In Memory of our beloved David Schwartz, who fell in battle sanctifying God’s name, on 27 Tevet, 5784 (8 January 2024).
“Le’David Barchi Nafshi” is a compilation of essays written on the weekly Torah reading by David Schwartz, of blessed memory. First published on the occasion of his marriage to Meital, David’s unique Torah thoughts that delve into the depths of the Torah are shared now to elevate his memory and sanctify his soul.
The parsha this week opens with two important mitzvot that are connected to the land of Israel. The first mitzvah is that of reciting the text thanking God upon offering the first fruits (mikra bikkurim), and the second is the confession regarding the tithes (viduy ma’aser).
The mitzvah of separating the first fruits, bikkurim, which was first stated in the parsha of Mishpatim, is taught again here in the context of the additional mitzvah to recite the bikkurim text. The Sages, who established the weekly Torah readings, placed the mitzvah of reciting the bikkurim passage at the beginning of the Ki Tavo Torah reading, separating it from the preceding chapters of mitzvot in Deuteronomy. This mitzva itself expresses the transition from their miraculous experiences in the desert to the life of work that they would be expected to lead in the land of Israel.
In the midrash, the sage Rav Huna emphasized the importance of this mitzvah: “On the merit of three matters the world was created: Challah, tithes, and bikkurim … As it states ‘In the beginning (b’reishit) God created’ and the word reishit means first; i.e. the first fruits (reishit bikkuri admatikha) of your land (Gen. Rabbah 1:4).”
The Sefat Emet (1847-1905) explains the importance of this mitzvah, writing: “And the first (reishit) of a person needs to be dedicated to God … to accept the will of God and cling to Him and return unto Him the first (reishit) so as to remember that everything is God’s. Therefore, immediately when they enter Israel, the mitzvah of bikkurim is presented.”
This great and distinctive mitzvah is given at a special time. In the parsha, Moshe apparently begins the sad process of departing from the nation. In the near future, Joshua will accept the leadership of the people, continuing the path of Moshe. This process in which Moshe separates himself from the people constitutes a historical turning point for our nation.
How difficult and painful it must have been for Moshe to depart from everyone in Israel. In Deuteronomy 27:1-4, Moshe commands the people: “Guard these commandments that I am instructing you today … And as soon as you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these large stones that I have commanded you on Mount Ebal.”
As Moshe notes, God has commanded you to do this. Not me, Moshe is saying, but rather God commanded you. In his words of separation from the people, Moshe emphasizes that he will not be a participant in the crossing over the Jordan River to inherit the land. Moshe concludes the importance of the moment by repeatedly using the word “day.”
“Today your God the Lord commands you to fulfill the laws and statutes and you shall guard and do them with all your heart and soul in accordance with God’s instruction today … On this day God commands you to be a chosen people who shall observe the Divine commandments. Silence and hear O Israel! Today you become the people of the Lord your God … And God has not given you a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear until this day.” (Deuteronomy 26-27)
What exactly was so important on that day in particular, that moment, such that the word “day” is mentioned no less than fourteen times in the parsha?
It seems to me that Moshe is essentially trying to convey a message. In order to make the importance of it clear, he emphasizes the greatness of the moment. In this separation speech, Moshe is preparing the people for the expected challenges ahead. From this moment, the people would be expected to proceed to the next historical stage. At the moment of crossing the Jordan, the people would stand and confront a new reality that would be completely different from what they had experienced until then. The process of ending their complete dependence on Moshe would be a huge challenge, as they would move from being guided by miracles and to a life based on natural underpinnings.
Moshe knows from his years of experience that the religious condition of the nation might deteriorate in a moment. Upcoming challenges that they will confront might bring the people to a slippery slope in their spiritual world with unknown consequences.
Moshe is concerned about these specific challenges. For this reason, on this great day and at this stage, Moshe transmits this commandment through which one comes to fulfill the mitzvot. This mitzvah is a kind of compass through which the people of Israel can navigate their complex future. Moshe is teaching that the path toward fulfilling the mitzvot proceeds through the reading of “bikkurim.” He who brings the bikkurim must bring the choice fruits to the Temple, as it states, “You should bring the first of your fruits.
At that moment of bringing the bikkurim, the pilgrim to Jerusalem reviews the story of our people. The chain of history from the time that Jacob went down to Egypt until the bringing of the fruits at the Temple is recited, with the inclusion of the story of slavery and the redemption and the conquest of the land. The bringing of bikkurim is a symbol of the culmination of events that give expression to the progress toward Israel, of taking root and flowering there.
And it is interesting to note that the purpose of this statement is the clear recognition of the kindness of God that brings man to joy. As it is written: “Wherefore now I bring the first fruits of the soil which You, the Lord has given me. You shall leave the fruits before God and bow low before your God, the Lord. And you shall rejoice, with the daily of the Levite and the stranger in your midst, because of all the bounty that your God, the Lord, has bestowed upon you and your household.” (Deut. 26:10-11)
The mitzvah of bikkurim per se expresses a very important value. A person is obligated to bring the first fruits of his harvest to the Temple. Likewise, a person is commanded to sanctify the core of his strength and desire to the service of God. At the beginning of one’s life one is obligated to dedicate himself for the achievement of this goal. The bikkurim teach that one must dedicate the first of all material things in this world to God. The lifecycle and structure of the mitzvot are built toward this process, as is evident from the mitzvah of redeeming the first born son, the separation of Challah, the mitzvah of orla, etc.
This mitzvah reminds us that the material connection in this world necessitates an active connection in the spiritual world, and practically speaking, there is no separation between the world of Torah and spirituality and the world of action.
Moshe teaches us that this mitzvah is the key toward integrating the ideal between our material and spiritual lives, and this is the way through which to come to the fulfillment of the other mitzvot. Alongside this, we realize that a disproportionate integration of the mitzvot in our lives can cause us to observe them with excessive strictness that can cause pressure or stress. Therefore, Moshe instructs us that the entire purpose of the integration of the mitzvot is to bring us to happiness.
Happiness is a critical and essential part of service to God, and we must strive to find this joy within us. As the Talmud states on the verse in Ecclesiastes, “And I praised happiness” - that refers to the joy of a mitzvah. “This praise of happiness is mentioned [in Ecclesiastes] to teach you that the Divine Presence does not rest in a sad environment nor one of laziness, nor one of frivolity, nor among idle chatter, but rather God’s shekhina rests in a place of happiness.” (Shabbat 30b)
We need to focus the core of our efforts in seeing the good in performing the mitzvot, and achieve happiness as a result. This great teaching should inform us of the reason why the word “day” is repeatedly emphasized and is so important in our parsha. At every moment, every day, we must accept that we intend to fulfill this fundamental concept.
As the Baal Shem Tov said: “Sadness locks the gates of heaven. Prayer opens locked gates, and happiness has the power to break down walls.”
"עצבות נועלת שערי שמיים, תפילה פותחת שערים נעולים, והשמחה בכוחה לשבר חומות" (הבעש"ט)
Translated by Rabbi Akiva Herzfeld