Parshat Ki Tavo: All Beginnings Are Hard
All Beginnings Are Hard
-The Talmud
At the outset of this week’s Torah portion is the mitzva of Bikkurim, First Fruits. It refers to the practice of bringing the beginning of one’s harvest as a gift to the Kohanim/priests at the Temple in Jerusalem. Upon its presentation, the Torah tells us that the person making the contribution would recite the following formal declaration, which may sound familiar since it appears in the Pesach Hagadah:
An Aramean (Laban) tried to destroy my father (Jacob). He descended to Egypt and lived there, few in number, and there he became a great nation…. The Egyptians abused and afflicted us…. God took us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with great awesomeness and with signs and wonders. 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 fruit of the ground that You have given me, Lord.
Everyone was required to say this self-same brief summary of Jewish history when giving his fruit basket to the Kohen/Priest. It is certainly nice and proper to give tzedaka and support those who are wholly involved in religious practices such as the Kohanim who devoted themselves to the Temple activities. But what was the purpose of citing the mini-history bit? Give the present, tell him to enjoy it and be done. If there is anything to be said, I would think maybe the fellow would wish to tell the Kohen how hard he worked to produce (verb) the produce (noun).
The idea of reaching back into one’s personal and national history, as one does with the above declaration, is a common one in Judaism. זכור ימות עולם ” Remember the days of old” appears elsewhere in Moshe’s speech in Deuteronomy. Also every holiday in the calendar is linked to the phrase we recite in Kiddush, זכר ליציאת מצרים “A Remembrance of our Exodus from Egypt.”
The notion of recalling one’s origins is inextricably linked to a sense of gratitude. History and Gratitude – they go hand in hand. When one knows from whence they came, they realize that they are part of a larger history with innumerable people, events and episodes that brought them to where they are now. They see that they didn’t get to their present place in life all by themselves but through the efforts, initiatives and actions of others. When a person acknowledges their history, they will automatically feel thankful.
By giving first fruits – or any other form of charitable gift – we give up and give back some of our accomplishments and gains, thereby acknowledging that these achievements can all be traced back to God in the first place. Recognizing that all that we have is ultimately from God changes our attitude towards sharing that good and giving to others.
If one goes through life convinced that “through my might and the strength of my hand” (Deut 8:17) I have accomplished these gains, then the attitude is that it’s all mine and maybe, if I feel like being a nice guy, I’ll toss some charity your way. But when I realize that every effort I make is with the God’s assistance, support and blessing – then naturally I will want to give some away since it’s not wholly mine to begin with. I will have a much greater sense of obligation to give to another, as doing so reminds me that I am in a partnership with God regarding the blessings I have. It allows me to recognize that whatever new level of accomplishment I may have achieved is a result of the God’s help. As the saying goes, “Man proposes and God disposes.”
Every one of us can look at our lives and see how far we have travelled, and the many steps it took to get to where we are today. For every success we have achieved regarding family, business, overcoming our failings, or anything else – we are presently in places that we would never have thought possible during the early going. Every one of us has had times when our lives were tenuous and fragile, when things were touch-and-go and we were unsure if we would make it. However, not only did we survive, but we grew and flourished.
This is why the gift to the Kohen is presented with this historical recollection. The giver is harking back to the time when Jacob almost didn’t make it from the evil designs of his father-in-law, Laban who tried to utterly destroy him. He is recalling the time when the Jewish people almost didn’t make it because of the atrocities suffered in Egypt. He is reminded that, but for the grace of God, he wouldn’t be at this blessed time and place that he presently finds himself. So much so that he can even afford to give to others.
Rosh HaShana is just around the corner. As we prepare for the day where we contemplate who will be written in the Book of Life, there is no greater lesson than the one imparted by this mitzva of Bikkurim. The lesson that our life is all a gift. That it came from so many others before us and that we need to share our good fortune with others. A lesson we only get when we trace our steps back to the beginning of who we are… and how we got here.
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives had led us there…
How long have I been sleeping
How long have I been drifting alone through the night
How long have I been running for that morning flight
Through the whispered promises and the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the Sky
-Jackson Browne
(50th anniversary this week of the album, Late for the Sky.
Thank you brother, Reuben for introducing me to his music.)
