Parshat Ki Tavo
Ki Tavo begins with the commandment to bring the first fruits to the Temple to present to the Kohen together with a special declaration that would both express the farmers gratitude to God for the bounty as well as concise history of the Jewish people. Here it is:
| “An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. | ||
| 6 And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. | ||
| 7 So we cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. | ||
| 8 And the Lord brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders. | ||
| 9 And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. | ||
| 10 And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O Lord, have given to me.” Then, you shall lay it before the Lord, your God, and prostrate yourself before the Lord, your God. “ |
We are familiar with these verses as they are repeated in the Hagaddah on Seder Night.
The farmer does not simply thank God for what he has been blessed with. He expresses his appreciation in terms of an historical relationship between the Jewish people and God.
Whatever our circumstances we have what to thank God for in our lives. It is a matter of perspective and Hakaratr Hatov- recognising the good. It’s there we just need to open our eyes to see it. Gratitide is the very DNA of a Jew. The very Hebrew for Jew- Yehudi derives from the word to thank God.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah it is a time to take a stock of our lives and thank God for what we have.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanna Tova!