Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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.