Weekly Torah Portion Ki Tavo

The Fruit of Responsibility

And it will be that when you come into the land which God is giving you as an inheritance to possess it and dwell in, you are to take the first fruit of all the fruits of the soil that you bring from your land, (and say)… “behold, I have brought the first fruit of the fruits of the soil that You have given me.” And you will then place it before the Almighty and you will prostrate yourself in the presence of God. And you will rejoice with all the good that God has given you and your household; you and the Levi, and the proselyte in your midst. (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

This week’s Torah reading discusses the Mitzvah of Bikkurim, the responsibility to bring one’s first fruits to Jerusalem during the time of the Temple. The spring was the time to bring the fruits and it was a festive event. Flutists provided musical accompaniment and those bringing fruits were greeted at the entrance to the city; even Jerusalem’s laborers stopped working and came to greet the newcomers. We need to ask two questions about this procedure: (1) Why was there such pageantry concerning this Mitzvah? (2) Why must we bring the first fruits, wouldn’t it have been more fitting to bring the best fruits?

The reason the emphasis is on the first fruits, even though they might not be the best, is to highlight the importance of a proper beginning. We know that when one begins to construct a building he must lay foundations. If not, he has nothing on which to build. No matter how impressive the plans may be a solid foundation is crucial. When the first fruit appeared the owner tied a thread around it as a marker and by doing so he designated it for the Mitzvah of bringing the first fruits. He did a concrete act at the beginning of the crop in order to ingrain in his consciousness a crucial message that gives him perspective throughout the season and especially at the end of it. If there is a bumper crop, it is a gift from God; it’s not due to his agronomic genius. It is a human tendency to forget about God when things are going well. Due to the yield of the crop, the farmer is now raised rung or two on the social ladder. Sometimes people in this situation feel superior to others and treat them disrespectfully because their newfound material success has removed them from the mundane strata of society. This behavior is even expected by society and proof of this is that whenever we come across a person with wealth that lives modestly and is a humble person, we speak of him in exemplary terms. This person is the exception, not the rule.

When one begins the Mitzvah of bringing the first fruits by attaching a thread at the beginning of the crop, he has taken a concrete step to view things from a Jewish perspective. The Jewish outlook is that no matter how much wealth a person has he must realize the Source of his wealth. When he does this he will not view his money as his own possession but as if someone has entrusted him with an endowment--with instructions. It must be shared with others not as fortunate as he is. Along with wealth comes prestige and he must it to help and serve the Jewish community.

Throughout our almost 2,000 year stay in Europe, Africa and Asia there were always wealthy Jews who fought for the rights of their Jewish brethren. Baron Rothchild, Sir Moses Montefiore, David Sassoon, Josef Suess Oppenheimer are just some of the famous names whom spoke with Kings and dignitaries on behalf of the Jewish communities and there were hundreds of others who didn’t just use their wealth for their own benefit, they worked tirelessly on behalf of their Jewish brothers and sisters. Social responsibility is a Jewish idea, whose source is found in the Torah, God’s instruction book for good living. Recognizing that one’s wealth is a gift from God entails the responsibility of asking the question, what does God want me to do with the wealth? There’s no question it must be enjoyed but with that gift comes responsibility. A secular humanist might decide to do something beneficial to a worthy cause or defend those less fortunate but there’s never been an entire nation of secular humanists that have made the idea of social responsibility an obligation to be carried out by all generations. The Jews gave that ideal to the world and continue to be a role model (UJA-Federation is the third largest charity in the United States, after the Red Cross and the United Way. Considering that Jews comprise about 2.2 percent of the American population this is remarkable. ).

By setting aside the first fruit and bringing it to Jerusalem one shows that he actually sanctifies his crop. Whatever wealth comes from it will not be drowned by egocentric desires that would lead to selfish hoarding for his own pleasure and indulgence. He shows from the start that any material resources emanating from this crop will be used for a higher purpose. Every year the Jew builds a new solid foundation in his life by consecrating his crops—source of wealth—from the start.

We now understand why there is so much celebration and grandeur attached to this Mitzvah. It leads us on the correct path in life by inculcating in our psyche that one’s wealth and personal resources have meaning. There’s more to life than consumption and stimulation of nerve endings. We Americans have the right to the “pursuit of happiness” but the constitution doesn’t’ tell us how to achieve it. Capitalism has proven itself to be the most successful economic system but it has failed to explain what to do with the capital. We rejoice in this Mitzvah because it is one of the crucial steps that lead us in the direction that will help us to overcome our natural selfish inclination and it make us cognizant of the splendid responsibility awaiting us.

Good Shabbos,


Rabbi Chanoch Oppenheim
Charlotte Torah Center
5824 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC 28226
(704) 367-1225
rabbi@charlottetorahcenter.com
Visit us at www.charlottetorahcenter.com

(Sources: Based on the writings of Rav Smicha Zissel of Kelm)