Parshat Ki Tavo

First Fruits – A Time For Joy

Rabbi Ari Kahn
As the Jews make their final preparations for the imminent conquest, Moshe
instructs the people:

"And it shall be, when you come in to the land which the Lord your G-d
gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and live in it. That you shall
take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which you shall bring of your
land that the Lord your G-d gives you, and shall put it in a basket, and shall
go to the place which the Lord your G-d shall choose to place his name
there." (28:1,2)

The Jews are here instructed to fulfill the commandment of bikkurim, the first
fruits. The law itself is quite interesting. When the Jews finally settle and work the
land, until the land yields its produce, man is encouraged not to forget the trials
and tribulations endured by his ancestors in order to allow him to see the fruits of
his labor. The Torah thus fosters what may be called "historical consciousness"1.
Here Moshe encourages the people to look into the future and imagine the
beautiful tranquillity of living in their own land, nomads no more. At that point,
man is commanded to look back and declare:

'A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and
sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and
populous. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon
us hard slavery. And when we cried to the Lord G-d of our fathers, the Lord
heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our
oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and
with an outstretched arm, and with great awesomeness, and with signs, and
with wonders. And he has brought us to this place, and has given us this
land, a land that flows with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have
brought the first fruits of the land, which you, O Lord, have given me.' And
you shall set it before the Lord your G-d, and worship before the Lord your
G-d." (26:5-10)

Our success is not to be viewed as a spiritual or historical vacuum. We must

recognize not only where we came from, but also the Divine Hand that constantly
guides us. At the conclusion of this ceremony the Torah further instructs:

"And you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your G-d has
given to you and to your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is
among you. (26:11)

It is not sufficient to see the chain of events in a spiritual context. The result of
such an analysis must be joy, the joy of standing in front of G-d, and thanking Him

1
See Kol Dodi Dofek by Rav Soloveitchik where he makes use of this term.
for all the gifts, which have been showered upon us. The individual who sees his
success in a myopic, self-aggrandized sense, suffers from a spiritual malevolence
of far-reaching consequences. In order to understand these issues we must forge
ahead in the Parsha. The latter part of the Parsha contains a section of rebuke
-"Tochacha", a litany of curses and warnings, which will be the inevitable result if
man does not adhere to the word of G-d.2 The horrific behavior of the Jews, which
will serve as a catalyst for this outcome is described as follows:

"And all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and
overtake you, until you are destroyed; because you listened not to the voice
of the Lord your G-d, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he
commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder,
and upon your seed forever. Because you served not the Lord your G-d with
joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; (28:
45-47)

The terrible curses are brought about due to a lack of "joyfulness, and ... gladness
of heart". We would not have imagined that this would be the core problem which
would lead to a two-thousand-year exile, yet that is what exactly what we learn.
One often imagines that the emphasis on joy and happiness is some later,
anachronistic Chassidic idea, yet no one would claim that these verses are an
interpolation dating to the 18th century. Therefore, the verse at the outset of the
Parsha must be understood in the same light: Bringing the first fruits was to be
joyful occasion, an impetus to bring joy into the world. When joy is lacking, the
results are catastrophic.

This analysis will aid us in understanding a Midrash on this week's Parsha:

"Moshe used his Divine clairvoyance, and saw that the Temple would one
day be destroyed, and therefore the rite of 'Bikkurim' would cease. He
therefore initiated prayer, three times a day" (Tanchuma Kitavo)

This Midrash seems somewhat obscure: why, of all the rites and practices in the
Temple, was Bikkurim singled out as the one which Moshe was concerned about?
Secondly, what correlation exists between prayer and Bikkurim? Perhaps we can
reverse the logic, and say that it was the lack of observance of Bikkurim, with its
stress on joy, which led to the destruction, thus the connection. This would
support our understanding that the lack of joy described at the end of the Parsha
is connected with the joy described in the beginning.

The connection, which we made in passing above, between the present exile and
this week's Parsha is based on a teaching made famous by Ramban, in his
commentary to Vayikra. The source of the Ramban is actually a passage in the
Zohar which begins by telling us that when Rav Shimon (Bar Yochai) and his son
Rav Eliezer were hiding from the Romans, Eliyahu the prophet would visit daily
and teach them the mysteries of the Torah. One day during their absence a
question arose in the study hall:
2
See my "Notes" on Bichukotai.
 "It is said (we have a tradition) that the curses in Torat Kohanim (Vayikra)
are referring to the destruction of the first Temple, while the curses listed in
Mishna Torah (D'varim) refer to the second Temple. The curses in Vayikra
contain guarantees, and display the love which G-d has for man... The
curses in Mishna Torah, contain no such guarantees or comforting words
[that one day redemption will come]... and no one knew how to answer this
question. Rav Yehuda bar I'lai arose and said: woe to us for we miss Rav
Shimon, and we do not know where he is. (Zohar Chadash Ki Tavo 59c)

We must keep in mind that the time elapsed between the destruction of the First
Temple and the building of the Second Temple was but seventy years. Roughly
seventy years after the destruction of the second Temple the Bar Kochva rebellion
failed, and the Hadrionic persecution violently squashed the nascent messianic
aspirations. Rabbi Akiva was dead, and the great Rav Shimon was in hiding.
Instead of giving up hope, the remaining sages were confident that there was a
good explanation for the lack of guarantees and comforting words in the passages
which described the exile, they were enduring.

"Rav Yossi bar Yehuda arose one morning and saw many birds flying about;
alone in the back of the group was one solitary dove. He stood on his feet
and said 'Dove, faithful dove, since the days of the flood [of Noah] symbol
of our holy people,... go and be my emissary to Bar Yochai, wherever he
may be."

The dove, symbol of hope and peace from time immemorial, serves as a
prototype for the behavior of the Jewish people because of its reputation for
fidelity, and monogamy.3 Seeing the dove inspired Rav Yossi and gave him hope.

"The dove circled above while Rav Yossi wrote a letter... the dove took the
letter to Rav Shimon.... When Rav Shimon saw the letter he began to weep,
he and Rav Eliezer his son. He said, 'I am crying because I am separated
from my companions, and I cry for that which is not revealed to them. What
will future generations do if they see this?' Eliyahu then arrived, and he saw
that [Rav Shimon] was crying. He [Eliyahu] said, I was on a different
mission, but G-d sent me to relieve [dry] your tears"

The Zohar then describes apocalypse, the end of days. Eliyahu reveals to Rav
Shimon that in reality all the punishment and curses emanated from G-d who, as a
loving father, must sometimes enforce discipline, but all the curses indeed
emanate from love. At the very and of the passage Eliyahu explains:

'All this will take place at the end of days, and all is dependent on Teshuva-
repentance, but it is hidden... he who has a heart will look and return to his
master...' Rav Shimon wrote these things in a letter and sent it back with

3
Brachot 53b, Shabbat 49a,130a, Rashi Sotah 11b,Shur Hashirim Raba 1:2,4:2, Rashi Psalms 74:19, Radak Hoshea
7:11,
 the dove to Rav Yossi who was still waiting... (Zohar Chadash Ki Tavo 59c-
60a)

The understanding that the two sections of rebuke in the Torah, in Vayikra and
D'varim, refer to the First and Second Temples respectively, is the point of origin
in the Zohar. The main concern in the Zohar was how to explain the lack of
guarantees on G-d's part. The conclusion of the Zohar is instructive: man's
repentance has the capacity to heal.

In order to understand why the first destruction had guarantees, while the second
destruction is dependent on man's repentance, we must introduce a new concept:
There are two ways to heal the rift in the relationship between man and G-d. One
type is the 'movement' of G-d towards man. This is described in mystical literature
as an "awakening from above". The second type is the movement of man toward
G-d, or an "awakening from below". The guarantees described in Vayikra indicate
that the healing necessary at that juncture in history, after the destruction of the
First Temple, was based on movement by G-d. On the other hand, the second exile
will not come to an end until man reaches out toward G-d.

This idea is the essence of this week's Parsha. Upon seeing the fruit of one's labor,
an appreciation of G-d must be part of the experience. The rejection of G-d, or the
absence of G-d, from man's experience at the completion of the conquest,
indicates man's failure to appreciate G-d's role in the human achievements of
settling the land and normalization of life. This perspective results in a profound
spiritual vacuum. Man is supposed to sense G-d in all his endeavors. Through the
variety of experience and permeating the vicissitudes of the human condition, G-
d's role is to be recognized as dominant. Certainly at the moment of success,
when the covenant formed with our forefathers comes to fruition, man was to
recognize that the grace and love of G-d allowed all this. This was the objective of
the bikkurim ceremony. After all, what better symbol exists for the fulfillment of
the covenant than the bringing of the fruits of the Land of Israel--living in our own
land, supported by our own labor, independent of foreign powers or resources.
The trip to Jerusalem is described in the Torah:

"And you shall set it before the Lord your G-d, and worship before the Lord
your G-d." (26:10)

This realization was to bring a person "before the Lord". This is both a physical
and a spiritual state. To stand before G-d, produce in hand, should lead man to
feelings bordering on ecstasy. If man does not feel joy at the point when evidence
of the fulfillment of G-d's promises are literally in hand, it is an indication that man
has moved away from G-d despite all the blessing he received.

Because you served not the Lord your G-d with joyfulness, and with
gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; (28: 47)

When man has moved away from the Divine, the only rectification is for man to
move back toward G-d. Therefore, the Zohar concluded that Teshuva is the only
way to heal the rift, which caused the destruction of the Second Temple. This
would also explain the Midrash cited at the outset: Moshe knew that without the
Temple, destroyed because of man's movement away from G-d, a vehicle to
facilitate man's movement toward G-d would be necessary. Therefore, Moshe
established thrice-daily prayer as a constant reminder that in all his experiences
man must not forget G-d. Rather, man should seize every opportunity to stand
before G-d. Furthermore, prayer is described as "Avodah she- b' lev," service of
the heart. The Zohar quoted above was very specific:

"He who has a heart will look and return to his master."

Evidently the heart, the emotions, are crucial for this return.

Teshuva itself may be divided into two types: There is repentance which is the
result of man's fears and sense of mortality, and Teshuva which emerges from a
profound sense of love toward G-d. This second type of teshuva represents man's
appreciation of all the gifts which G-d constantly provides. This type of Teshuva
has healing qualities, both for individuals and for the entire creation. When the
Jewish people succeed in relating to G-d via love, Eliyahu will return to dry our
tears and the exile will come to end.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
terrible day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike
the land with a curse.(Malachi 3:23,24)

The End of Days, then, will be a time when Eliyahu returns and fathers and sons
will be united; the historical consciousness fostered by the bikkurim ceremony,
described at the beginning of this Parsha, will be the order of the day. At that time
we will be united with our Father in heaven as well, and a joy the likes of which
we have never known will spread throughout the earth. Yet it is joy which will
cause this cosmic reunion. The impetus must come from below, the response will
be from above.

Returning to the passage in the Zohar, Rav Yossi and the other scholars were
comforted. Just as the raging waters of the flood were dried in biblical times, the
tears of Rav Shimon were dried. In another passage, the Zohar declares:

Observe that from the time when the Temple was destroyed no day has
passed without its curses. For as long as the Temple was in existence, Israel
performed divine service, offering up burnt-offerings and other offerings,
while the Shekinah in the Temple hovered over them like a mother hovering
over her children, and so all faces were lit up, and all found blessing both
above and here below, and no day passed without its blessings and its joys.
Then Israel dwelt securely in their land and all the world was provisioned
through them. But now that the Temple is destroyed and the Shekinah is in
exile with Israel there is not a day but brings its curses, and the world is
under a curse, and joylessness reigns on high and below. Nevertheless the
 Holy One, blessed be He, will in due time raise Israel from the dust and
suffuse the world with joy. So Scripture says: “Even them will I bring to my
holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer, etc.” (Is. LVI,
7). And just as they went into exile with tears, as it is written, “she weepeth
sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks” (Lam. I, 2), so shall they
return with tears, as it is written, “they shall come with weeping, and with
supplications will I lead them” (Jer. XXXI, 9).’

Prayer is the classic example of man reaching from below, up to our Father in
heaven. Prayer is designed to bring the Shekinah down to earth. Moshe hoped to
prevent the separation between man and G-d; therefore he insisted on our
prayers. But the Zohar insists that Teshuva, coming from the heart, full of love and
joy, is needed to return the Jews to the level which should have been reached via
the Bikkurim. When this happens joy will become a reality-- everlasting, and
complete joy.