Shabbos Table

Gratitude and Appreciation

This week's Torah reading, Ki Tavo, begins by describing the mitzvah of bik-kurim, the first fruits which the Jews would bring to the Temple in Jerusalem, and afterwards speaks of a covenant concerning the entire Torah. What is the connection between these subjects?

The mitzvah of bikkurim shows our gratitude for the good G-d has given us, and our appreciation to Him for "granting us all the blessings of this world."

And this appreciation is not expressed merely by words of thanks, but through deed. A person would select his first fruits, and journey to bring them to Jeru-salem to show his thanks to G-d. The first fruits would thereby become consecrated, indicating that a lasting connection to G-d's holiness had been established.

Giving Thanks

Herein lies the connection to the entire Torah. For in a larger sense, every aspect of a person's life can become bikkurim, an expression of thanks to G-d for His goodness. At every moment, a person is standing before G-d and he can demon-strate that all of existence shares a bond with Him.

As a preparation for the mitzvah of bik-kurim, the Torah tells us: Ki tavo el haeretz, "And when you will enter the land that G-d... is giving you as a heritage." The ability to bring bikku-rim depends on entering the land of Israel.

As a person enters the land of Israel and allows the land to enter him, his sensitive-ity is heightened to the extent that he is able to perform the spiritual service of bikkurim, and indeed, have this mode of service come to characterize his approach to the Torah and its mitzvot as a whole.

Fully Entering the Land

A deeper understanding of the above concepts can be grasped by considering the halachic implications of the word tavo, meaning "enter." Our Sages explain this word implies coming in entirely, without any portion of the body remaining outside.

In this vein, ki tavo, entering the land of Israel to bring the first fruits, means com-ing fully into the land. Therefore the verse mentions not only entering the land of Israel, but also that "you will take it as an inheritance, and you will settle it."

For until the Jews took the land of Israel as a heritage, and settled the land, their "entrance" was not complete. Only after they had settled the land could the atmosphere of the land penetrate their thinking processes sufficiently to motivate the appreciation expressed by the bringing of bikkurim.

Looking Forward to Eretz Yisrael

Moses gave the Jews the promise of ki tavo - that they would enter the land of Israel while they were still in the desert. This phrase serves as the name of the entire Torah reading, for the promise that we will enter the land is sufficient to inspire a commitment to observe all the mitzvot mentioned in the reading.

Similar concepts apply today. For we have been given the promise that we will soon "enter the land that G-d... is giving you as a heritage" led by Moshiach.

The awareness of this promise should inspire a commitment strong enough to overcome the remaining challenges of exile. And this will lead to the time when we will again bring our first fruits as offerings to G-d in the Temple, thanking Him for all His kindness.

From the teachings of the Rebbe, adapted and reprinted from In the Garden of Torah, with permission from Sichos in English.