Ki Sovo
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha the mitzvah of Bikurim, bringing the first fruits from the seven species to the Kohen in the Beis Hamikdash. This is a mitzvah of great joy and celebration of bounty, as the pasuk says (Chapter 26, Pasuk 11), V’Samachta B’Chol Hatov, and you shall rejoice in all the good. And then towards the end of the parsha there as a sharp turn in the mood as we read the Tochahca, the section of rebuke which details the horrors that will, chas v’shalom, befall Bnei Yisrael if they don’t keep the mitzvoth. Why is there such a wide range in our parsha, and can we understand the connection between the beginning and the end?
There is a well-known Medrash Tanchuma in the beginning of our parsha which teaches that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the subsequent cessation of the mitzvah of Bikurim, and therefore instituted Tefillah three times a day. This is a difficult Medrash for a number of reasons, one of which is what does Tefillah have to do with Bikurim, and how is it a suitable replacement for it?
The Sfas Emes teaches that the significance of Bikurim is that the Reishis, the first of the fruits, is separated off and brought to the Beis Hamikdash. This is an acknowledgement that everything comes from Hashem and is brought back to its source, so to speak, by bringing it to the Kohen in the Beis Hamikdash. And this process is repeated every year when there is a new season of growth, when once again Hashem has provided us with bounty.
When we pray to Hashem, we are acknowledging that everything we have comes from Him. Similarly, in the mitzvah of Tefillah we are returning to the source, as by Bikurim, by asking Hashem to provide us with our needs. But the deeper connection to Bikurim comes in the fact that we daven three times a day. Every time there is a change in the time of day, from morning to afternoon to night, we once again turn to Hashem in prayer. This is because we refer to Hashem in the davening as “Meshaneh Ha’Itim”, the one who changes the times. As each time of day passes, similar to our returning to Hashem with every growing season, we turn to Gd in prayer and acknowledge each change as coming from Him and turning to the source in acknowledgment and thanks, and for help and guidance.
Just as the times of day change, so too our situation in life may change. The pasuk says in the section of the Tochacha, (Chapter 28, Pasuk 47), Tachas Asher Lo Avadeta es Hashem Elokecha B’Simcha U’Vetuv Leivav, Merov Kol, because you did not serve Gd in joy and with a good heart, despite having so much good. The Sfas Emes teaches that one must serve Gd with all of the good that he has. And he brings in the name of the Arizal, that the words Merov Kol indicate that his greatest joy should be used for his Avodas Hashem and not for any other purpose. This is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim (Chapter 100, Pasuk 2) Ivdu es Hashem b’Simcha, serve Gd in joy.
But there is another pasuk which states (Tehillim, Chapter 2, Pasuk 11), Ivdu es Hashem B’Yirah, serve Gd in fear. When we are in a situation when our primary emotion is not joy and bounty, but rather fear and pain, we must serve Gd as well. We need to use our resources for Avodas Hashem, whatever they might be. This is why Bnei Yisrael keep the lunar calendar, the fluctuations of the moon representing the changes in life throughout which we need to be focused on returning to the source. This is what connects the beginning of the parsha, the rejoicing of the Bikurim, with the end of the parsha, the suffering of the tochacha. And in the middle we have a reminder to take whatever joy we have and give it back as service to Hashem, as we do in the mitzvah of Bikurim. And Moshe Rabbeinu established Tefillah three times a day as a substitute for Bikurim since it is a daily ongoing reminder that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is “Meshaneh Ha’Itim”. All changes come from Him, and therefore at each juncture we must acknowledge that whatever we have must be returned back to him and used as a means of Avodas Hashem.
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