"You shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground"(Deuteronomy 26:2) Elul 15, 5783/September 1, 2023 "And it will be, when you come into the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it..." (Deuteronomy 26:1) Entering the land that HaShem has promised us, inheriting it, possessing it and settling it - these are magical words that have electrified the souls of the children of Israel for millennia! Entering the land and possessing it is the culmination of HaShem's promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. But just as it is the fulfillment of HaShem's promise to our forefathers, it is only the beginning of our obligations to HaShem. Settling and possessing the land is a work in progress, one that requires constant diligence and steadfast adherence to what G-d requires of us. But the very first act required of Israel is "that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which HaShem, your G-d, is giving you. And you shall put them into a basket and go to the place which HaShem, your G-d, will choose to have His Name dwell there. And you shall come to the kohen who will be serving in those days, and say to him, 'I declare this day to HaShem, your G-d, that I have come to the land which HaShem swore to our forefathers to give us.' And the kohen will take the basket from your hand, laying it before the altar of HaShem, your G-d." (ibid 26:2-4) The day that Israel first set foot in the land west of the Jordan river was the day that the manna, Israel's daily repast, sent straight from the kitchen of HaShem, ceased to appear. From this day forth Israel had to earn its daily bread, from the sweat of her brow, to paraphrase G-d's words to Adam. But this doesn't mean that the daily miracles which blessed Israel throughout forty years in the wilderness were simply a thing of the past. The miracles would continue, but now they would be the product of a joint effort between Israel, HaShem and the land. Every grain of wheat, every barleycorn, every fruit brought forth from the tree and from the vine was no less miraculous than the morning manna, and perhaps even more so, for now Israel was an active participant in the making of this miracle. And for this very reason Israel's first fruits - bikkurim, in Hebrew - were brought to the Holy Temple, "the place which HShem shall choose," just as described above, on the holiday of Shavuot. No longer simply recipients, now Israel has become a full participant in HaShem's management of the world. But there is another reason for the urgency of the bringing of the first fruits upon entering and possessing the land. Long, long ago, Adam, the first man, took possession of something that was not his. He ate from the Tree of Knowledge despite G-d's explicit instructions not to do so. Adam took the first fruits - G-d's first fruits - for himself. This was the single act that set all human history in motion. And so man, G-d's most beloved creation, started his long journey with a strike against him. And now Israel has ended her long journey from exile to the promised land, "a land flowing with milk and honey," (ibid 26:9) and HaShem has placed before Israel the means with which to come clean, to make amends, to return to HaShem that which Adam took - by offering up, upon entering the land, and each and every year henceforth, her first fruits - HaShem's first fruits! Midrash teaches us that the place of the Holy Temple, the place chosen by HaShem, was none other than the very place of the Garden of Eden. Hardly a coincidence. And Midrash further tells us that the altar made of earth stands in the very place upon which Adam was first created - from the dust of the earth. This is what grants the altar its transformative power to enable man to atone for his transgressions. It is an external extension of man himself, made up of the very same substance, and from the very same place, of that which is man. And not only is the altar located in the very same place that Adam was created, but it is the very same place where the Tree of Knowledge stood, the very same place where Adam first sinned. And now we understand why G-d chose the children of His beloved Avraham to complete the journey that Adam first set out on, entering into a world of "thistles and thorns," (Genesis 3:1) a journey back to the beginning, a journey of teshuvah - of return - to the scene of the crime, for the purpose of returning man's ill gotten gain, and beginning anew. The first fruits ceremony continues: "And you shall call out and say before HaShem, your G-d, 'An Aramean sought to destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. So we cried out to HaShem, G-d of our fathers, and HaShem heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And HaShem brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders. And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, HaShem, have given to me.' Then, you shall lay it before HaShem, your G-d, and prostrate yourself before HaShem, your G-d. Then, you shall rejoice with all the good that HaShem, your G-d, has granted you and your household you, the Levite, and the stranger who is among you." (Deuteronomy 26:5-11) Our narrative begins with our father Yaakov, whom his father-in-law, Lavan the Aramean, sought to destroy, but it could have begun with Adam. It goes on to describe the great 'efforts' made by G-d, the "signs and wonders" He performed, all for the sake of giving man a new start, a chance for a clean slate. And yes, the ability to bring to HaShem a gift of the first fruit is absolutely dependent upon our acknowledgement that it is the very fruit "which you, HaShem, have given to me." Only when we acknowledge HaShem and what is His, can we begin to pursue and fulfill our relationship with our Creator, the very relationship which HaShem has been seeking since creating man. The very reason HaShem created man. Acknowledging HaShem and respecting what is His is the foundation of our relationship with Him. This is the secret of our returning the forbidden fruit to its rightful Owner, and this is the secret of teshuvah - of returning to the person G-d intended us to be, and returning to the open and uninhibited relationship with HaShem that He constantly seeks. Far from being a curse, the ability to bring forth bread by the sweat of his brow was G-d's blessing to man, for one day, many years from Adam's exiting Eden, man would employ the sweat of his brow to return to G-d His first fruits. And this, alone is sublime reason "you shall rejoice with all the good that HaShem, your G-d, has granted you and your household you, the Levite, and the stranger who is among you." . |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven discusses parashat Ki Tavo and the act of bringing it all back home, of giving back to HaShem what is His, and navigating between blessings and curses! There is no such thing as a free lunch and there is no such thing as blessings without serving "HaShem, your G-d, with happiness and with gladness of heart." |
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The Incredible Month Of Elul Elul, a month void of holidays, days of remembrance, or even fast days, is, nevertheless, one of the most momentous months of the Hebrew year. Following on the footsteps of Av, the 9th of which is the absolute nadir of Jewish history, (the day of the destruction of both the 1st and 2nd Holy Temple), Elul presents us with a steady rise toward the spiritual pinnacle of the Hebrew year, the month of Tishrei, whose two towering peaks, Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur are followed by the sublime holiday of Sukkot, the festival of joy! |
The past: more enduring than the present and less obscure than the future, the past is the very ground upon which we stand. It is the first fruits of who we are, and without the past we have no path to the future. Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8)
Parashat Ki Tavo is read on Shabbat:
Elul 16, 5783/September 2, 2023 |
Haftara For Shabbat Parashat Ki Tavo Isaiah 60:1-22 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of HaShem has shone upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a gross darkness the kingdoms, and HaShem shall shine upon you, and His glory shall appear over you. And nations shall go by your light and kings by the brilliance of your shine. Lift up your eyes all around and see, they all have gathered, they have come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be raised on their side..." |
A Temple Mount Moment: Visit to the Temple Institute, Part 2 Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld steps down from the Temple Mount and pays a visit to the Temple Institute! In part 2, Dr. Kronfeld learns about the Golden Showbread Table, the Golden Menorah , the Golden Incense Altar and the Ark of the Covenant! |
The Supermoon In Israel Last night, (and tonight, also), the supermoon was seen in the skies above Israel, just as it was all over the world. "And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of the seven days, on the day HaShem shall bind the fracture of His people, and the stroke of their wound He shall heal." (Isaiah 30:26) May it be HaShem's will to heal His people, as we approach Rosh HaShana, the day of judgment! |
The World Of Shofars Every morning during the month of Elul, shofarot (rams horns) are heard all throughout the land of Israel and in Jewish communities around the world. The sounding of the shofar each morning is in anticipation of the upcoming High Holidays of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Does a kosher shofar have to be the horn of a ram? Or do the horns of other animals also qualify? Where did the tradition of blowing the shofar originate? Can a ram really entangle itself by its horns in a thicket as recorded in the story of the Akeida - the binding of Yitzchak? |
1st Temple Jerusalem Mystery: What Was The Function Of The Channel Installation Discovered In The City Of David National Park And Dating To The Days Of Kings Joash And Amaziah? An ancient channel installation, the first of its kind ever discovered in Israel, was in use around 2,800 years ago – during the First Temple period; Investigators from the police forensic unit joined to solve the mystery, but so far – to no avail... |
Ki Tavo: Mount Gerizim & Mount Eval Three weeks ago, when reading parashat Re'eh, we came across a lone mention of a ceremony that would take place when Israel enters into the land of Canaan to take possession of it: "And it will be, when HaShem, your G-d, will bring you to the land to which you come, to possess it, that you shall place those blessing upon Mount Gerizim, and those cursing upon Mount Eval." (Deuteronomy 11:29) Not another word was mentioned concerning this ceremony until this week, in parashat Ki Tavo: "And Moshe and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Observe all of the commandment that I command you this day." |
300-Meter Stretch Of Aqueduct From Late Second Temple Period Uncovered In Jerusalem Antiquities Authority says newly discovered ruins are the longest portion found so far of the Upper-Level Aqueduct, which brought water to the ancient city’s ruling elites
Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a 300-meter-long (984-foot) stretch of an ancient aqueduct that served Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday. The ruins, which were discovered under tons of waste during construction work on a school in the Givat Hamatos neighborhood, is the longest expanse of the Upper-Level Aqueduct that archaeologists have found to date, the IAA said. |
Parashat Ki Tavo: The First Fruits We posted yesterday from Deuteronomy, chapter 26, verses 1-4, describing the bringing of the First Fruits (Bikkurim) offering to the Holy Temple. Standing at that altar, facing the kohen, the pilgrim recites the following narrative: "And you shall call out and say before HaShem, your G-d, "An Aramean sought to destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation..." |
Mikdash Monday - Elul - 40 days of Teshuva (Part 2) "Be ready by morning, and in the morning come up to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to Me, on the top of the mountain." (Shemot 34:2) |
This Week: Parashat Ki Tavo This week's Torah reading, Ki Tavo, (Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29), opens with a description of the bringing of the Bikkurim - the First Fruits offering, and a declaration of arrival in the land after hundreds of years of wandering "And it will be, when you come into the land which HaShem, your G-d, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it, that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which HaShem, your G-d, is giving you..." |
The 10th Of Elul: Noach Sends Forth The Raven "And G-d remembered Noach and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and G-d caused a spirit to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. And the springs of the deep were closed, and the windows of the heavens, and the rain from the heavens was withheld..." |
Shavua Tov from the Temple Mount! "One thing I ask of HaShem, that I seek - that I may dwell in the house of HaShem all the days of my life, to see the pleasantness of HaShem and to visit His Temple every morning." (Psalm 27:4) |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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