Parashat Ki Tavo-When You Come- 5785 -13 September 2025 / 20 Elul 5785

Mr. Murthy Gaddi
2 days ago
7 min read

Ki Tavo: Covenant of Gratitude, Blessing, and Consequence

BIKKURIM – OFFERING THE FIRST AND BEST: GRATITUDE, RENEWAL, AND THE CHOICEST TO HASHEM

Parashat Ki Tavo and the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits). Let’s now explore this concept in depth through the voices of the Jewish sages, weaving together Halacha, Midrash, Kabbalah, and Chassidut:

Bikkurim in the Writings of the Sages

1. The Essence of Gratitude

Mishnah Bikkurim 3:6: The declaration recited when bringing first fruits — “My father was a wandering Aramean…” — is central. The sages teach that the physical fruit is secondary; the act of speech, recalling God’s kindness, is what sanctifies the offering. This makes bikkurim not only agricultural but spiritual: acknowledging that all blessings come from Hashem.

Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Tavo 1): “Since you have honored Me by bringing the first fruits, I will count it as if you had honored Me with your very selves.”Gratitude here is self-offering, the surrender of ego.

2. Giving the Best to God

Chizkuni: “Reshit” does not mean the earliest fruit chronologically, but the finest and choicest. The Torah demands not leftovers but our best.

Rambam (Hilchot Issurei Mizbeach 7:11): “Everything dedicated to God must be of the finest and most beautiful.” This applies to all mitzvot: prayer, charity, clothing the poor, building a synagogue, or feeding the hungry. By sanctifying our best, we affirm that God is the Source of all blessing.

Zohar (III, 93b): The first fruits represent the primordial light, the first emanation of blessing. By bringing them, one “returns the light to its Source”, realigning creation with its Divine root.

3. The Spirit of the Torah – Beyond the Literal

Lubavitcher Rebbe (Likkutei Sichot, Ki Tavo): The principle “the choicest to God” transcends agriculture. It means dedicating the first and best of our energy — morning hours, fresh strength, and keenest talents — to Torah and service of Hashem. Just as the farmer’s reshit represents the soul of his labor, so too our “first fruits” in time and ability express the soul of our life’s purpose.

Sfat Emet (Ki Tavo, 5637): The act of setting aside first fruits elevates the entire harvest. Spiritually, when we dedicate the first spark of any endeavor to Hashem, the rest becomes sanctified.

4. Renewal and Teshuvah

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov:Bikkurim represent hit’chadshut (renewal). Just as the farmer begins anew each year with his first fruits, so too must a Jewrenew his service every day.“Today God commands you”(Deut. 26:16) means that Torah and mitzvot are not old duties but fresh opportunities, alive in the present moment.

Midrash Rabbah(Vayikra 27:10): The mitzvah of first fruits parallels the renewal of the soul each morning —“Great is Your faithfulness”(Modeh Ani). The restoration of the soul is itself a“first fruit” of the new day.

5. First Fruits as Cosmic Symbol

Arizal (Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaMitzvot, Ki Tavo): The mitzvah of bikkurim rectifies the “first fruits” of creation — the primordial sparks scattered at the shattering of the vessels (shevirat ha-kelim). By elevating the physical first fruits, Israel elevates the hidden Divine sparks in the world.

Ramban: Bringing bikkurim is a tikkun for the sin of Adam, who failed to sanctify the first fruits of creation. Israel corrects this by dedicating their choicest produce to Hashem.

6. Daily Application – The “First Fruits” of Our Lives

The sages extend the mitzvah of bikkurim into daily practice:

Prayer: The Modeh Ani is the bikkurim of the soul — offering our first words of the day to Hashem.
Time: Morning hours should be given to Torah, when the mind is purest.
Resources: Giving tzedakah from the best of our wealth, not from leftovers.
Talents: Dedicating the choicest of our skills to serve God and benefit humanity.

Essence

The mitzvah of bikkurim is not merely about fruits but about the principle of firstness and bestness: giving God the finest of what we have and are. It is about gratitude for the past, sanctification of the present, and renewal for the future. Through this act, the sages teach, we align our lives with the flow of Divine blessing and elevate all creation.

“THE COMMANDMENT TO SERVE HASHEM WITH JOY: THE HEART OF TRUE WORSHIP”

The Commandment to Rejoice in Serving God

1. The Torah’s Warning: Absence of Joy

The Torah in Deuteronomy 28:47–48 identifies a surprising cause for affliction: not that Israel stopped serving God, but that they served Him without joy.

Rambam (Hilchot Lulav 8:15) teaches that serving God without joy is itself a spiritual deficiency that can invite curses. For Rambam, joy in mitzvot is not optional; it is the very essence of authentic worship:

“The joy a person derives in doing a mitzvah and in loving God Who commanded it — this is a supreme service.”

Thus, lack of joy is seen as a distortion of the covenant itself.

2. The Paradox: Can the Torah Command an Emotion?

R’ Ari Kahn asks: How can we be commanded to feel joy? Emotions cannot be forced. The answer, found in Chassidic thought, is that joy is not passive but cultivated through perspective, gratitude, and inner work. The mitzvot themselves are designed to produce joy — when fulfilled with sincerity, they naturally awaken the soul to closeness with God.

R’ Shlomo Wolbe (Alei Shur) notes that simchah in avodat Hashem comes from recognizing that God allows us to serve Him at all — transforming what could be drudgery into privilege.

3. False Joy and Real Joy

Maayanah Shel Torah emphasizes that Israel sinned with joy but served God with complaints. This highlights a key danger: misdirected joy.

The Torah does not condemn joy itself but the inversion of joy — delight in sin and resentment in mitzvot. Real joy, according to the sages, comes from aligning one’s desires with God’s will, while false joy is fleeting and destructive.

4. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov: Renewal and Simchah

Rebbe Nachman teaches that simchah is the lifeblood of spiritual life. Even in moments of hardship, a Jew must find a spark of renewal:

Hit’chadshut (renewal): Each day is new, each mitzvah a new chance, each prayer a fresh opportunity. This renewal itself generates joy.
Fear and Joy Together: The rebuke (Tokhachah) instills fear, but fear should lead to closeness, not despair. Simchah transforms fear into deeper connection.

Rebbe Nachman famously said: “It is a great mitzvah to be joyous always.” Joy is not escapism but a spiritual weapon against sadness, despair, and sin.

5. Why Joy is Central

Joy validates love: Rambam says joy shows that mitzvot are done not from burden but from love of God.
Joy elevates service: Baal Shem Tov teaches that joy opens spiritual gates, allowing prayers to ascend unhindered.
Joy defeats despair: Despair (atzvut) is seen in Chassidut as the root of spiritual paralysis, while simchah renews strength and creativity in service.
Joy amid hardship: The sages stress that joy is not denial of suffering but the awareness that even trials are from Hashem and can be vessels of growth.

6. How to Cultivate Joy Practically

Gratitude (Modeh Ani each morning): The first words upon waking set the tone of appreciation.
Perspective shift: Seeing mitzvot as privilege, not obligation.
Community: Shared singing, prayer, and learning uplift the heart (cf. Rabbi Nachman’s emphasis on niggun and dancing).
Small victories: Even the smallest mitzvah done with joy is greater than large deeds done with heaviness.

Essence

The Torah teaches that joy is not a luxury in serving God — it is the very heart of covenantal life. To serve God with heaviness or resentment is to miss the point of mitzvot, which are meant to draw us close in love. Rambam, Chassidut, and Rebbe Nachman all highlight that true joy flows from gratitude, renewal, and the awareness that every moment of service is itself a Divine gift.

Ki Tavo - When You Come

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