Practice practice practice - Ki Tavo 5784

There is something special about the beautiful Mitzvah of “Bikkurim” - first fruits.  This Mitzvah is the opening of Parshat Ki Tavo: “It will be, when you come into the land which the Lord, your G-d, gives you for an inheritance, and you possess it and settle in it,  You shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you. And you shall put [them] into a basket and go to the place which the Lord, your God, will choose to have His Name dwell there.” (Devarim 26:1-2.)

Rambam describes how this Mitzvah was carried out.  “How are the first fruits brought to Jerusalem? [In each regional area around the country], all of [the inhabitants of] the towns in that area gather in the area’s central town, so that they will not ascend to Jerusalem as individuals, for [Proverbs 14:28] teaches: "The glory of the King is among the multitude of people." ...An ox with its horns glazed with gold leads the procession. A crown of olive [branches] is placed on its head, to publicize that the first fruits come from the seven species [for which Eretz Yisrael is praised]. A flute plays before them until they arrive close to Jerusalem...

...When they arrived close to Jerusalem they sent emissaries to notify the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they adorned their first fruits and beautified them... The leaders of the Israelites and of the priests and the Temple treasurers would go out from Jerusalem to greet them...

All of the artisans in Jerusalem would stand in honor of them and would greet them: "Our brethren, the inhabitants of so-and-so, you have come in peace." They proceed through Jerusalem while the flute is sounded until they reach the Temple Mount. When they reach the Temple Mount, each one should carry the first fruits on his shoulders and say: "Halleluyah. Praise G-d in His holiness" [Psalm 150:1] until [the conclusion of that psalm]: "May all the souls praise You." 

The Torah promises great abundance and many blessings for the observance of this Mitzvah.  One explanation is that this is an expression of gratitude to Hashem.  When a farmer works hard to grow his produce, the first ripening fruits are the greatest delicacy, when he can now enjoy the fruits of his labor.  Giving the first fruits away is an acknowledgement that it all happened because of Hashem;s blessings.  Hashem created the world and the earth, he created the nature that causes the trees to grow, He caused the rain to fall and gave us the strength to do the work required, and much more.  It is this recognition that motivates the hard-working farmer to give the very first produce to Hashem.

But what is so unique about the first fruits?  Don’t we also express our gratitude and acknowledgement to Hashem in other ways?  When we wake up in the morning we immediately say the Mode Ani prayer, thanking Hashem for our life.  Then come the morning prayers, expressing gratitude for every aspect of life.  The daily prayers are full of gratitude, as are the blessings before and after eating.  We say “Baruch Hashem” to thank Hashem for our gifts, and more.

The difference is that bringing the first fruits is putting the words into practice.  Words are important and meaningful, as are feelings of appreciation, but action is a whole other level.  When a person actually takes those precious first fruits and brings them to the Temple to give to Hashem, he is expressing his appreciation in action.  Hashem’s blessings are commensurate with our service.  Actions bring an abundance of actual blessings.

This concept is relevant to this time of year, when we are half way through the month of Elul, as we prepare for the Holy days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  We increase our prayers - specifically we add the psalm of “Ledavid Ori” in our morning and afternoon prayers, and add another three psalms daily after the morning service.  We add Torah study - especially learning the laws, practices and meanings of the upcoming Holidays.  Yet while prayer and Torah study are certainly vital in our service to Hashem, perhaps the greatest focus of this month is our practical Mitzvah observance.  

We consider which Mitzvot we can improve on, which activities we should be cutting out, and how we can commit to observe more Mitzvot.  Many people have their Mezuzot and Tefillin checked at this time to be sure they are kosher.  The greatest Mitzvah of all is Tzedakah, and we increase our Tzedakah giving during Elul.  “Hashem’s blessings are commensurate with our service.”  We turn to Hashem to give us an abundance of blessings beyond limit.  It behooves us to give Tzedakah without limit, and this evokes Hashem’s unlimited blessings.  

I pray that Hashem protect our people and our land, especially at this very difficult time.  I wish you great success in your Elul preparations.  May you be blessed with a “good and sweet New Year.”