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From: gth@erc3ba.UUCP (A.Y.Feldblum)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Dvar Torah - Ki Tavoh
Message-ID: <154@erc3ba.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Sep-85 13:47:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: erc3ba.154
Posted: Thu Sep  5 13:47:12 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 6-Sep-85 05:37:58 EDT
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Organization: AT&T Engineering Research Center   Princeton, NJ
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		 Dvar Torah - Ki Tavoh

	A major characteristic of Tfilah (prayer) in the biblical period
was the lack of any prescribed form, rather each individual would pray
when he felt an inner desire or need to do so and would compose the
prayer based on his needs and his personal way of expressing himself. In
this week's parsha, we find two tfilot (prayers) whose form and wording
are expressly given by the Torah. They are Mikreh Bekurim - the Reading
with the first fruits offering, and Veduy Ma-aser - the Confession of
the Tithes. As such, it is worthwhile to take a careful look at the
text, to understand it's importance.

	The first question one confronts is, why say anything at all.
The bringing of a portion of the first fruits of the harvest is but one
of several portions of the crop that are given to the priest, levite,
poor and/or Temple. In none of the others is there any obligation to say
anything. The Rambam in the Morah Nevuchim (Guide to the Perplexed)
gives the following explanation. By giving the first of things to
Hashem, one strengthens the trait of giving to others and reduces the
tendency toward excessive material acquisition. By taking the basket of
fruit on his shoulder and publicly acknowledging the mercy of Hashem who
has caused everything to grow, one enhances the trait of humility. Thus
the Torah tells us often - Remember that you were once a slave in the
land of Egypt. By remembering the hard times, one prevents the danger of
- (You will have the good life) And your heart will become proud, and
you will forget Hashem  who took you out of Egypt (Deut. 8, 12-14)

	If we look now at the parsha itself, it begins:

When you come to the land that Hashem gives to you for an inheritance
and you shall inherit it and dwell on it.

This same sentence appears once before, in Deut 17,14 in the parsha
concerning appointing a king. There the "you" refers to the nation as a
whole, the nation picks a king. Here, the rest of the parsha talks
basically about the individual farmer. But this first sentence alerts us
to look for a "national" flavor to the whole issue. Let's now look at
the first part of the statement made by the farmer:

I state today to Hashem that I have come to the land Hashem promised our
forefathers he would give us.

This statement is difficult to understand if we take the "I" to be the
individual farmer. How can someone, hundreds of years after the
settlement of Israel say, I state today that I have come to the land.
Rather, in some sense the individual farmer speaks in a "national"
sense, I - the nation of Israel - have come to the land Hashem has
promised us. This statement of a historical event that occurred in the
past is the first part of the individual farmers bringing of the first
fruits. We bring the first produce to Hashem, and at that time we, not
remember but re-experience the historical fact that Hashem gave us this
land, and therefore we bring him its first produce.

	This concept of re-experiencing a past event is a difficult one
for me to grasp. However, let me point out that the main body of the
text the farmer says is what forms the basis of the Hagadah of Pesach
(Passover). There too we say that each person is required to see himself
as though he went out of Egypt - we each must re-experience the exodus.
Today we no longer have bringing of the first fruit and the one
prescribed prayer. Now all our prayers tend to be prescribed, but it
remains important for us, each in our own way, to re-experience that
which Hashem has given to us, and to offer to Hashem our first fruits.

	Wishing everyone a good Shabbat, and a Happy Rosh Hashana,

LeShana Tovah Tikatavu V'Tikatamu

Avi Feldblum
AT&T Tech. - ERC
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