Ki Savo-2017

· Bikurim: When the trees bear the first fruits of the season, we bring them to Yerushalayim.

· This process begins on Shavuous, and continues until past Succos –

· Dvarim 26:1 When you come to the land that Hashem is giving you… You are to take of the first of all the fruits of the soil that you bring from your land, that Hashem is giving you, and place it in a basket, and go to the place that Hashem chooses to house His presence there.  .. And you will come to the Kohane and you will say to him.”… And Hashem brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  And now, see, I have brought the first of the fruits of the soil that You have given me, Hashem.”

· Mishayos Bikurim 3:2 – How were the Bikurim taken up to Yerushalayim?  All the inhabitants of the cities … assembled in their area … and spent the night in the public square … Early in the morning the officer said, ‘Let us arise and go up to Tzion, to house of the Lord our G-d’.

· An ox with horns adorned with gold and with an olive–crown on its head led the way.  The flute was played before them… and when they arrived close to Yerushalayim they sent messengers.

· The treasurers and those in charge of the Temple went out to meet them… All the skilled craftsmen of Yerushalayim would stand up before them and greet them: ‘Our brothers, from such and such a place, we are delighted to welcome you’.

· Kiddushin 33a (also Chulin 54b) – Talks about the obligation to stand when a Rabbi and Talmud Chachum walk near you.

· The Gemora says: Craftsmen are not permitted to stand before Torah scholars while they are engaged in their work. (because it takes time away from their work for their employers)

· The Gemora answers: But we learned in the Mishnah, “All the craftsmen would stand before them (those bringing the Bikurim), inquiring after their welfare, and say to them, ‘Our brothers from such and such a place, we are delighted to welcome you.’”

· R. Yose ben Avin says (Kiddushin 33a), Come and see how beloved a mitzvah is while it is being performed.  For the craftsmen of Yerushalaym stood before the bringers of bikurim, but did not stand before Torah scholars.

· Question: What is different and special about the people who bring Bikurim?

· We don’t stand up in front of people doing other mitzvot. 

· If we see someone wave a lulav, or give tzadakah, or put on tefillin, we don’t stand up for them.

· Possible answer: It teaches the importance and centrality of Hakoros Hatov – saying thank you – of expressing appreciation and gratitude

· Hashem gave us the land of Eretz Yisroel, and we bring the Bikurim as a way of saying thank you, giving Hakoros Hatov.

· It closes the circuit –of saying thank you after receiving.

· Otherwise there’s a break in the circuit

RECEIVING/THANK YOU CIRCUIT WITH HASHEM

· Chovos Lavovos says the most important and primary aspect of our relationship with Hashem is Hakoros Hatov.

· Messechet Brochos: – We don’t have the right to eat until we make a Brocha for the food – which acknowledges that Hashem gave the food to us, and we appreciate it

· Moshe Rabenu said, when the Jews complained too much, and they weren’t grateful, that he couldn’t take it.

· Modim in Shmoneh Esreh – We thank You for our lives, which are committed to Your Will, and for our souls that are entrusted to You, for Your miracles that are with us every day.

· Nishmat – To You alone we give thanks.  Were our mouth as full of song as the sea, and our tongue as full of joyous song as its multitude of waves, and our lips as full of praise as the breadth of the heavens, and our eyes as brilliant as the sun and the moon, and our hands as outspread as eagles of the sky and our feet as swift as deer – we still could not thank you sufficiently.

· After the Gaza war, a farmer from Nitzan - Eliyahu Saba - on the border with Gaza, said in a news interview, talking about Shmittah and rockets - “Despite all the pain, I look for the good, for the miracles and wonders that Hashem has done and does for us every single day”. 

· IN ALL RELATIONSHIPS

· Hakorot Hatov – Gratitude –is crucial - to recognize what the other person is giving to us -  this is the essential link that completes the circuit of the relationship

· When you give a present, you don’t expect anything in return – but all the giver does expect is a thank you, an acknowledgement

· Without that thank you, the circuit is broken.

· Between

o husband and wife

o parent and child

o people and Hashem

o friends

o even bain adam le atzmo  - have to appreciate what we give to ourselves

· To our parents for giving us life

· The class war that Marx talked about between workers and capitalists – perhaps the whole problem could have been resolved if

o workers were grateful to the capitalists for providing jobs

o capitalists were grateful for the workers for making the goods.

· Being grateful is such a simple and superb alternative to being demanding, arrogant, selfish, or aloof

· Not feeling gratitude - feeling that everything is coming to us, taking things for granted -  can be poisonous to relationships

· When two people are giving to each other, it creates a double circuit.

· It’s this mutuality of wheels that is the key to all relationships.

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· Baba Metzia talks about having to return a Shtar Chov (need to pay back money) that is found in the street.

· The Gemorah gives an example of a Shtar that was written in Nissan, and needs to be repaid in Tishrei.

· Why does the Gemara mention these two months?

· Perhaps these months are mentioned as a reference to the Jewish calendar and to the history of the Jewish People during the first year as the Jewish People.

· In Nisan, Hashem freed us from Mitzrayim, forged us into the Jewish people, fed us with Mun from Shamayim, and protected us in the Midbar.

· This is a Shtar Chov that was written in Nissan.

· It needs to be paid back in Tishrei.

· In Tishrei, on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Hashem wants us to complete the circle of our relationship with Him, to say Thank You by recognizing Him as Melech, and doing Tshuva

· Hashem started creating the Universe 6 days before the beginning of Tishrei.

· On the first of Tishrei – the first Rosh Hashana - Hashem created Man.

· The word Nesehema means breathing, and Hashem breathed a Neshama into Man.

· That made Man into a Tzelem Elokim – in the image of Hashem.

· What can we do to complete that circuit, in gratitude for Hashem breathing the Neshama into us, to say Thank You.

· Hashem’s breath came from Me-lemala Le-lemata – from above to below.

· We want to express our gratitude to Hashem by taking our breath, and directing it upward, Me-lemata Le-lemala – from below to above.

· How can we take our breath that represents the Neshama that Hashem breathed into us, and lift it up to complete the circuit of gratitude?

· That’s Tikiat Shofar.

· One of the messages of blowing the Shofar says, We want to complete the circuit of gratitude.

· You breathed a Neshama into us on the first Rosh Hashana.

· On Rosh Hashana, we want to direct our breath upwards to complete the circuit of saying Thank You.

SAME IS TRUE FOR

PARENTS & CHILDREN

WORKERS & BOSSES

TEACHERS & STUDENTS

HASHEM & PEOPLE

FRIENDS & EACH OTHER