Ki Savo – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

“You shall plant vineyards and dress them but you shall not drink of the wine… for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders but you shall not anoint yourself (with the) oil, for your olives shall drop off.” (28:39,40)

These pesukim which represent the tochechah, curses, present a question. The curses concerning the wine/grapes and those relating to the olives/oil are distinct. Regarding the wine, the Torah states that the grapes will be ruined and therefore there will be no wine. Regarding the olives, on the other hand, the Torah apparently states that we will have olives, but we will not be able to use their oil. Consequently, it would seem that the curse regarding the wine/grapes was greater than that of the oil/olives. This concept, however, is inconsistent with Rabbi Yochanan’s statement in the Talmud, Bava Basra 8…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“And observe the words of this covenant.” (29:8)

Rashi explains that after forty years of travel in the desert, Klal Yisrael had attained a sublime level of dignity. They perceived gadlus Ha’Boreh, the greatness of Hashem, and appreciated the boundless beneficence He had showered upon them. They realized that their remarkable military prowess, as well as their continued success and well-being could only be attributed to Hashem’s generosity. At this juncture, Hashem chose to make an agreement (covenant) with Klal Yisrael so that they would not forget all that transpired these forty years. He wanted them to reflect upon their source of strength and not take personal credit…

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ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה... אשר ד' אלקיך נתן לך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground… which Hashem, your G-d, gives you. (26:2)

The parsha of Bikurim is unique, in presenting the celebration and pomp that accompanies bringing the Bikurim to Yerushalayim. In vivid detail, Chazal relate how everyone was caught up in this mitzvah. Of course, any act of hakoras hatov, gratitude, should be publicized, so that more people will acknowledge the vital role of our benefactor, Hashem, in everything that we do. The Mishnah in Meseches Bikurim describes how the farmer would enter his field and notice a fig tree that had bloomed. He would immediately pick its first fruit and set it aside for Bikurim. The Te’einah, fig tree, is…

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ובאת אל הכהן... ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

You shall come to whomever will be the Kohen… and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d.” (26:3)

The individual who brings the Bikurim makes a declaration: “I have come to the land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give to us.” Rashi comments concerning the necessity of making a declaration which underscores our gratitude to the Almighty for giving us the land, She’eincha kafui tovah, “That you are not an ingrate.” It is a requirement for the landowner to express his gratitude. As a result of human nature, people do not want to be beholden to anyone. They look for any and every opportunity or excuse not to express their gratitude. The mitzvah of Bikurim serves…

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הסכת ושמע ישראל היום הנה נהיית לעם לה' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

Be attentive and hear, O’ Yisrael: This day you have become a people to Hashem, your G-d. (27:9)

Something seems out of place. We are standing forty years after the Revelation, forty years after Klal Yisrael’s resounding acceptance of the Torah amid a resonating declaration of Naase v’Nishma, “We will do and we will listen!” Why does the Torah say that hayom – “this day,” you became a nation? Had this not occurred forty years earlier? The Talmud Brachos 63b asks this obvious question. Chazal respond that while the Torah had actually been given forty years earlier, it is so valued and appreciated by those who study it, it is as if they had just received it today….

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ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה... ושם בסתר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image… and sets it up in secret. (27:15)

Hypocrisy is a moral failing, which, upon being added to sinful behavior, makes the act even more repugnant, thus deserving of a curse. The Torah enumerates a group of sins which, as a rule, elude the attention of human courts of justice. These sins, upon which the added curse has been placed, are of a kind that remains covert due to their nature. Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, observes that the Torah adds the word ba’seisar, in secret, in the beginning and end of the series of curses, to emphasize that it is especially the undisclosed character of these particular offenses…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5772

“I declare today to Hashem, your G-d…” (26:3)

The parsha of Bikurim teaches us the significance of hakoras ha’tov, gratitude. We must learn to recognize the good that others do for us and remember the overriding importance of showing appreciation to our benefactors. This will serve as a vehicle for understanding the overwhelming debt of gratitude that we owe to our primary Benefactor, Hashem, without whose beneficence we would be, and have, nothing. We may fail to recognize another element of hakoras ha’tov. We know we must be grateful to Hashem for the good that He has sent our way. What about the evil about which we are…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5772

“The Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us… Then we cried out to Hashem, the G-d of our forefathers… And (He) saw our affliction, our travail, and our oppression.” (26:6-7)

Chazal teach us that each of the above mentioned terms refers to another form of persecution. “Onyeinu,” our affliction, refers to the disruption of family life; “Amoleinu,” our travail, refers to the children being thrown into the river; and “Lachatzeinu,” our oppression, refers to the extreme pressure the Egyptians exerted upon us. If this is the case, why are the persecutions not mentioned at the beginning of the pasuk, immediately following the phrase, “The Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us”? Why are these terms mentioned only after Hashem has listened to our pleas? In a homily delivered before Rosh Hashanah…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5772

“You shall be only above and you shall not be below.” (28:13)

The Kotzker Rebbe, z.l., adds a new twist to the meaning of this blessing. He explains that Hashem created a ladder upon which the neshamos, souls, from the olam ha’elyon, upper/eternal world, descend to This World into the body of a human being. It is similar to the sulam mutzav artzah, v’rosho magia shomaymah, “ladder standing (with its legs) on this earth and its head/summit reaches Heavenward” (Bereishis 28:12) that Yaakov Avinu visualized in his dream. As soon as the neshamah descends, the ladder is removed. From Heaven, the call goes out to the neshamah, “Return! Return!” The neshamah, of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5772

“Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart.” (28:47)

Another year has gone by, and Rosh Hashanah is a few weeks away. Chazal delve into the reason that Parashas Ki Savo, with its ninety-eight curses, is read shortly before the New Year. We suggest that it is a wake-up call, a reminder that whatever has transpired during the course of the past year, whether it was good or bad, happened by design and for a reason. It did not just occur. Retribution and accountability – two concepts that we often tend to ignore – play important roles. We rarely understand the things that happen to us as being directly…

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“You shall plant vineyards and dress them but you shall not drink of the wine… for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders but you shall not anoint yourself (with the) oil, for your olives shall drop off.” (28:39,40)

“And observe the words of this covenant.” (29:8)

ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה... אשר ד' אלקיך נתן לך

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground… which Hashem, your G-d, gives you. (26:2)

ובאת אל הכהן... ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך

You shall come to whomever will be the Kohen… and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d.” (26:3)

הסכת ושמע ישראל היום הנה נהיית לעם לה' אלקיך

Be attentive and hear, O’ Yisrael: This day you have become a people to Hashem, your G-d. (27:9)

ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה... ושם בסתר

Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image… and sets it up in secret. (27:15)

“I declare today to Hashem, your G-d…” (26:3)

“The Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us… Then we cried out to Hashem, the G-d of our forefathers… And (He) saw our affliction, our travail, and our oppression.” (26:6-7)

“You shall be only above and you shall not be below.” (28:13)

“Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart.” (28:47)

YEARS

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