֽשְׁבַּֽע־לָ֑ךְ כִּ֣י תִשְׁמֹ֗ר אֶת־מִצְוֺת֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ֖ בִּדְרָכָֽיו׃ Adonai will establish you as God’s holy people, as was promised to you, if you guard the mitzvot of Adonai your God and walk in God’s ways. – Deuteronomy 28:9 The Torah teaches us that God will establish us as a holy people, not that God has established us as a holy people. This teaches us that holiness isn’t some far-off destination and isn’t static: it’s an ongoing, sacred process of becoming. May we have the presence and the wisdom to find the holiness woven throughout our journey of life.

Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that Adonai has done…I led you through the wilderness forty years, your clothing did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet…that you might know that I, Adonai am your God.”  (Deuteronomy 29:1-5). 

As we live our lives, it can sometimes be difficult to take a moment to stop and recognize all the gifts and miracles that happen every day. As our ancestors wandered through the desert together, they faced hardship after hardship. As we near the end of the last book of the Torah, we get a reminder that despite it all, it was a miracle that they survived, thrived, and created their identity as a People. Our ancestors witnessed miracles and as a result, they became a miracle. This Shabbat, it is my prayer that we can take the time to reflect on the miracles in our own lives and recognize that we, ourselves, are miracles. Shabbat Shalom!

Parsha Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that Adonai has done…I led you through the wilderness forty years, your clothing did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet…that you might know that I, Adonai am your God.” (Deuteronomy 29:1-5). As we live our lives, it can sometimes be difficult to take a moment to stop and recognize all the gifts and miracles that happen every day. As our ancestors wandered through the desert together, they faced hardship after hardship. As we near the end of the last book of the Torah, we get a reminder that despite it all, it was a miracle that they survived, thrived, and created their identity as a People. Our ancestors witnessed miracles and as a result, they became a miracle. This Shabbat, it is my prayer that we can take the time to reflect on the miracles in our own lives and recognize that we, ourselves, are miracles. Shabbat Shalom!

Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

“Amen” appears 12 times in 12 consecutive sentences in this week’s Parasha, Ki Tavo. Amen may be interpreted in several ways: 1) accepting the consequences of a statement; 2) agreeing to something that has happened or is currently the case; 3) expressing belief in something that will happen but has not yet come to fruition.

We are eight days away from Selichot and just two weeks away from Rosh Hashana. What are you saying “Amen!” to? What are you accepting, agreeing to, and stepping into faith for as you enter this New Year?

Amen also indicates a ritual of public performance. When the Hazzan completes the leading of a prayer, the kahal (congregation) will chant together “Amen” in response. It is a public affirmation of communal prayer. The linking of our voices in prayer gives even more sacred power to the season upon us. Let us come together as a community and imagine what we accept together. What are we stepping together in faith toward as we move forward as a sacred community?

Parsha Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא “You have declared this day that Adonai is your God … And Adonai has declared this day that you are God’s people … ”(Deuteronomy 26:17-18) We choose God and God chose us. It is a mutual relationship we have with God. As the rabbis interpret in the Talmud. The people of Israel crown Adonai every day when we say at our Temples and synagogues, “Hear Israel Adonai is your God, Adonai One.” The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)

Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

“You have declared this day that Adonai is your God … And Adonai has declared this day that you are God’s people … ”(Deuteronomy 26:17-18)

We choose God and God chose us. It is a mutual relationship we have with God. As the rabbis interpret in the Talmud. The people of Israel crown Adonai every day when we say at our Temples and synagogues, “Hear Israel Adonai is your God, Adonai One.”

Parsha Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא “You have declared this day that Adonai is your God … And Adonai has declared this day that you are God’s people … ”(Deuteronomy 26:17-18) We choose God and God chose us. It is a mutual relationship we have with God. As the rabbis interpret in the Talmud. The people of Israel crown Adonai every day when we say at our Temples and synagogues, “Hear Israel Adonai is your God, Adonai One.” The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if they do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)

Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

This week’s Torah Portion, Ki Tavo, contains within it these most mystical of commands:

“Moses and the levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying: Silence! Hear, O Israel! Today you have become the people of the Eternal your God. Listen to the voice of the Eternal your God and do God’s commandments and laws, which I command you this day. (Deuteronomy 27:9-10)

Israel is command to be silent so that we can listen to the words of God.

There is a midrash, a legend of our people, that God’s voice has spoken the Ten Commandments from the heights of Mount Sinai continually from the first moment of Creation. The miracle of the moment of receiving the Ten Commandments was not that God spoke, but that the People of Israel heard.  At that moment of moments, God silenced all the noise. No bird chirped, no cow mooed, God silenced even the sounds within them, so that they could hear the words which had been waiting for them there since the beginning.

Rabbi Arthur Green once taught:
Torah is Eternal, it has existed even before the written word.
So what was Torah before there was language?
  A Book filled with silence. A story waiting to be told.

We are a people who, once upon a time, wrote that story we now call Torah.
We are that people still, and with every intention and every deed, we tell that story continually, every day.

Parsha Ki Tavo Torah Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8) Ki Tavo

Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo – כִּי-תָבוֹא (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

“You have declared this day that Adonai is your God … And Adonai has declared this day that you are God’s people …” (Deuteronomy 26:17-18)

We choose God and God chose us. It is a mutual relationship we have with God. As the rabbis interpret in the Talmud.  The people of Israel crown Adonai every day when we say at our Temples and synagogues, “Hear Israel Adonai is your God, Adonai One”

Parsha Ki Tavo Summary:

The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26) The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8) The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26) The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69) Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)

Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

This week’s Torah Portion begins with the ritual offering of First Fruits which contains within it the famous phrase from the Passover Seder: “My father was a wandering Aramean…” These words were meant as a reminder that the bounty of our harvest was a gift from God which we who were once wanderers without a land of our own are commanded to share with the less fortunate in our society, those who still wander without a home.

At the end of this carefully scripted ritual come the words: “I have not forgotten.”
The lesson of these words is a simple sermon on the meaning and the purpose of our lives.
When you hold in your hands the first fruits of the harvest of life’s blessings, remember.
Remember and give thanks. Remember to share your blessings. Remember where you came from every step along life’s path. Remember those who helped you to reach this day of blessing. Remember.

Ki Tavo Summary:
The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26)
The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8)
The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26)
The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69)
Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)