58 | AUGUST 26 • 2021
SPIRIT
Pause and Reflect
I
n the Torah portion this
week known as Ki Tavo,
we read one of the more
famous and well-known
passages in our tradition. The
passage opens by telling the
Israelites that when
they enter the Land
of Israel, they should
perform the First
Fruits ceremony.
They are to bring a
basket with some of
every first fruit of the
soil and then bring the
basket to the kohen
in charge at that time
in the place that God
will designate. Once
there, the person is to
recite a formula that
begins, “My father was
a fugitive Aramean. He went
down to Egypt with meager
numbers and sojourned
there …” (Deuteronomy 26:1-
10). This passage became a
central text of the Passover
Haggadah, a text we recite
each year at the seder.
Rabbi Ilana Grinblat
suggests one of the purposes
of this ritual: After Israelites
wandered the wilderness for
40 years, it is as if the Torah is
asking them to ponder what
it is that they have learned
from their experience. What
does it mean for the Israelites
standing in the Land of Israel
to recall that difficult journey
from slavery in Egypt to
freedom? For the Israelites, it
was that God was the ultimate
source of their liberation.
As we quickly approach
the coming Yamim Nora’im,
the Days of Awe, we should
be asking ourselves the same
question. What are our first
fruits? What is it that we have
learned from our experiences
of this past year? What would
we put in our basket? Would
we put a computer screen
with a Zoom session going in
our basket? Would we put in
a face mask? As we look
to the coming year of
5782 what do we want
our basket of first fruits
to look like?
One other aspect of
thinking of this past
year in terms of the First
Fruit ceremony is to
consider the narrative.
The Israelites focused on
moving from slavery to
freedom. What would
be our narrative that
we would want to recite
before the kohen, before
our community and before
God this coming year?
What immediately
comes to my mind is that I
believe I have learned more
deeply the importance of
connections. Specifically,
I mean connections with
my family, with my friends
and with our community.
For so many people the
physical act of connecting
with others has been one of
the greatest challenges as we
have all endured some level of
isolation during this past year
as we sheltered in place.
As we go forward into this
new year, I pray we all take
some time to contemplate
our basket of first fruit and
our narrative to go along
with it. May we all be blessed
with a happy and healthy
New Year.
Rabbi Robert Gamer is the rabbi at
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak
Park.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Robert
Gamer
Parshat
Ki Tavo:
Deuteronomy
26:1-29:8;
Isaiah 60:1-
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