Parshat Ki Tavo
Overview
When Bnei Yisrael dwell in the Land of Israel, its first fruits are to be taken to the Temple and given to the kohen in a ceremony expressing recognition that it is
Insights
Words that Speak as Loudly as Actions
"And you will say to him" (26:3)
What was said at the birthday party:
"What an absolutely fabulous present. I can’t begin to tell you how much I adore it. It’s just what I wanted. I can see it now on my mantelpiece. You have such divine taste. It must have been so-o-o expensive. You really shouldn’t have. I don’t know where to begin to thank you!"
What was meant at the birthday party:
"You call this a present? It’s the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve had better gifts out of a cornflake box. I can see it now in my trashcan. Your taste is worse than an Afghan goatherd. This must have cost you all of fifty cents. You really didn’t. I don’t know where to begin to thank you!"
Because insincerity is a fact of life, it’s easy to err on the side of understatement when it comes to saying thank you. However, this week’s Torah portion teaches us that we should verbalize our gratitude fully: There is a mitzvah to bring up the first fruits of the Land of Israel to Jerusalem and present them to the kohen.
The one who does this makes a moving declaration of gratitude to
The question arises: Don’t actions speak louder than words? Isn’t the gift enough of a demonstration of gratitude to
The Torah teaches us here that a person should never shirk giving sincere thanks. Even though the currency of verbal gratitude may be debased by insincerity, a Jew has an obligation not just to show his gratitude with actions, but to verbalize and specify the nature of the good for which he is thanking his benefactor, whether it is man or
- Sources: based on Da’at Torah