Declarations To Keep You Honest (Ki Tavo)

Parsha Ki Tavo is a parsha of declarations. It opens with the instructions for bringing the offering of the first fruits and includes the famous (a large part of the text of the Haggadah) declaration made at that time:

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).

The second section of the parsha is the instructions for a far less well-known declaration, one to be made by a farmer after he has completed all of the required tithes - a process that covers a three year period. After all of the tithes have been distributed, you shall declare before the Lord your God: I have cleared out the consecrated portion from the house; and I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, just as You commanded me; I have neither transgressed nor neglected any of Your commandments: I have not eaten of it while in mourning, I have not cleared out any of it while I was unclean, and I have not deposited any of it with the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done just as You commanded me. Look down from Your holy abode, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers (26:13-15).

I found this particular declaration requirement to be fascinating. A religious farmer will make certain that all the tithes are covered, so why must there be a spoken declaration. Not only that, the declaration is strangely detailed, referring to the different types of tithes and affirming that it was all done properly. To me, this declaration rang of what the modern era likes to refer to as “mindfulness,” and it is a way of being that is absolutely necessary for the best fulfilment of Jewish law.

After a decade or two of farming, one could easily imagine a farmer falling into a more blasé routine with providing the tithes, far less meticulous than in his first years of fulfilling the mitzvah. Here the Torah provides something better than a checklist. A checklist can be run over in one’s head, “did it, did it, yup, and that...” leaving an easy opportunity for a detail to be missed or a leniency to be forgiven. But the declaration must be stated out loud. Stating something out loud is like passing something through a lie detector test. As one reads through the statement, a soft second voice within affirms whether each part of the task was truly completed.

In these last weeks of the old year, as we approach Rosh Hashana, the inclusion of this requirement to speak past deeds out loud as an affirmation of the proper completion seems particularly pertinent. The declaration at the end of the tithing period is a great lesson in the importance of the act of making a cheshbon hanefesh - an accounting of the soul. Imagine the great strides we might make if we took such an accounting of our “everyday mitzvot!”

Much as I may need it, I am not going to announce a commitment to a daily cheshbon hanefesh. (Cause that might not be very honest of me!) However, just being aware of this passage in the parsha reinforces for me how beautifully Hashem prepared to help each of us on our journey of spiritual growth.

Just Wait Until Your Father... (Eikev)

In classic, stereotypical parenting, the type that makes one think of Leave It To Beaver, a mother wishing to draw a line of discipline for her child would often say, “Just wait until your father gets home!” This threat left the role of disciplinarian to the father and thus was attached to dad the seemingly cliche line of “This is for your own good” (or, similarly, “This hurts me more than it hurts you”).

Until recently in history, this was considered normal parenting. In recent generations, however, we parent more gently. The father’s role is less severe and punishment is often considered detrimental. (Yes, this is a stark generalization.) Perhaps this "more gentle” idea of parenting is one of the reasons that those who disdain religion accuse God of being a hard and cruel deity, but Jews refer to God as Avinu, our father, because we see beyond the black-and-whiteness of the text and the rules and the punishments declared. We see fatherly love.

How does this connect to the parsha? Because in this week’s parsha, Moshe says to Bnei Yisrael: “And you shall consider in your heart that just as man chastises his son, so the Lord your God chastises you” (Devarim 8:5).

The Torah commentator Sforno (Rabbi Obadiah Sforno - Italy - 1475-1550) explains that “along with the commandments He has given you, He gives you a superior moral/ethical challenge to help you achieve perfection as seen from His perspective.” The disciplines - the challenges - that God gives to you are opportunities to rise above the situation.

There is a platitude that is often quote in response to challenging times and difficult situations: “God only gives you what you can handle.” That’s nice, and that’s true, but the difficult situation or emotional pain is still very real. So rather than speak about the many wonderful philosophies that could be derived from this verse, let’s look at it a bit differently.

It may seem odd to say, but in these verses it feels like a real parenting dynamic in which Moshe is the mother. Moshe’s monologue throughout the parsha shifts between warnings, reminders of the good God has done for Bnei Yisrael, recollections of the errors they have committed, and subtle appeals for them not to go astray. Taken all-together, his words reflect his love for this people he has led for 40 years. It’s a tone many of us take with our children.

Moshe is the mother figure because God is a father figure. I understand that too. My father was the final disciplinarian. In our household, he was the parent that I was afraid of crossing... He was also the parent I was most afraid of disappointing.

It is easy to read a verse like this and nod. But Moshe knew how easy it is to let this fundamental knowledge of the relationship of God and Bnei Yisrael become passé, just as a mother will push her child to go give daddy a kiss. It is easy to think that the disciplinarian is out to get you, but a fundamental belief in Jewish life is that everything God does serves a positive purpose, and we should love Him for it.

Parsha Bibliography

Hirsch, Rabbi Samsom Raphael. The Pentateuch: Volume V Deuteronomy. Translated by Isaac Levy, Judaica Press, LTD, 1999.

Leibowitz, Nehama. Studies in Devarim. Translated by Aryeh Newman, The World Zionist Organization, 1980.

Soleveitchik, Rabbi Joseph B. Chumash Mesoras Harav: Sefer Devarim. Compiled and edited by Dr. Arnold Lustiger. OUPress, 2018.

Furer, Dov. Torah Treasures: Selected Thoughts and Insights from the Classic Commentaries on the Parshah of the Week. Translated by Avraham Yaakov Finkel. C.I.S. Publishers and Distributors, 1993.

Abarbanel, Isaac. Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah, Volume I Bereishis/Genesis. Translated and Annotated by Rabbi Israel Lazar, Self Published with CreateSpace, 2015.

Caplan, Rabbi Yitzchok. Rav Wolbe on Chumach - Volume 2. Mesorah Publications, LTD, 2016.

Subar, Rabbi Reuven and Rabbi Mendel Weinbach. The Essential Malbim. Mesorah Publications, LTD, 2009.

Sforno, Rabbi Ovadia. Sforno: Commentary on the Torah, Volume I Bereishis/Shemos. Translated by Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz, Artscroll-Mesorah Publications, LTD, 1987.

Zornberg, Avivah Gottleib. Genesis: The Beginning of Desire. The Jewish Publication Society, 1995.

Zakan, Miriam Stark. The Weekly Midrash, Tzena Ur'enah. Mesorah Publications, LTD, 1994.