Created by Wendie Bernstein Lash and Lex Rofeberg
Moses is continuing to tell the people his final instructions what they must do when they enter the land, knowing that he is not going with them. The following lines are from the very beginning of this week's portion:
(א) וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃ (ב) וְלָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית ׀ כָּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃ (ג) וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֗יו הִגַּ֤דְתִּי הַיּוֹם֙ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כִּי־בָ֙אתִי֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע יְהוָ֛ה לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ לָ֥תֶת לָֽנוּ׃ (ד) וְלָקַ֧ח הַכֹּהֵ֛ן הַטֶּ֖נֶא מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ וְהִ֨נִּיח֔וֹ לִפְנֵ֕י מִזְבַּ֖ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (ה) וְעָנִ֨יתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֜ לִפְנֵ֣י ׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אֲרַמִּי֙ אֹבֵ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַיֵּ֣רֶד מִצְרַ֔יְמָה וַיָּ֥גָר שָׁ֖ם בִּמְתֵ֣י מְעָ֑ט וַֽיְהִי־שָׁ֕ם לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל עָצ֥וּם וָרָֽב׃ (ו) וַיָּרֵ֧עוּ אֹתָ֛נוּ הַמִּצְרִ֖ים וַיְעַנּ֑וּנוּ וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עֲבֹדָ֥ה קָשָֽׁה׃ (ז) וַנִּצְעַ֕ק אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יְהוָה֙ אֶת־קֹלֵ֔נוּ וַיַּ֧רְא אֶת־עָנְיֵ֛נוּ וְאֶת־עֲמָלֵ֖נוּ וְאֶת־לַחֲצֵֽנוּ׃ (ח) וַיּוֹצִאֵ֤נוּ יְהוָה֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם בְּיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְרֹ֣עַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְמֹרָ֖א גָּדֹ֑ל וּבְאֹת֖וֹת וּבְמֹפְתִֽים׃ (ט) וַיְבִאֵ֖נוּ אֶל־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וַיִּתֶּן־לָ֙נוּ֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (י) וְעַתָּ֗ה הִנֵּ֤ה הֵבֵ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־רֵאשִׁית֙ פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥תָּה לִּ֖י יְהוָ֑ה וְהִנַּחְתּ֗וֹ לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֔יתָ לִפְנֵ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (יא) וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכָל־הַטּ֗וֹב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽך׃
(1) When you enter the land that YHVH, your God, is giving you as territory, and you inherit it and settle in it, (2) You will take some of every first fruit of the earth, which you harvest from the land that YHVH, your God, is giving you, put it in a basket, and go to the place where YHVH, your God, has chosen to cause God's name to dwell. (3) You will go to the priest who is serving at that point in time and say to him, “I say today, to YHVH, your God, that I have entered the land that YHVH swore to our ancestors to give us.” (4) And the priest will take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of YHVH, your God. (5) Then you will proclaim, stating before YHVH, your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt to dwell there, [initially] few in number, and there became a great, mighty, populous nation. (6) The Egyptians treated us terribly -- they oppressed us and imposed hard labor on us. (7) We cried out to YHVH, the God of our ancestors, and YHVH heard our voice and saw our oppression, our labor, and our misery. (8) And YHVH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, with awesome power and by signs and wonders. (9) And God brought us to this place and gave us this land -- a land flowing with milk and honey. (10) And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the earth which You, YHVH, have given me.” Then you will place it before YHVH, your God, and you will bow low before YHVH, your God. (11) And you will rejoice with all the bounty that YHVH, your God, bestowed on you and your household, you together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst.
Questions for reflection:
- Instead of celebrating the bounty of nature, the people are instructed to remember their history and where they came from. How might that shift their thinking about the harvest? Do you see this thinking as a part of Judaism today, and if so where?
- The ritual of first fruits is connected to the exodus from Egypt and to passover. Why might this be an important connection to make?
- Since we don't do this ritual (and most of us aren't farmers either) what might we consider taking from this ancient ritual into our lives today?
- The proclamation that the Israelites are instructed to say distills the entire Exodus narrative, from the arrival of Jacob's sons to entry into the "land flowing with milk and honey," into 5 sentences. What is included, and what is left out? If you had to summarize that whole story in 5 sentences, how would you do so? Write it out, and maybe ask a friend for their summary as well!
Teach Me, O God, a Blessing - by Lea Goldberg (translated by Pnina Peli)
Teach me, O God, a blessing, a prayer
On the mystery of a withered leaf
On ripened fruit so fair,
On the freedom to see, to sense,
To breathe, to know, to hope, to despair.
Teach my lips a blessing, a hymn of praise,
As each morning and night
You renew Your days,
Lest my day be as the one before
Lest routine set my ways.
Question for reflection:
- Do you see any connections between Lea Goldberg's poem and the lines of Torah above? How could we see this poem as building on the scaffolding of the Deuteronomy text?
The Slonimer Rebbe said that happiness is:
- studying the Torah and giving satisfaction to the Creator, according to one's ability;
- constantly searching one's actions and regretting every unworthy act;
- recognizing the aid one's Master gives;
- sanctifying YHVH's name by one's acts and taking care to avoid the opposite;
- increasing one's devotion in service to YHVH;
- withstanding temptation;
- serving YHVH with the whole heart and not considering it out of the ordinary;
- spending the last days on earth in repentance and having a clear conscious.
Questions for reflection:
- Which points of the Slonimer's do you agree with and which do you disagree with?
- Do any points align with this week's Torah portion? Do any clash with it?
- What would you put on your list of "what happiness is" and why? What do you think of the premise that there can be a short list, distilling the essence of what happiness is and is not?
Taking this Torah portion into your world:
1. Try reciting a blessing before eating some "first" food this coming week. (i.e. before you try a new dish/food at home or at a new restaurant or before you eat a new fruit or veggie at the store.) You can recite a traditional Jewish blessing, design your own blessing in the moment, or try this one that is excerpted and edited from Vietnamese Buddhist wisdom figure, Thich Nhat Hanh:
"This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work. May I eat with mindfulness and gratitude to be worthy to receive this food. May I recognize and transform unwholesome thoughts and actions and learn to eat with moderation. May I keep my compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet."
What do you notice by saying a blessing before eating your first food? How does saying the blessing change your awareness and consumption of the food?
2. In the Torah portion, the Jews were refugees and border crossers. Contemplate the refugees and border crossers in our world today.
3. Albert Einstein said, "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” Here is an article that gives ideas about simple things you can do to respond to climate change. 18 Simple Things You Can Do About Climate Change