This week’s Parsha is Parshat Ki Tavo. Two of the many things discussed in this Parsha are the blessings and the curses given to Bnei Yisrael, depending on whether they keep the mitzvot. The Parsha begins with the mitzvah of bikkurim–bringing the first fruits to the Beit Hamikdash. This is done as a way of expressing our appreciation to Hashem for the fruits produced in Israel.
While this mitzvah is important, the Torah chooses to put much more emphasis and detail on the blessings and curses, reminding us of the responsibility we bear in our relationship with Hashem. The pesukim stress the need to listen to Hashem’s commandments and warn us about the possible consequences of straying from His ways.
We read this Parsha in the month of Elul. Elul is known as a time for reflection, teshuvah, and preparation for the upcoming holidays. It is a month designated for personal growth. Just as this Parsha confronts us with a choice between two paths, the path of blessing and the path of curses, Elul forces us to start considering which path we wish to pursue for the upcoming year.
Therefore, the mitzvah of bikkurim has a vital lesson that applies to Elul, as well. For bikkurim, the farmer takes the first fruits of the land and brings them to the Beit Hamikdash, acknowledging his understanding that everything he has grown is from Hashem. This act of hakaras hatov is actually the first step in teshuvah. Because, just as the farmer says thanks, so too, do we have to think about all the good things in our lives and make a blessing that those good things would never be here without Hashem.
Another way that the Parsha is connected to the month of Elul is through the blessings and curses. The ones depicted in this Parsha are there to teach us how powerful our choices can be. Elul is the month we are called to take a careful look at our choices and to take responsibility for what we have done, hoping to make conscious and wiser decisions in the future.
Parshat Ki Tavo and the month of Elul are both reminders of accountability, the requirement for reflection, and the opportunity for renewal. Elul provides us with the wonderful opportunity to rededicate ourselves to a life of Torah and mitzvot and to choose a path of blessing in the upcoming year, as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Let us reflect on this Parsha and month and take it as an opportunity to better ourselves for the future.
Good Shabbos!
By: Adina Shagalov (10th)
Comments