IN A NUTSHELL
In Ki Tavo, Moshe reaches the end of his speech explaining all the details of the covenant. The last set of commands he discusses involve bringing first-fruits to the central Sanctuary, as well as the various agricultural tithes (like taxes), giving ten per cent of all produce to the poor, the Levites, or bringing the produce to Jerusalem to eat. These rules rotate around a seven-year cycle.
Moshe then reminds the Israelites again that a covenant is a two-way promise between the people and God. The people are to give God their total loyalty. God, in turn, will always have a special relationship with the people.
The Torah now turns to the next feature of ancient covenants: the blessings and curses that will result if the people are faithful on the one hand, or disloyal on the other. The parasha ends with Moshe summoning the people, at the end of their forty-year journey and in sight of the Promised Land, to renew the covenant their parents made with God at Mount Sinai.
QUESTION TO PONDER
Why do you think it was important to remind the Israelites about the covenant and to renew their promises before they entered the land?