Welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa and based in Mason City. It's great to have you back. A reminder that Erv Rosh Hashanah will be on Sunday the 25th starting at 7:00PM. Then morning services for the New Year will begin on Monday the 26th at 10:00AM. Then we move on to Kol Nidre on 4 October at 7:00PM and Yom Kippur services on the 5th starting at 10:00AM. We'll have an afternoon break and then back in the afternoon about 5PM for closing services and Break Fast at 7:00PM. Hope to see you...
Parsha Ki Tavo
This week we read Ki Tavo which means "When you come in". (Deut. 26:1 - 29:8) as we read, "When you come into the Land which Hashem, your G-d gives you as an inheritance and you possess it and dwell in it..." Remember, this is Moses in his final days of life telling and retelling the people about their duty to not only each other and the Land but also to G-d.
It is here where we learn about the "First Fruits". The details that were alluded to back in Exodus 23:19 where the people are instructed to take the first fruits of the harvest to the Temple and present them to the Kohen. In the ritual that includes a moving declaration of gratitude to G-d for His eternal role as the Guide of Jewish history. It all symbolizes that the Jew dedicates everything he has to the service of G-d.
Imagine what it would be like should we commit to that same idea of service...
The Forever Link
We then move on in our reading to a reminder of who and what we are. (Deut. 26: 16 - 19). In short we are commanded to always follow the commandments set before us and that we must, "...walk in His ways" and that we have been chosen as a "treasured people" and commanded to be Holy. And this is for all time...all time.
That's a big calling right? But, think about it. Why not? Why would we not wish to do what we are told to do. To help create a world of peace and caring for others? If we realize that everything comes from G-d why would we not wish to, even in some seemingly small ways, work toward showing our gratitude?
We have been given not only Israel abut also the gift of the Torah. It is a great responsibility and a great reward.
But What If...
The Torah reading also contains explicit details of both the rewards for following the Almighty’s word and the calamitous repercussions for going against it. The Torah commits over fifty verses to detailing the depths to which we will fall and the nearly unimaginable suffering we will endure as a result of this (e.g. financial and societal ruin, horrible diseases, starvation to the point of cannibalism of one’s own children – need we go into further detail?).
The Torah then makes a remarkable statement – why did all these horrible things befall the Jewish people? “Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, with simcha – joy” (28:45). This is actually quite astounding. Nowhere in the Torah are we commanded to serve Hashem with joy! There is no positive commandment to be happy. So what exactly is this failure – of not serving with happiness – that it would lead to such horrific consequences?
The Lesson
The lesson here is that we must always remember that we've been given not only responsibility but also specific actions to do in gratitude to what all that we have. Look, I get it. Sometimes we might think of going to shul is a pain because we've got "other" things to do. Yes, it's not joyful to be at an event where the food is treif and because it is you don't eat. Do we give charity with a heart of joy? Do we joyfully say a blessing and really internalize what that means?
Long ago I learned a lesson in "have to" vs. "get to". You know how it goes: "I have to go to the grocery store." or, "I have to pay the mortgage today.", or "I have to go to work..." If you replace your "have to" with a "get to" it makes a huge difference. No, you GET to go to the grocery store, you GET to pay the mortgage you GET to go to work. So many people can not. We should find simple joy in those everyday events and, at the same time frame our relationship with G-d with a sense of profound joy.
This portion ends by Moses stating the obvious, "You shall observe the words of this covenant and you shall perform them, so that you will succeed in all that you do." (Deut. 28:8)
Thank you for reading and Shabbat Shalom!
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