A Jew Shouldn't Forget | Parashat Ki Tavo

When you didn't have food to eat, you prayed to Akadosh Baruchu day and night, but now that Akadosh Baruchu gave you more than enough, what happened? You forgot about Hashem. Says in verse number 10, chapter 26, "And now behold, I have brought before you the first of the fruit of the ground that you have given me, O Hashem." Why does Moshe Rabbeinu feel the need to tell us that he's bringing this sacrifice, he's bringing this fruits to Hashem, but really you got to have it from Hashem. I'm bringing this fruit, I'm bringing this sacrifice that you have given ME, HASHEM. WHY IS IT THAT 3,334 years after Moshe Rabbeinu wrote this, we have to constantly remind ourselves, "You have to give me, Hashem." This is much simpler to understand. Because if you don't understand it, you have no share in the world of Torah. Whether you have a million or a billion, $100 or five houses, one car or five cars, one kid or a house full of kids, if you think anything you have came from you and not from Hashem, you have no share of the world of Torah. The Ramban writes in Parshat Bo, "Anyone that believes that there's anything natural in the world and it's not from Hashem has no share of the Torah of Akadosh Baruchu." Everything is miraculous. There is no such thing as nature. Nature is a simply how Hashem makes it look realistic in our lowly minds. There is no nature. You got a house, don't think it's because of the interest rates. It's because a good opportunity and you found a house on the internet right before it went on the market. You got a car with a good deal, but he really needed to get rid of it. I picked a good stock and it went up at right timing. If you think anything like that, it's pure Amora. It's complete heresy. Why? Everything comes from Hashem. Including even something as simple as I'm bringing the fruit to fulfill this mitzvah, but in reality, HASHEM, YOU GAVE IT TO ME. IT'S LIKE A father plays with the kids. Okay, let's play store. I'll be the store and you buy something for me. And look, it says, "Okay, what are you selling?" "Oh, I have the toys, I have books, I have this." "Okay, great." Oh, wait, I don't have any money. So, what does the father do? Oh, here's money. So, the kid comes to THE STORE. OKAY, I'LL take the book. I'll take I'll take everything. He wants to buy everything. WHY? IT'S ABBA'S MONEY ANYWAY. When a person is stingy when it comes to mitzvot and he buys the cheapest rog, he donates a little bit less because it doesn't add up with the math. He doesn't move into the house in a Jewish community. He moves 50 miles outside. Hopefully, he could go there with a horse. When you're stingy with mitzvot, you're forgetting where you got the money in the first place. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is reminding us simple blessing that some people don't even realize they have. Next, the Torah tells us something even more extraordinary. Because this is the ashkafa of how a Jew is supposed to look at money all together. After he fulfilled the mitzvah, he brought these fruits. He's supposed to make a statement, says Moshe Rabbeinu. What's the statement? The amarta lifnei Adonai Elohecha, bi'arti kodesh min habayit. Vegam natatiw lalevi velager leya tovelalmana kikol mitzvotecha asher tzivitanilo avartimitzvotecha veloshakachti. First of all, supposed to say, after all you this all the ma'aser that you gave, you shall say before Hashem your God, I have eliminated the holy thing, meaning the ma'aser, from the house. And I've also given the ma'aser rishon to the Levi, also to the convert, to the orphan, to the widow, according to your commandments, and according to your entire commandments that you commanded me, I have not transgressed any of your commandments, and I have not forgotten you. Here we have two main things. First of all, you just gave ma'aser. Why do you call it bi'alti? Bi'alti is I have eliminated. Bi'alti et hakodesh, I have eliminated the holy. And then you say I've not forgotten. Yeah, obviously if you did the mitzvah, you didn't forget. If a Jew has the right mindset of money, he just got paid a thousand dollars. He just got paid ten thousand dollars. He just got paid a hundred million. Whatever he got paid. It went into his bank, he got a suitcase full of cash, whatever he got. If he has the right perspective on money, the second he sees money is in the account, he doesn't look at it as his money. Why? He hasn't given ma'aser yet. I have something holy in my hands right now. Doesn't belong to me. Behold it the kodesh I I have eliminated the holy meaning I gave the ma'aser. Now that I gave the ma'aser, now what I have is mine. It's like having the aron hakodesh in your house. Does it belong in your house? No. It's like having the 10 commandments in your house. Does it belong in your house? No. Why? There's a place for that. When a person has the right perspective of money, they're not looking at it as like, "Oh yeah, I got this and I got this and I got this." No, no, no, no. You don't understand it. Hakadosh Baruchu gave you that just so you could do more mitzvot. Sure, you have to eat, you have to drink, you have to pay the bills, all that stuff, but first you have to remember where did you get it from? And that's why it says at the end, "I have not forgotten." Why have not forgotten? Because the Torah says also in Sefer Devarim, one of the commandments that Hakadosh Baruchu gives us, what is it? After I give you all the blessings, don't forget me. What do you mean don't forget? You gave me the blessing, I'm not going to forget you. Exactly. Yes, that's what happens. That's exactly what happens. When he was poor, barely making ends meet, he was praying to Hashem, "Please Hashem, help me. Please Hashem." Crying with tears, you know, a flood came out of his face. She's reading Tehillim, the whole book every day. All of a sudden, there's a few zeros next to their net worth. All of a sudden, you want to come to shul? "No, I'm busy. Why? I have have business meeting." Oh. You want to maybe get involved with the synagogue? Perhaps we get some more people. No, I'm sorry, I'm busy. What? I'm having a a get-together at my house. You want to sponsor some Torah? No, no, I'm sorry, we just got a second house. Can't do it. Oh, you forgot about Hakadosh Baruchu. When you didn't have food to eat, you prayed to Hakadosh Baruchu day and night, but now that Hakadosh Baruchu gave you more than enough, what happened? You forgot about Hashem. So, here when a person gives the gets rid eliminates eliminates the part that he knows does not belong to him. He says, "HASHEM, THIS IS THIS is a sign I didn't forget. Maybe I didn't study as much as I need to study. Surely, I could always do more. Maybe I could be a little more this. Maybe I could be a little more that, but at the very least what gives me solace right now, I didn't forget you. I didn't forget where I came from. >> [music]