Netvort Ki Savo 5773:            In My Room

By Rabbi Joshua (secretly known as The Hoffer) Hoffman

In honor of David Pinchas Tanner, son of Marc and Tamar Tanner, whose bar mitzvah occurs this Shabbos, Parshas Ki Savo. May he be a source of pride and satisfaction to his parents and the entire Jewish people. 

            The Talmud (Megillah 31b) tells us that the section of blessings and curses known as the “tochecha,” or rebuke, in Parshas Ki Savo, should be read on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, to signify our hope that the old year and its curses should end, and the new year and its blessings begin. The main focus of our parsha, then, is the section of rebuke. However, the parsha begins with the law of bringing one’s first fruits, or Bikkurim, to the Beis HaMikdash, and giving them to the kohein, followed by some other, related, agricultural laws. Is there any connection between the laws of Bikkurim and the main part of the parsha? 

            When the farmer brings his Bikkurim, he recites a paragraph that encapsulates the history of the Jewish people from the time of the forefathers until the present, when he brings his first fruits to the Beis HaMikdash. This paragraph begins with the words “Arami oveid avi,” which is variously translated by different commentators as referring either to Avraham, described as a wandering Aramean, or to Lavan, described as an Aramean wishing to destroy Yaakov. The author of the Pesach Haggadah explains the verse in the second way. Rav Moshe Sternbuch, in his Ta’am VaDa’as, explains that Lavan, although outwardly appearing to befriend Yaakov, was secretly trying to destroy him spiritually, by leading him into idolatry. By bringing his first fruits to the Beis HaMikdash and giving them to the kohein, the farmer is trying to identify with and emulate this servant of God whose life is dedicated in a whole-hearted way to his spiritual service in the Beis HaMikdash. Reciting the paragraph of “Arami oveid avi” drives home the message that he should be like the kohein, and not like Lavan. 

            This idea takes on added significance when we study the section of blessings and curses that precedes the section of rebuke proper. The series of sins that bring a curse, all refer, as pointed out by the Rashbam and other commentators, to sin offenses done in a secretive, hidden manner. Thus, for example, one who strikes his friend stealthily is deserving of a curse (Devarim 27:24). Avigdor Bonchik, in his “What’s Bothering Rashi?” to Parshas Ki Savo, notes that Rashi explains the verse, “Cursed is one who causes a blind person to go astray on the road” (Devarim, 27:18) in a metaphorical way, as referring to one who gives bad advice to a person who is “blind” or uninformed, in regard to a particular matter, in order to conform with the other sins mentioned, which all refer, in their simple readings, to sins done in a concealed manner. This introduction to the section of rebuke, thus, fittingly follows the section on Bikkurim, in which the farmer strives to avoid acting like Lavan, who secretly tried to destroy Yaakov. 

            Rav Amnon Bazak, in his Nekudas Pesicha, points out that the section of rebuke that follows also focuses on sins that are done secretly. This is highlighted, he says, by the fact that among the worst of the curses enumerated is that parents, suffering from severe hunger, will eat their children in secret (Devarim 28:56-57), which, it would seem, is in retribution for sins done secretly. Moreover, when the covenant is made in Parshas Nitzavim, hidden sins are mentioned and the people are told, “the hidden things belong to God” (Devarim 27:28). Hashem later goes on to say that in punishment for the people’s sins, He will hide His face from them (Devarim 31:16-18), meaning that He will remove His protection from them in a manner that they will not detect His presence in the midst of their suffering. This form of retribution, says Rav Bazak, follows the pattern of measure for measure, delivering punishment according to the form of sin committed. 

            We may add that, according to the Ramban, the tochecha in Parshas Ki Savo refers to the destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash. The Ramban, with his wide knowledge of Jewish history, shows how many of the verses in Ki Savo refer to specific incidents that occurred in that period. The Talmud (Yoma 9a) tells us that the second Beis HaMikdash was destroyed due to baseless hatred. That sin, too, is one that is often done secretly. If we truly wish for the old year with its curses to end and the new year with its blessings to begin, we must, like the farmer bringing his new fruits, follow the example of the kohein who is commanded to bless the Jewish people with love, and treat all of our fellow Jews in a genuinely loving way.