Shalom JTF readers,
Time once again for the weekly Torah portion, as explained by some of my favorite Rabbis who post on YouTube. This week we are reading the portion named 'Ki Tavo' which is one of the two portions which contains a lengthy section of blessings and curses (The Tochacha/Rebukes).
Other mitzvot which are discussed are the command to bring the first fruits of the harvest to the Kohein and to say a particular blessing, and to tithe (give produce to the Leviim) and supporting the poor among us. We are also told that Hashem loves us, we are his chosen nation because we chose Hashem as our King. This theme, the Kingship of Hashem, is a central theme of the month of Elul and we say it verbally during the prayers of Rosh Hashanna.
The 'Parsha in a Nutshell' from Chabad.org:
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2504/jewish/Ki-Tavo-in-a-Nutshell.htm
Moses instructs the people of Israel: When you enter the land that G‑d is giving to you as your eternal heritage, and you settle it and cultivate it, bring the first-ripened fruits (bikkurim) of your orchard to the Holy Temple, and declare your gratitude for all that G‑d has done for you.
Our Parshah also includes the laws of the tithes given to the Levites and to the poor, and detailed instructions on how to proclaim the blessings and the curses on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival—as discussed in the beginning of the Parshah of Re’eh. Moses reminds the people that they are G‑d’s chosen people, and that they, in turn, have chosen G‑d.
The latter part of Ki Tavo consists of the Tochachah (“Rebuke”). After listing the blessings with which G‑d will reward the people when they follow the laws of the Torah, Moses gives a long, harsh account of the bad things—illness, famine, poverty and exile—that shall befall them if they abandon G‑d’s commandments.
Moses concludes by telling the people that only today, forty years after their birth as a people, have they attained “a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear.”
This week I will start with a talk given by Rabbi Machlis in Jerusalem:
Topic: Video Study for Parsha Ki Tavo : Blessings & Curses and Chosenness (Read 2528 times)