This week’s Torah portion contains the Jewish “master story.” After the Israelites enter the Land of Israel and produce their first crop yield, they are commanded to bring a sample to the Temple and dedicate it to God and to recite these words: ““My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The LORD freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O LORD, have given me.” (Deuteronomy 26:5-10)
Here, in a nutshell, is the Jewish narrative: exile, enslavement, liberation and the return to our land. Then our portion instructs the Israelites to give one tenth of their yield to to the Levites, the widow, the orphan and the stranger, so they could eat their fill. Only then were the Israelites allowed to enjoy the bounty of their labor.
This is our Jewish “master value system” in a nutshell. In the moment when we celebrate our success, we must remember that we were once slaves. In other words, we must have empathy for the weak and downtrodden among us. More than that, we must act on that empathy by supporting those in need, the weakest among us.
As we approach the High Holy Days, let’s remember this ancient imperative to cultivate empathy and be generous. It can transform our lives and our society, which is plagued by selfishness, greed and cruelty. May it be God’s will that we act to make a change in the coming year.
Ki Tavo – Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:8, The Parashat Ha Shavua for Shabbat, Saturday, September 21, 2019
September 20, 2019 by Dean Kertesz •
This week’s Torah portion contains the Jewish “master story.” After the Israelites enter the Land of Israel and produce their first crop yield, they are commanded to bring a sample to the Temple and dedicate it to God and to recite these words: ““My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The LORD freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O LORD, have given me.” (Deuteronomy 26:5-10)
Here, in a nutshell, is the Jewish narrative: exile, enslavement, liberation and the return to our land. Then our portion instructs the Israelites to give one tenth of their yield to to the Levites, the widow, the orphan and the stranger, so they could eat their fill. Only then were the Israelites allowed to enjoy the bounty of their labor.
This is our Jewish “master value system” in a nutshell. In the moment when we celebrate our success, we must remember that we were once slaves. In other words, we must have empathy for the weak and downtrodden among us. More than that, we must act on that empathy by supporting those in need, the weakest among us.
As we approach the High Holy Days, let’s remember this ancient imperative to cultivate empathy and be generous. It can transform our lives and our society, which is plagued by selfishness, greed and cruelty. May it be God’s will that we act to make a change in the coming year.