Ki Tavo – Once Upon a Week

Read the transcript below, or watch a video of the teaching by Yehuda Bachana.

This week’s Torah portion begins with the commandment of the first fruits, in which we bring tithes and gratitude to God for the good land,

The land that God gave Israel as an inheritance, as He promised to our fathers.

The commandment of the first fruits shows and expresses the close connection between the People of Israel and the Land of Israel. This specific commandment, is spread out over 11 verses that describe the different elements of the commandment, step-by-step.

However, only together, do these elements complete the commandment.

First of all, the first fruits are presented to the priest, and placed before the altar of God. After that, the one bringing the first fruits, has to tell the story of Israel’s redemption to those around him. The story concludes, by re-telling how we received the Promised Land. It then mentions the joy of this fertile and blessed land that we received. Verse 11 truly summarizes the feeling we should have at that very moment, namely:

The New Testament, and Yeshua in particular, compares us to fruit trees, while our main calling is the fulfillment of our destiny. Meaning, the establishment of justice and righteousness, and bearing fruit.

Now, what kind of fruit does the New Testament talk about?

However, bearing fruit could also mean being obedient to God, and declaring His word. In one of His parables, Yeshua compares Israel - or the community of believers - to a fig tree that is planted in a vineyard:

This parable reminds us of the Song of the Ben-Shemen Vineyard, from Isaiah chapter 5. In Yeshua’s parable, the owner visits his vineyard every year in order to enjoy the fruit of the fig tree; however, he comes in vain.

The fig tree in the parable does not bear fruit. Therefore, the owner of the vineyard wants to cut down the useless tree. The vinedresser, who represents Yeshua, asks to invest in the fig tree: to fertilize it, to till the surrounding soil, and to provide enough water for the tree.

In the same way, the vinedresser in the parable of Isaiah, also really invests, by digging around the vineyard and removing stones; after which, he plants choice vines.

And yet, Isaiah explains that the vineyard, even after all the work, did not produce good fruit. After all, the walls around the vineyard are removed, which allows strangers and enemies to enter the unprotected vineyard.This connects to the second part of this Torah portion, that talks about the curses and the victory of our enemies. A thing that could happen to us, too, if and when we abandon the commandments of God.

These parables are written down, both in order to warn us, as well as to give us hope. To tell us that there is still time to correct our actions and repent. Yeshua’s parable of the fig-tree, shows how patient God truly is, and how willing He is to invest in us. There still is hope, there still is time for us to repent and bear fruit. The fruit symbolizes a lifestyle that is righteous and obedient God; as well as, preaching the Word of God - His Torah - to the entire world.

This leads us to the requirement to declare the Word of God. It also leads us to the story that every parent must tell their child.Which is the story that begins with the terrible torture that our ancestors suffered in Egypt. And yet, alongside the suffering, God truly blessed the birthrate of our people, as it is written at the beginning of the Book of Exodus:

There, in Egypt, the people cried out:

The story of our nation, continues throughout the long journey through the desert, up until and including, the entrance to the Promised Land.The purpose of this story, is to pass on our identity and our collective memory to the next generation. And then, the highlight is, when I present the first fruits of my harvest to God, and thank Him for everything.

The ability to tell our collective story to the next generation is very important. In fact, it is a fundamental part of instilling the Jewish identity. Our story is documented in the Scriptures, and answers even the most basic questions, like: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?

The commandment to tell the story of our salvation and redemption to the future generations, is not unique to the commandment of the first fruits, nor to this Torah portion. Indeed, such story-telling appears multiple times in the Bible, and in most cases, it is connected to the Exodus from Egypt.

Our feasts, too, are built-up as stories, that include activities for the kids, like building and decorating the Sukkah, during the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover, too, is celebrated with more than just a ceremony to commemorate the holiday.

Pesach is surrounded by extensive activities, and the special atmosphere can be felt weeks before the holiday even begins. The Children play an active role during the reading of the Passover Haggadah, including the search for the Afikoman. The Pesach Haggadah tells the story of our redemption, and includes quotations from our Torah portion:

Why is it so important to tell the story? Yes, our story is a story of redemption, a story of a miracle, of hope, vision and success against all odds. Our story has made numerous award-winning movies, such as: ‘The Ten Commandments’, and the animated ‘Prince of Egypt’.

However, the point isn’t whether our story is beautiful, special, and if it could create more bestselling movies… Of course, there are other great stories, and better movies, too. So, the real question is:

Why are we commanded to tell the story? Why is it so important to tell it to our children?

Our story, the one we are commanded to teach from generation-to-generation, gives us a sense of belonging, identity, the right to exist and meaning in life.

All of these, are very important issues that should not be taken lightly. The religious obligation to tell the story, and to preserve the collective memory contributed greatly to Israel’s refusal to be destroyed and disappear from the world. Even when there was no hope, and even when objectively, we had no chance at all. Yet, here we are today: living in the renewed City of Jerusalem.

Our story is faithfully handed down, from generation-to-generation, with the help of religious customs. Actually, that ongoing tradition of story-telling has caused Israel to return to the Promised Land.

Also for us, as Messianic believers, the idea of remembering is very important. According to the commandment, we remember the Exodus, because our faith is grounded in the Jewish roots of the Bible. God redeemed Israel from Egypt with His mighty hand and His outstretched arm and we remember that every day of our lives. In addition, we also remember the rest, the story of the complete redemption. We remember Yeshua the Messiah Who redeemed us, and granted us hope for eternal life.

The Promised Land, the Tabernacle, the service of the priests – all of these are the important first steps in the process of our complete redemption. This process ends after death:in the coming world, where the righteous will receive their reward. We believe that Yeshua is the Messiah. He is the Messiah promised throughout the Bible. He is the Messiah Whom all of Israel and the world is waiting for. He is the One Who redeems us, and Who ensures us entrants to the eternal Promised Land.

That is why remembering and studying – as a continuation to the story we tell - is so important for us as believers.

Studying the Word of God is a fundamental part of our faith and our way of life. In addition, we have ceremonies that serve as a living memory, that solidifies our identity in faith.

Let’s take the Lord’s Supper as an example of such a ceremony. The Lord’s Supper is somewhat similar to the ‘Kiddush’ of Shabbat, and includes a blessing over bread (or matzah) and over wine. This ceremony is sanctified - set aside - as a memory of Yeshua’s act of redemption. Such ceremonies preserve our identity as believers.

Let’s return to the commandment of the first fruits. This commandment has to be performed with joy:

What does that mean?

Truly, this joy comes from serving God. Now, how do we serve God with joy? Or How do we serve God, at all?

Part of serving God, includes studying the Word of God, and prayer, too. Yet, in my opinion, the main part is for us to live our day-to-day life, according to the moral standards of the Scriptures. The Torah was given to us, in order to maintain a proper and fair life-style, between ‘man and neighbor’, as well as between ‘man and God’.

Observing the commandments of the Torah ‘between man and neighbor’, requires a professional to be: reliable and honest at his job. While, ‘between man and God’, requires our family to continue to tell our story, by: building the Sukkah, remembering the Shabbat, giving the first fruits and blowing the Shofar on the Day of Trumpets. Of course, we should do these with joy, meaning: with good will. This joy enables us to continue to serve our society and community faithfully, and also, for us to continue to give to God.

The word ‘joy’, appears once more in our Torah portion. However, this time as a warning:

You did not serve God joyfully in the time of prosperity.

But, why don’t we serve God joyfully?There are all kinds of reasons, and one of these reasons is mentioned at the end of this passage, with the word ‘prosperity’. When we are doing well and we’re successful, the thought that goes through our mind, is:

Then, little by little we begin to lean on our own strength and forget about God. We are busy with our things, and we no longer have time for God.

We slowly divert from His Word and His principles that are supposed to guide our lives. As mentioned before, both Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard, and Yeshua’s Parable of the fig tree, made it clear that it is God Who cares and takes care of us.

That is why Moses adds the following, clear-cut choice to our Torah portion. We could either serve God joyfully, faithfully and willingly.And This is the way we are advised to choose, and that way leads to the following blessings:

The second way, is the way without God and without His blessing, and that way leads to these frightening curses:

We’ve talked about these verses before, in Parashat ‘Tzav’, and those interested, can learn more from that Torah portion, to learn more about the salvation and redemption that the New Testament offers us through Yeshua. Yeshua redeemed us and paid our debt, through which, Yeshua wiped out these curses.

We will end with joy. A people capable of rejoicing, even in the shadow of hardships, suffering and loneliness, like the Jewish people, is a people that cannot be broken or defeated.

And that is why we are commanded to rejoice.