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Ki Tavo (2026)

Shabbat Ki Tavo

Dvar Torah – The Wonder of Our Story
In this week's portion, we are introduced to the Mitzvah (commandment) of Bikkurim—bringing the very first and finest fruits from our fields to the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Mishnah describes how this was a joyous, lively procession. Baskets of Bikkurim were paraded through the streets of Jerusalem with great pomp, circumstance, and communal celebration.

At the culmination of this procession the Torah prescribes a litany of gratitude. The farmer would recount the grand scope of our history, starting with Jacob’s salvation from Laban, moving through our enslavement and the Exodus from Egypt, and culminating in the incredible gift of the Promised Land.

It’s easy for the daily grind to obscure the wonder of the gifts we possess. Bikkurim is the antithesis of that and takes something entirely mundane – the fruits of our labor - and transform it into a deeply spiritual experience. The message is clear: our day-to-day life is not merely mundane; it is a continuation of this incredible, ongoing story.

Were we to bring Bikkurim today, our litany of gratitude would surely be expanded. It would continue through the long, painful years of exile and extend to the absolute miracle of our people's resurrection following the Holocaust. And today, we as members of the Jewish People are all actively part of living that dream. Like the farmers of ancient Israel, we should also continuously strive to recognize the blessings in our daily lives and uplift the minutiae of our mundanity through gratitude and awareness of our incredible story.

Shabbat in/out times
Yerushalayim 18:28/19:44
Tel-Aviv 18:48/19:46
Brussels 20:19/21:27
London 19:38/20:46
NYC 19:16/20:15
Montreal 19:21/20:23
Miami 19:26/20:18
More shabbat times here

Shabbat Shalom!




 

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