Ki Tavo

📜 The Story

The parsha begins with the mitzvah (commandment) of bikkurim, the first fruits. When the Israelites live in the Land of Israel, every farmer takes the very first fruits that grow, puts them in a basket, and brings them to the Holy Temple as a gift to God. He hands the basket to the Kohen (the priest) and says a special thank-you to God. He tells how our people grew from Jacob's small family into a great nation, and how God took us out of Egypt and brought us to this good land.

The parsha also teaches a special statement a person makes after making sure all the tithes from their crops went where they should: to the Levites, to the poor, and to the other places the Torah says. It is not enough to do a mitzvah. We should also make sure we did it right.

Moses tells the people that when they cross the Jordan River into the land, they must set up large stones on Mount Ebal, cover them with plaster, and write the words of the Torah on them clearly, for everyone to read. They must also build an altar there. Then the twelve tribes will split into two groups, six tribes on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount Ebal. The Levites will stand between the mountains and call out blessings for keeping the Torah and warnings for not keeping it, and after each one, all the people will answer 'Amen.'

Next comes a long list of blessings for keeping the Torah and the mitzvot with love, like 'Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out.' There is also a section that warns what will happen if the nation turns away from God's ways.

At the end of the parsha, Moses reminds the people how God took care of them for forty years in the desert. Their clothes did not wear out, and their shoes did not fall apart, even after all that walking. Moses asks the people to open their hearts, to see all that God has done for them, and to follow His ways as they get ready to enter their new home.