"And you are to rejoice in all the good-things that your God has given you and your household, you and the Levite and the sojourner who is in your midst". (Deuteronomy 26:11)
The location of the mitzvah of joy at the beginning of parshat " Ki Tavo", also known as the parshah of the great reproach, may cause bewilderment; And not only that but the choice to focus on the commandment to rejoice in difficult days like the ones we are experiencing at this time is also puzzling. However, the perusal of the Parsha with its harsh warnings and curses indicates that the placement of the mitzvah to rejoice was done on purpose. The question is why? And what is this parsha trying to teach us?
In its first part, the parshah focuses on the necessary conditions that enable us to experience joy and names some of them, such as an independent life in the Promised Land, working the land, mutual relationships, responsibility and solidarity with others in all the circles of our lives - family, community and nation - as well as the ability to give thanks to everyone who helps us in our pursuit of good.
Our Parshah says about life in our own land: "For you shall come to the land where the Lord your God is giving you an estate and you shall inherit it and you shall dwell in it" (Deuteronomy 20:1). The reality of hundreds of families and individuals who were evacuated from their homes and their residences testifies that the presence of the individual and of the nation in their own land is a condition for the realization of his essence and identity and the source of the experience of joy.
The verse that teaches us about mutual relationships and the ability to be grateful for what's good in our life is:
"and he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey So now- here, I have brought the premier-part of the fruits of the ground that you have given me, O GOD! Then you are to deposit it before the presence of the Lord your God and are to bow down before the presence of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 20:9-10).
That is to say, just as God brought his people to the chosen land, so his people bring to him the first fruits of the earth. Giving is an expression of the ability to give thanks for the good to him that is responsible for it, to the one who is our partner in the reality of goodness, without fearing that giving thanks for the goodness will in anyway belittle your identity, your value and your dignity. This desired relationship between the people and their God is the model of the desired relationship between man and his fellow man.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch emphasizes in his commentary on the mitzvah of joy during Sukkot the idea that the experience of joy is related to mutual relationships, responsibility and solidarity with all our partners in our family, our community and our nation - "because the happiness of the individual will only be found on the basis of the whole nation, just as the peace of the nation can only be fulfilled in the joyfull life of all the individuals" Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Deuteronomy 16, 14). The care for those who are our responsibility emphasizes that there is no joy if they are not part of it. The lyrics of Zelda's poem "My wellbeing is tied a in a thread to your wellbeing" directly echo this idea.
The presence of joy in our lives is neither instinctive nor natural to man. During good times we tend to devote time and energy to observing what is lacking yin the world, like injustice and existential pain. The acts of creation that are renewed every day seem to us to be self-evident, and we often forget to give thanks for what we have, and for the privilege to see and experience the good that exists with joy.
The location of the mitzvah to be joyfull in the beginning of our parsha stems from the idea that a worthy life filled with gratitude to God is a condition for experiencing joy. In addition to this, joy is the source from which an individual and a society draw the strength of the soul to deal with breakdowns, crisis and destruction, which occur in one's life and are detailed in the rest of our parsha. The detailed events described in our parsha make it seem like the Torah, written thousands of years ago, predicted the reality of our lives today, in this time.
May we succeed, during this bloody year, and in the face of the difficulties at home and abroad, to continue to maintain a productive society, blessed by the fruits of its labor. A society that cultivates relations of mutual respect and solidarity with all strata of the population regardless of religion, race and gender. A society that feels responsibility and acts towards the improving the situation of the weak parts of society, the immigrant, the orphan and the widow.
May we succeed even in these difficult times, to be aware of the beauty of every moment around us, the beauty of human gestures and actions of inspiring individuals and communities, which intensify the joy and strengthen the hope that things can and will change for the better.
May the hostages return soon to their loving families, the evacuees to their homes and may the soldiers return in peace. May the comforting words of this weeks Haftorah be fulfilled: "Arise, shine, for your light has dawned; The Presence of GOD has shone upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1)
Translation: Rabbi Tamara Shifrin
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Rabbi Zipora Livne creates communities.
Leads three learning communities:
"Beit Midrash on the Tel Aviv waterfront" - weekly
Learning groul of the weekly parsha "Adventures on the Path of the Bible" - bi-weekly
Kabalat Shabbat group "let us study and sing" - monthly
The groups are diverse and contian: religious (including Chabadniks) and secular, couples and singles, women and men.
The location of the mitzvah of joy at the beginning of parshat " Ki Tavo", also known as the parshah of the great reproach, may cause bewilderment; And not only that but the choice to focus on the commandment to rejoice in difficult days like the ones we are experiencing at this time is also puzzling. However, the perusal of the Parsha with its harsh warnings and curses indicates that the placement of the mitzvah to rejoice was done on purpose. The question is why? And what is this parsha trying to teach us?
In its first part, the parshah focuses on the necessary conditions that enable us to experience joy and names some of them, such as an independent life in the Promised Land, working the land, mutual relationships, responsibility and solidarity with others in all the circles of our lives - family, community and nation - as well as the ability to give thanks to everyone who helps us in our pursuit of good.
Our Parshah says about life in our own land: "For you shall come to the land where the Lord your God is giving you an estate and you shall inherit it and you shall dwell in it" (Deuteronomy 20:1). The reality of hundreds of families and individuals who were evacuated from their homes and their residences testifies that the presence of the individual and of the nation in their own land is a condition for the realization of his essence and identity and the source of the experience of joy.
The verse that teaches us about mutual relationships and the ability to be grateful for what's good in our life is:
"and he brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey So now- here, I have brought the premier-part of the fruits of the ground that you have given me, O GOD! Then you are to deposit it before the presence of the Lord your God and are to bow down before the presence of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 20:9-10).
That is to say, just as God brought his people to the chosen land, so his people bring to him the first fruits of the earth. Giving is an expression of the ability to give thanks for the good to him that is responsible for it, to the one who is our partner in the reality of goodness, without fearing that giving thanks for the goodness will in anyway belittle your identity, your value and your dignity. This desired relationship between the people and their God is the model of the desired relationship between man and his fellow man.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch emphasizes in his commentary on the mitzvah of joy during Sukkot the idea that the experience of joy is related to mutual relationships, responsibility and solidarity with all our partners in our family, our community and our nation - "because the happiness of the individual will only be found on the basis of the whole nation, just as the peace of the nation can only be fulfilled in the joyfull life of all the individuals" Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on Deuteronomy 16, 14). The care for those who are our responsibility emphasizes that there is no joy if they are not part of it. The lyrics of Zelda's poem "My wellbeing is tied a in a thread to your wellbeing" directly echo this idea.
The presence of joy in our lives is neither instinctive nor natural to man. During good times we tend to devote time and energy to observing what is lacking yin the world, like injustice and existential pain. The acts of creation that are renewed every day seem to us to be self-evident, and we often forget to give thanks for what we have, and for the privilege to see and experience the good that exists with joy.
The location of the mitzvah to be joyfull in the beginning of our parsha stems from the idea that a worthy life filled with gratitude to God is a condition for experiencing joy. In addition to this, joy is the source from which an individual and a society draw the strength of the soul to deal with breakdowns, crisis and destruction, which occur in one's life and are detailed in the rest of our parsha. The detailed events described in our parsha make it seem like the Torah, written thousands of years ago, predicted the reality of our lives today, in this time.
May we succeed, during this bloody year, and in the face of the difficulties at home and abroad, to continue to maintain a productive society, blessed by the fruits of its labor. A society that cultivates relations of mutual respect and solidarity with all strata of the population regardless of religion, race and gender. A society that feels responsibility and acts towards the improving the situation of the weak parts of society, the immigrant, the orphan and the widow.
May we succeed even in these difficult times, to be aware of the beauty of every moment around us, the beauty of human gestures and actions of inspiring individuals and communities, which intensify the joy and strengthen the hope that things can and will change for the better.
May the hostages return soon to their loving families, the evacuees to their homes and may the soldiers return in peace. May the comforting words of this weeks Haftorah be fulfilled: "Arise, shine, for your light has dawned; The Presence of GOD has shone upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1)
Translation: Rabbi Tamara Shifrin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Zipora Livne creates communities.
Leads three learning communities:
"Beit Midrash on the Tel Aviv waterfront" - weekly
Learning groul of the weekly parsha "Adventures on the Path of the Bible" - bi-weekly
Kabalat Shabbat group "let us study and sing" - monthly
The groups are diverse and contian: religious (including Chabadniks) and secular, couples and singles, women and men.