\u05d1”\u05d4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parshas Ki Tavo opens with one of the most beautiful mitzvos in the Torah: Bikkurim, the bringing of the first fruits.<\/strong>1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b4\u05e0\u05b5\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b5\u05d1\u05b5\u05d0\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05e8\u05b5\u05d0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05ea \u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05f3 Why must he say all this? Every day an elderly water carrier named Berel would pass the study hall of the Baal Shem Tov, carrying two heavy buckets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rebbe develops this idea through two different levels of gratitude. The first is Modeh Ani.<\/strong> The moment a Jew opens his eyes in the morning, before beginning to think about the day, he says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05de\u05d5\u05b9\u05d3\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 He has not yet studied. He has not contemplated the greatness of Hashem. He has not even begun to examine whether today will be a good day. He simply recognizes: I received life again. Thank You. Bikkurim itself is a uniquely Jewish mitzvah<\/strong>, connected to the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. But its underlying message speaks to every human being. \u05ea\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b9\u05d0\u05be\u05e2\u05b8\u05d1\u05b7\u05d3\u05b0\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05f3 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05d8\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1 \u05dc\u05b5\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1 \u05de\u05b5\u05e8\u05b9\u05d1 \u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc <\/p>\n\n\n\n By Rabbi Avriel Rabenou<\/strong>, MSc. MBA<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05de\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea \u05d5\u05d4\u05e2\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea<\/strong> 1 Devarim 26:1\u201311, the mitzvah and declaration of Bikkurim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d6\u05db\u05d5\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05e8\u05d5\u05ea. \u05d0\u05dd \u05e0\u05d4\u05e0\u05d9\u05ea\u05dd \u05de\u05de\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d6\u05d4, \u05d0\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05de\u05dc\u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05db\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05e4\u05d9\u05e5 \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d0\u05d4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u05d4\u05d1\u05dc\u05d5\u05d2\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05dc\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e2\u05e9\u05d5\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05db\u05d9\u05dc \u05d8\u05e7\u05e1\u05d8\/\u05e6\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5\u05d8\u05d9\u05dd\/\u05d4\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea\/\u05e7\u05d9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05d7\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05d2\u05df \u05d1\u05d6\u05db\u05d5\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d9\u05d5\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05dc \u05de\u05db\u05d5\u05df-\u05de\u05de\u05e8\u05d4.org<\/a>, Aish.com<\/a>, \u05e1\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4.org<\/a>, \u05d7\u05d1"\u05d3.org<\/a>, \u05d5\/\u05d0\u05d5 AskNoah.org<\/a>, \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05e9\u05ea\u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d4\u05df \u05d1\u05d4\u05ea\u05d0\u05dd \u05dc\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05e9\u05dc\u05d4\u05dd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u05d1”\u05d4 Parshas Ki Tavo opens with one of the most beautiful mitzvos in the Torah: Bikkurim, the bringing of the first fruits.1 A farmer has worked for months. He ploughed the earth, planted, waited through rain and heat, and finally sees the first fruit beginning to ripen. He marks it, and later brings it to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":24943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parshot-of-the-rabbis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
A farmer has worked for months. He ploughed the earth, planted, waited through rain and heat, and finally sees the first fruit beginning to ripen. He marks it, and later brings it to the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim.
But bringing the fruit is not enough. The Torah commands him to speak.
He recounts the story of the Jewish people: how our ancestors descended to Egypt, how we suffered there, how Hashem redeemed us, and how He brought us to the Land of Israel. Then he holds up his first fruits and declares:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd now, behold, I have brought the first fruit of the land which You, Hashem, have given me.\u201d\u00b2<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Rashi gives a remarkable explanation: \u201cSo that you should not be ungrateful.\u201d3<\/strong>
The mitzvah of Bikkurim is therefore not only about fruit. It is about learning how to look at life. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the essential content of Bikkurim is praise and thanksgiving to
Hashem for the good He has bestowed upon us<\/strong>.4
And a famous story of the Baal Shem Tov shows us what that can mean in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Water Carrier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Whenever the Baal Shem Tov saw him, he would interrupt his conversation with his students and ask:
\u201cBerel, how are you today?\u201d
Usually Berel would answer, \u201cBaruch Hashem \u2014 thank G-d,\u201d and continue on his way.
But one day Berel was miserable.
\u201cHow should I be, Rebbe? Every day I carry these heavy buckets. My back hurts. I am getting old. My boots are falling apart and I have no money for new ones. I have a large family to support. And now they have built new houses on top of the hill, so I have to carry even more water uphill. I am exhausted.\u201d
He picked up his buckets and slowly walked away.
A few days later, the Baal Shem Tov saw him again. \u201cBerel, how are you?\u201d
This time Berel\u2019s face lit up. \u201cBaruch Hashem, Rebbe! Hashem is good to me. I have work, so I can earn money to feed my family. Baruch Hashem, I have a large family \u2014 so many wonderful children. And those new houses on the hill need more water, so now I even have additional work and income. Baruch Hashem!\u201d
The students were confused. His boots were still torn. His back still hurt. The buckets were just as heavy. The hill was just as steep. What had changed?
The Baal Shem Tov explained that Berel himself had changed. Previously he saw only what was difficult. Now he recognized that everything he possessed came from Hashem. The problems had not disappeared, but he had discovered the blessings that were present at the very same time.5
This is not a lesson in pretending that difficulties do not exist. The buckets really were heavy. Torah does not tell us to deny pain or ignore problems. We are required to make every proper effort to improve our situation.
But there is a great difference between saying,
\u201cMy life is difficult, therefore I have nothing,\u201d and saying,
\u201cMy life contains difficulties, but look how much Hashem has also given me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t Wait Until Everything Is Perfect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cModeh ani lefanecha \u2014 I thank You.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The Rebbe explains that this gratitude comes from the simple faith rooted deeply within the Jewish soul. Later, during prayer, there is another type of gratitude. A person thinks, contemplates Hashem\u2019s
greatness and kindness, and comes to a deeper and more developed appreciation.6
Both are necessary. There is gratitude that comes after understanding. And there is gratitude that cannot wait for understanding.
Sometimes we tell ourselves: \u201cWhen this problem is solved, then I will be grateful. When the business succeeds\u2026 When my family situation settles down\u2026 When I have enough money\u2026 When my plans finally work out\u2026 Then I will thank Hashem.\u201d Ki Tavo teaches us: Do not wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Universal Message<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In fact, after Noach emerged from the Ark into a destroyed world, one of his first recorded actions was to build an altar to Hashem<\/strong>.7 Before rebuilding civilization, before planting his vineyard, Noach
acknowledged the Creator.
That is a profoundly universal idea.
For a Jew, gratitude must lead to a deeper commitment to Torah and mitzvos.
For a Ben Noach, gratitude to the Creator should lead to living according to the Divine moral responsibilities entrusted to humanity \u2014 building a world of justice, respect for life, family, honesty and recognition of G-d.
Because genuine gratitude creates responsibility.<\/strong>
If my life is a gift, I must ask: What am I doing with the life Hashem has given me?
If I have wealth, knowledge, influence, talent, time or strength, the question is not merely, \u201cHow much do I have?\u201d The deeper question is: \u201cWhy was I given it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To See the \u201cAbundance of Everything\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Later in Ki Tavo, the Torah says something astonishing. In the midst of the Tochachah, it describes tragedy coming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you did not serve Hashem your G-d with joy and gladness of heart, from an abundance of everything.\u201d\u2078<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u05d4\u05de\u05d9\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd merov kol \u2014 \u201cfrom an abundance of everything\u201d<\/strong> are striking. A person can possess tremendous blessings and still experience life primarily as a list of what is missing.
That was Berel on the first day. He had children \u2014 but saw expenses. He had work \u2014 but saw heavy buckets. The town was growing \u2014 but he saw the hill.
A few days later nothing physical had changed, yet suddenly the same realities became blessings.
Perhaps this is one of the great spiritual dangers of prosperity: to have \u201can abundance of everything\u201d<\/strong> and no longer see it.
The Baal Shem Tov therefore made a point of encouraging even simple Jews to say \u201cBaruch Hashem.\u201d<\/strong>
The Rebbe explains that these words awaken a person\u2019s simple faith and recognition that everything ultimately comes from Hashem.9
This is the lesson of Bikkurim. Take the first fruit \u2014 not the leftovers \u2014 and say: \u201cYou gave this to me.\u201d
Begin the day with: \u201cModeh Ani \u2014 thank You.\u201d And learn to say: \u201cBaruch Hashem.\u201d
Not because every bucket is light. Not because every hill has disappeared. But because even while carrying the bucket, we can recognize the extraordinary gifts that surround us.
Perhaps that is the challenge of Ki Tavo for every Jew and every Ben Noach: before asking Hashem for what we still need, stop for a moment and recognize what He has already given us.
Life. Family. Purpose. Another day. Another opportunity to do good.
And once we truly recognize the gift, the next question naturally follows: What will I do today to make this gift worthwhile?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05e9\u05d1\u05ea \u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Devarim 26:10.
3 Rashi to Devarim 26:3, \u201cshe\u2019eincha kafui tovah\u201d \u2014 demonstrating that one is not ungrateful.
4 Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 34, Ki Savo, Sichah 1, sec. 6, \u201cWhen Gratitude Can\u2019t Wait\u201d: the essential content
of Bikkurim is praise and thanksgiving for Hashem\u2019s goodness.
5 Story of the Baal Shem Tov and Berel the water carrier, commonly known as \u201cBaruch Hashem\u201d; see Chabad.org, \u201cBaruch Hashem,\u201d retold by Shoshannah Brombacher.
6 Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 34, Ki Savo, Sichah 1, sec. 6: the Rebbe contrasts the immediate gratitude of Modeh Ani with the gratitude that arises through contemplation in prayer.
7 Bereishis 8:18\u201321.
8 Devarim 28:47.
9 Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 34, Ki Savo, Sichah 1, sec. 7: the Baal Shem Tov encouraged simple Jews to say \u201cBaruch Hashem,\u201d awakening their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n