The Ties That Bind Us: Ki Tavo

The Ties That Bind Us

D’var Torah for Parashat Ki Tavo

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

Last week’s portion dealt with comings and goings, with those myriads of details that comprise daily life.  The perspective of this week’s reading, Ki Tavo (“When you come into the Land,” Deuteronomy 26:1—29:8), broadens out to give us the larger picture.  It isn’t about how we deal with any particular incident or situation, but rather about how we relate to the big themes of our existence.

As succinctly and precisely as it can (and, oh! how horribly graphic at times), Ki Tavo posits for us the three major tenets that make us a people: 

We are the People of Israel; we have a tradition, a past and a history that goes back to the earliest days, a history shaped not only by events but also by God. 

We have a Land.

We have the Torah.

These three themes intertwine, like the strands of the challah that we say a blessing over on Shabbat.  But each also stands on its own, each with its own requirements and obligations, each with its own incentive and recompense.

As a people, we are required to memorize and recount our history.  Our history is, after all, more than a story or myth.  It is at the core of our self-identity.  Our survival, in fact our very existence, depend on how well we remember our roots and our past.   Thus, every year we recite a passage from Ki Tavo, verses that trace our genesis.  “An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather,” Deut. 26: 5-8, is one of the oldest parts of our liturgy, recited annually at the Passover Seder.  All else—the matzah, the bitter herbs, the gefilteh fish and all the other traditions associated with the holiday—are but symbols and illustration of this account of our origin, colored by the various customs we bring with us.  But it’s these words that are at the heart of it all.  We are Israel, steeped in oppression, yet God rescues us time and again and brings us to this Promised Land.  This is the overarching story of our life.

Ki Tavo describes the Land of Israel as “A land flowing with milk and honey” (Deut. 26:9).  It produces a bounty of food, enough to feed not only oneself and one’s family, but also the rest of the community, including the Levites, the homeless and the needy.  It’s a land that offers safety and protection to its dwellers, a source of blessing for all humanity.  But it does require our faithful caretaking.  That means not only that we must tend to it, but also that we must not pollute it—physically or spiritually.  It is God’s Land; we are but its caretakers. 

Finally, we have the Torah.  A set of rules by which to live, the Torah is eternal, yet also must be written, heard and thoroughly explained.  It’s a teaching, after all, one that must be passed on throughout the generations.  The laws of righteousness are not necessarily obvious; they’re certainly not in the genes.  In fact, sometimes they seem to go contrary to natural instinct.  All too often it is easier to flee from the difficult tasks, to hide our face from poverty and misery (whether because of shame or guilt, or because of some unwarranted sense of superiority or relief). Yet the Torah calls on us to go the one step further, to carry justice on and forward, to work twice as hard to ease the suffering of the oppressed.  The Torah may be eternal, but it is up to us to make sure it passes from generation to generation.  We sustain it, and in return the Torah nourishes and maintains us through the ages.

These three pillars of our faith underlie our existence as much as they define our purpose.  We are, at every moment of our history, Israel, product of our past, the result not only of our interaction with the nations around us, but also stemming from our relationship with our God.

We are Jews because we come from the Land of Israel, once called Judea, and we are destined to return there en masse—a prophecy we have been blessed to see fulfilled in our own days. 

And it is with pride that we call ourselves—at this K’hillat Kodesh, a sacred community—B’nai Torah, the children of the Torah.  Here we study Torah and delve into its words as we strive to understand its higher meaning.  Here we teach Torah to our children and explain it well, lest it be forgotten and we cease to exist.

It is here that the three tenets of our faith intersect, keeping us alive, giving us purpose and context, imbuing our lives with meaning and holiness. 

It’s ours to maintain—with God’s Presence always at our side.

© 2013 by Boaz D. Heilman