September 14, 2025: Torah Portion Parashat Ki Tavo - "When You Come In"

In this study, we will explore the Torah Portion Ki Tavo - "When You Come In"

• Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

• Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22

• Brit Chadashah (New Testament): Ephesians 1:3-6; Revelation 21:10-27

📜Torah Portion Ki Tavo - "When You Come In"

In this week's Torah Portion, Moses concludes the legal section of his discourse by first ordaining that the First Fruits (bikkurim) of the crops be brought to the priests in the central sanctuary in a prescribed ritual.

The Parashah begins:

Bikkurim - First Fruits of the Harvest

To fulfill the commandment to offer First Fruits (bikkurim), each Jewish farmer was required to travel to the Sanctuary with the best samples of his new crops to present before the altar.

He would then recite a brief history of the Jewish people concerning Jacob's wanderings, the experience of slavery in Egypt, the great Exodus, and their present possession of the promised land. When he was finished, he would sacrifice peace offerings to celebrate God's provision with his family and friends.

According to Jewish tradition, the first fruits of the crops referred particularly to shivat ha-minim (the seven species of fruits) of the Promised Land: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates:

"⁸ A land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;" Deuteronomy 8:8

As soon as a Jewish farmer saw the first sign of ripening fruit in his field or orchard, he would tie a string or reed around it and designate it as bikkurim. Later he would pick the best samples from these fruits, put them in a basket woven of gold and silver (the poor used wicker baskets of peeled willow branches) and set off for the Mishkan (Tabernacle), or later to the Temple in Jerusalem, to present his offering at the Sanctuary.

Technically speaking, the "season of bikkurum" began after the holiday of Shavuot, in late spring, and indeed Shavuot is sometimes called Chag Ha'Bikkurim, the "Festival of First Fruits."

Bikkurim was associated with the harvest season, though they could be presented throughout the summer, until the time of Sukkot (fall harvest). As the pilgrims passed through various towns along the way, they would be accompanied by still others who wished to rejoice with them in Zion:

"When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, ² take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name ³ and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” Deuteronomy 26:1-3

The Passover Connection:

These verses are the essence of the "maggid" section of the Passover Seder. The Egyptians were cruel to the Jews and made them suffer through forced labor. The Jews cried out to the LORD, and God heard their cries. God saw our suffering, harsh labor and distress and brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with great visions, signs, and miracles.

God then brought us to "this place" ha'makom, the sanctuary, and gave us "this land" (the Promised Land), which flows with milk and honey (zavat chalav u'devash). The redemption from Egypt was intended to yield fruitfulness and joy for the Jewish people...

The Ma'aser - Tithe of the Tenth:

After explaining the law of first fruits, Moses again reviewed the laws of tithing. An individual's yearly tithe is one-tenth of the harvest (or its equivalent), which was to be distributed among the priests and Levites. From the remainder, an additional one-tenth was to be set apart for use at the Sanctuary during holidays, or - during the third and sixth years of the seven-year Sabbatical cycle - distributed locally to the poor.

 Here is a list of several types of tithes commanded in the Torah:

1. Terumah: After harvesting any crop, 1/50th of the yield was to be separated for the kohen (priest) as a contribution.

 2. Crop Remainders: Jewish farms were required to leave grain at the edge of a cultivated field so that the poor can harvest it every season (Lev. 19:9). This mitzvah is called pe'ah, the "edge" (or corner) of a field.

Generally a farmer would leave 1/50th of his crops as pe'ah for the poor. In addition, leaving dropped stalks for the poor, and "forgotten" bundles for the poor during the harvest were commanded.

3. Ma'aser behemah: All Kosher cattle were tithed and one tenth of these animals were to be brought to the sanctuary to be offered as a sacrifice to the LORD God of Israel.

4. Ma'aser Rishon: A tenth of a farmer's produce was to be given to the Levite (who did not have their own portion of land in Israel) as a regular tithe. This amounted to supporting the priesthood and Torah teachers of Israel.

5. Ma'aser Sheni: The harvest was tithed a second (additional) time (after separating the ma'aser rishon) on the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th years of the seven-year Sabbatical cycle (Shemittah). This produce was taken to the appointed place of worship (i.e., Shiloh, later, Jerusalem) and eaten there in celebration.

6. Ma'aser Oni: In the 3rd and 6th years of the seven-year shemittah cycle, the ma'aser sheni was given to the poor, the Levites, and the strangers instead of being brought to the appointed place. The poor could then partake from the crops and enjoy the good of the land.

7. Ma'aser Kesafim: Today most tithing is done in terms of money, called ma'aser kesafim (a tenth of money). This is the traditional term for the tithe on money income and is distinguished from agricultural and cattle tithes. Every Jew is obligated to give a tenth of his earnings to charity, a custom that goes back to Abraham:

"And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Genesis 14:20

And Jacob, who pledged to ADONAI that "everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You" Genesis. 28:22

Declaring the Tithes:

All tithes were to be given on the "honor system" and were not enforced by religious authorities. Instead, a formal vow was made every three years stating that the proper amounts had been separated and given as tithes. This is called vidui ma'aser (as explained in Deut. 26:13-14).

After making this declaration, the farmer would ask the LORD to bless the land to yield bountiful harvest: 'Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'

"Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 26:15

 The tithe for the poor was very important, since the fruitfulness of the land itself depended upon its observance. The declaration itself:

^"13 Then say to the Lord your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. ¹⁴ I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God; I have done everything you commanded me."

Deuteronomy 26:13-14

The Blessings and Curses:

Moses then instructed that the people were to set up twelve stones on Mount Ebal (near the city of Shechem) after they had crossed the Jordan River. These stones were to be covered with plaster and inscribed with the laws the people were to obey in the promised land. After the stones were set up, the people were to build an altar made of uncut stones and offer whole burnt offerings and peace offerings to commemorate the occasion of entering the land as God's chosen nation.

Moses then gave further instructions regarding how to proclaim the blessings and the curses of the covenant in the promised land, as mentioned earlier in Parashat Re'eh.

The tribes were to be divided into two groups, with six tribes on Mount Gerizim representing the blessings, and the other six tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal, representing the curses. The zekanim (elders), the Kohanim (priests) and the Levites (the priest's assistants), along with the Ark of the Covenant, stood in the valley in between.

The Levites then proclaimed curses on those who performed various sins (such as idolatry) and blessings on those who avoided them. All members of the twelve tribes were to respond to each blessing and curse with "Amen."

 In a way, this ritual was like a second Matan Torah, a new giving and acceptance of the Torah in the Promised Land, since the generation present did not experience the giving of the Torah as their ancestors who died in the desert had.

Important Grammatical Note:

The Hebrew word used to "bless" is barach בּרָךְַ - which means to bestow favor and protection. The noun "blessing" is bracha בְּרָכָה - which generally refers to a list of good things -- from "Aleph to Tav" -- as listed in Lev. 26:3-13.

Being in a blessed state means being under God's favor and protection. On the other hand, the Hebrew word used for "curse" is arar ארָר - meaning to "to snare, bind," which is an antonym for "blessed." In English, the closest counterpart would be the word "damned."

The first person who was put under divine curse was not Adam, but rather the serpent:

"So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life." Genesis 3:14

Later Cain came under the general curse of the land (Gen. 4:11). Another verb used to mean "to curse" is kallal קלָל , which refers more to speaking evil, "hexing," or wishing evil on others by means of words, invocations, etc.

The noun form kellalah קללָה is used to introduce the series of curses that would come for disobedience to God's covenant:

"However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:" Deuteronomy 28:15

Interestingly, in Genesis 12:3 both words for "curse" likewise appear: "The one who curses (kallal) you, I will curse (arar)."

The list of curses in Deut. 27:15-26 is interesting to compare to the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:1-21.

For example, the first curse is upon those who make graven images or idols to worship them in secret. This corresponds to the first commandment not to have any other gods before the LORD God of Israel. Transgressing this commandment is the equivalent of denying all the Torah, since it negates the principle: "I AM the LORD thy God".

The second curse comes from disrespecting your parents. This corresponds to the 5th commandment (Exod. 20:12; 21:17; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 5:16).

The third curse is directed to those who attempt to steal the inheritance rights of others. This corresponds to the 8th commandment (Exod. 20:15; Deut. 19:14), though others have extended it to apply to the 7th commandment (not to commit adultery).

"Amen" - Ratifying the Terms:

Each curse was to be ratified by everyone saying "Amen." The word "amen" אָמֵן comes from the verb aman, meaning to confirm, establish, or uphold.

The word for "faith" (emunah) comes from the same root, as does the word for "truth" (emet).

"Amen" is therefore an affirmation and confession of the truth: "Let it be so!" The Jewish sages say that "amen" serves as a declaration of the Kingship of God (often said quietly before reciting the Shema) that may be understood as an acronym for the phrase El Melekh Ne'eman "God אלֵ is a faithful נאֶמֱןָ king מֶלֶךְ."

The Rebuke at Moab...

After describing this ritual, Moses delivered a terrifying rebuke (tochechah) in which he foretold a horrifying litany of curses, including the prospect of being scattered among the nations, because of the people's future disobedience.

However, before the great rebuke is delivered, Moses listed a series of blessings that will result from observing the Torah (Deut. 28:1-14).

In this connection it is important to understand that the word tochechah means "rebuke" or "reproof" for the sake of correction. Tochechah is a confrontation over sin whether an actual sin or the possibility of sinning:

“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt." Leviticus 19:17

When applied to Israel, it refers to a warning and prophecy of certain fearful judgment and progressively painful punishments if the terms of the covenant are unfulfilled.

In general it may be said that disregarding the voice of the LORD and failing to perform God's commandments (mitzvot) and decrees will eventually bring about all the curses listed in Deut. 28:15-68. The sages, however, state that the punishments given to Israel are intended to help the people return to the LORD and to re-embrace His love.

The parashah ends with Moses telling the people that even after forty years from their birth as a nation they had yet to obtain "a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear." Sadly, to this day the veil remains over Israel...

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” Proverbs 20:12

This verse acknowledges that our ability to perceive truth is a divine gift from God.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the kehilot (churches).” Revelation 2:7

This call to listen emphasizes the importance of being spiritually attuned to God's guidance.

Conclusion:

These verses collectively remind us, as believers in MESSIAH YESHUA, of being aware of our spiritual condition, and the necessity of being receptive to ADONAI's voice. They encourage us to seek deeper understanding and to remain open to the truths revealed through Scriptures and the RUACH HA'KODESH (Holy Spirit).

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