Ki Tavo – Leader and Follower

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Hashem has given humanity the gift of life and intellect to invest his energies in building and improving the world around him. In this article, we explore the double role of man, as both a leader and a follower.

In this week’s Parsha we are given the mitzvah of Bikurim, bringing of the first fruits to the Temple (Devarim 26, 1-2):

וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ

וְלָקַחְתָּ֞ מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית׀ כָּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם:

When you have come to the land hashem your God is giving you as your inheritance, taken possession of it and settled there; ² you are to take the first fruits of all the crops the ground yields, which you will harvest from your land that Hashem your God is giving you, put them in a basket and go to the place where Hashem your God will choose to have his name live.

The commandment to bring the first fruits was given just prior to the Nation of Israel’s return to the holy land of Israel. Upon resettling the land, we are told to bring our first fruits to the holy city of Jerusalem and donate them to the Temple. The verse mentions the fact that this act of thanksgiving is only practiced once the land of Israel has been resettled. This factor is not consequential. Rather, the Sages expand that only when we have completely rebuilt our infrastructure, government, economy, and education must we bring Bikurim. One might ask, what is the reasoning behind this requirement? Why not bring the first fruit as soon as we plant the first seeds? In order to answer this question, we will analyze a deep aspect of our role as human beings.

Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik in his famed “The Lonely Man of Faith” explains that Judaism presents an internal conflict. On one hand, man is the most supreme being in the universe. He is given the potential to create and mold the world as he see fits. Man’s intellect and imagination can build skyscrapers, cure sickness, and explore the stars. However, man’s power and supremacy also has limits.  He wants to create and to rule, yet he realizes his limits and failures from time to time. Sometimes, he plants the seeds and they do not grow. The answer to this conflict resides in our understanding of the true role of humanity. We are Hashem’s messengers. He has blessed us with a variety of talents and skills but we must use them in His image. Man is the most dominant living creation on Earth, yet he obtains his abilities from his Creator. When we can live this dynamic role as human beings, we blossom and bring further greatness to the world.

This deep message of man as a leader and as a servant to Hashem is a common theme found at the root of all commandments. For six days a week we conquer and create, we feel the world is in our hands, then on the seventh day- Shabbat, we make a complete pause and realize that our creation is only with the help of Hashem. We plant seeds, we water and fertilize our crops, and as we are about to intake the sustenance, we stop and bless our Creator as the source of all blessing. This theme is the idea behind Bikurim, as well. After a long military operation, after rebuilding the Land and creating a new infrastructure, specifically then we are commanded to take a breath, reap our fruit, and give the thanks to the one who made it all happen, Hashem.

By internalizing this concept, we are best prepared to handle any obstacle that comes in our path. Our history has been engraved with this concept. In the past sixty eight years, we have once again built up the Land of Israel, to a state of true greatness. We must live and embrace the power we have, while never forgetting that Hashem is behind every step and initiative in perfecting the world. He is behind our every success, guiding us every step of the way.