Ki Tavo: The Land of Contentment

Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual drasha. This week we have the incredible privilege of parshas Ki Sisa. The parsha begins with the magnificent and holy mitzvah of bikurim. The farmer works hard to plant his vegetation, his fruits, and the Torah tells us that when those first fruits begin to blossom, not every first fruit, only the shiva minim, the seven species indigenous to Eretz Yisrael, the farmer is obligated to go ahead and bring his first fruits up to the Beit Hamikdash. And of course, mitzvah of bikurim is fascinating because it doesn't have a particular sheer. There's not a particular amount that you have to bring, but you have to bring of your first fruits. And of course, the commentaries explain that this mitzvah was really an exercise in profound emunah. You know, normally one would have thought that the farmer puts in all of this work to grow his crops, to grow his fruits, and when the first fruits come to blossom, like literally come to fruition, one would have thought that the farmer gathers his family, he sets the table so beautifully, he brings in the vegetation, the fruit, and they have a beautiful seudah celebrating the bounty. But yet, what does the Jewish farmer do? He takes literally the first fruits of his labor, puts it in a basket, goes up to the Beit Hamikdash, gives it to the cohen, engages in an entire recitation of Jewish history, essentially saying, "I recognize that everything we have, from the biggest to the smallest, from the fact that Hashem created the world and took us out of Mitzrayim to the fact that I have this basket of fruit here, all of it comes from Hashem." It was an incredible exercise in emunah. To be able to recognize that although the farmer put in so much effort, so much literally again, the sweat of his bazeh asaf apecha, the sweat of his brow, but in that profound and holy moment, the farmer recognizes and states unequivocally that everything comes from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The Baal Shem Tov, Hakadosh, I'm saying Baal Shem Tov because this year to Sham this Monday is Chayei Elul, the 18th of Elul, the the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov, Hakadosh, the birthday also of course of the Baal HaTanya. And the Baal Shem Tov, Hakadosh says to me so beautiful and such an interesting and novel interpretation. He quotes the opening passage from the parsha, ki savo el ha'aretz asher Hashem and you will come to the land. It will be when you come to the land that Hashem your God has given you nachala as an inheritance. Virishta vishavtaba, you'll settle it, you'll take control of it, you'll take possession of it. And then the Torah launches into the halachos of bikurim, which of course the juxtaposition of bikurim makes a lot of sense because there is no mitzvah of bikurim outside of the land of Israel. But listen to what the Bashe says. He says something so beautiful. He says Vayoki savo el ha'aretz. Listen to this. So again, a seemingly straightforward passage. It will be when you come to the land and says the Bashe gives the meaning of the word "land". Kishitagia laharatson umerutsa. The Rebbe says "Aretz, aretz of course means land." But he says it's also a lashon of merutsa. Merutsa means to be content, to be satisfied. The Ribono shel Olam is giving us a bracha, "Vihaya ki savo el ha'aretz." That you should come to the land, to the place, to the moment of contentment. That you should feel content in life. The Rebbe telling us that we live with this incredible tension. That on one hand as Jews, it's always about more. In fact, again, just a little couple of psukim later, the Torah says "Hayom hazeh Hashem Elokecha tzivcha la'asot es hachukim ha'eleh." This Moshe Rabbeinu speaking to Klal Yisrael. Today Hashem is telling you to perform these mitzvos, these statutes and ordinances. "V'shamarta va'asisem osam." You shall guard them, you shall perform them "b'chol l'vavcha uv'chol nafsh'cha." With all of your hearts and all of your soul. And Rashi Hakodesh comments, he says, quoting from the Vayikra Rabbah Midrash, "V'shamarta et kol mitzvotav u'chokotav kol hayamim." This is still in the in section of Bikkurim. After the farmer brings the Bikkurim, a bat kol, a heavenly voice comes out and says, "Tishaneh l'shanah haba'ah." You should be zocheh to do this again. In other words, it's fascinating. How does he eat? How does a Jew celebrate the performance of a mitzvah? Do it again. In other words, there's never like sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Whatever we do in life, there's always more. Whatever we accomplish in life, there's always more. So, is there of course a moment to reflect on your accomplishments? Of course, you know, it's interesting cuz you see this in Gemara all the time. So, what happens? You finish a perek in Gemara, "Hadrana lach." Right? We should return to you. And it's amazing. The way the typesetting of the pages is, I don't know if this is by design or just how it was done. You would have thought, just kind of like a like often you find it in regular printed books, a book finishes a chapter, what happens? The rest of the pa- page is blank. The next chapter begins on the following page. Cuz there's a recognition, this chapter is done, new chapter. If you look at how the typesetting on Gemara or how does it work? A perek ends, right? The chapter in Talmud ends, "Hadrana lach." We shall return to you. Where does the new perek start? The new perek starts literally a line or two below. There's a little space, a little something, right? And then ultimately, the new perek right there. Why? Cuz that's the that's the life of a Jew. The life of a Jew is perpetual motion. The life of a Jew is perpetual accomplishment. So, the farmer brings the Bikkurim, which as he mentioned before, is such an overwhelming, dramatic feat of spiritual heroism. Can you imagine? Again, I would imagine most of us are not into farming. And if we do it, you know, your little vegetable garden in in the back of your house doesn't count, right? Because if that flops, baruch Hashem, there's a supermarket nearby. I'm talking about a farmer whose sustenance, his life, his family is dependent on the success of his planting. The same And that first fruits and he take it to Baruch Hu, it's incredible. It's incredible a feat of spiritual heroism. So I would have thought okay just give him a and that's it. No, what does the basket say? The basket says yes, you did great, right? You did great to you should do it next year. That's how a Jew that's how a Jew operates. That's how a Jew lives. It's always constant movement constant motion. What are we going to accomplish this and even we accomplish even accomplish move on. How do you the new mission is not on the next page. There's no blank space in between the end of one chapter in the town of the beginning of the next you end big words return to you my sky rejoice in the accomplishment fighter. Let's go. Let's go. I think what the is is highlighting over here is there does have to be another dynamic that we kind of put in between the lines. Which is the dynamic of contentment. The dynamic ultimately is giving us a and it's a we should come to the not just of course we should be to that but but you should come to we should come to the to to a sense of contentment to a feeling of being sated satiated with the of life. And there is this incredible balance. I want more. I need more. I have to accomplish more. I have to do more. But also taking the time to celebrate the accomplishments we have to celebrating the beautiful wins that we have to celebrating the that we have. I want more but but I also need but contentment with what I have. I want more accomplishment but I also have to celebrate but I also Aretz to the accomplishment that I have. They have been teaching us this incredibly profound and delicate and I think difficult balance in life. Always want more but also find contentment in the Aretz that you have. Find contentment in the life you have, in the blessings you have, in the accomplishments you have. And in fact I think it's always incredible because remember these parashas are always the parashas of Elul, right? They're always the parashas leading up to Yamim Noraim. And I think sometimes one of the traps that we fall into when it comes into Yamim Noraim, the High Holidays and Rosh Hashanah, Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Shas Meishuvim, Kippur is we're so future focused, which which makes sense because there's so much being decided. Zachreinu lechaim, melech chofetz bachaim, right? So remember we're we're in this mode of Hashem I need I need I need I need I need life. I need a shidduch. I need health. I need parnassah. I need children. All all I need my all all of the things that we legitimately need. But there's a thing and now there's a profundity in that. There's a profundity because I recognize it all comes from God. All comes from Hakadosh Baruchu. So by definition I am petitioning at the source. Hakadosh Baruchu I'm coming at you, right? I am. I am and I'm coming at you. I I I I I need this. I need these things. I need another year of life to accomplish great things, to do great things. I need more parnassah. I need children. All of the beautiful brachas that we need. I need it. And so I'm going to come at you Hashem and I'm going to come at you relentlessly. I'm not going to stop. But we also have to remember to take stock and to also express our gratitude for the things that we have. You know yesterday's brachas kind of just become today's common place things that that take for granted. You know, it's the same way when a person is looking for a shidduch, okay, you know, I think to myself, finding a life partner is the most incredible thing in the world. Then once I have her, it's so easy to take her for granted. Right? The person yearns and davens for children, and then once I have them, you know, they can get annoying. Not my kids, but other kids, other people's kids could get annoying. Right? It could happen. So, it's incredible, the things that like I yearned for and I pined for once upon a time. Once I have them, okay, I got them. I got the title. Let's go. What else? What else? I need more. The Rebbe is teaching us Rebbe is teaching us that yes, life always has to be of this forward momentum. This forward momentum, moving forward in our ruchniyus, moving forward in our gashmiyus, moving forward with our life aspirations, but there also has to be a certain amount of v'haya ki savo el ha'aretz. Make sure you spend time in the aretz. Yes, Eretz Yisrael, but more not more importantly, but just as importantly, aretz shelanu she rutza. Spend time in a life of contentment, in the land of contentment. Take stock of what you have. Celebrate what you have. In fact, even if you look at the pasuk, you know what's fascinating? The pasuk says, back to the bikurim. The pasuk says you should take your first fruit, and what do you do? V'samta batana v'halachta el hamakom. So, what do you do? Take the first fruit, take the bikurim, put them in the basket, put them in the basket, and then v'halachta. A basket is a collection point. So, it's almost like what the Torah itself is saying is, take all of your brachas, put it in a basket, look at it, examine it, have gratitude for it, say thank you, Hashem. Okay, it's as much brachas you wanted. It's not the same bracha you've got. Put it in the basket. And when in that moment the basket remains stationary, v'ayalti savo el ha'aretz, remain in the land of contentment, focus on what you have. And then, then v'halachta el come, okay, then move forward. Life is this incredible balance between gratitude and reflection on what you have, living in the land of present contentment, while at the same time surging forward for more, to accomplish more, to want more, to desire more. This is the great balance we have to strike. It's the balance of parshas Eikev, and it's the balance of this month of Elul. This is a time to think about, yes, where we want to go and who we want to be and what we want to accomplish. And where do we want to take our basket of blessings and go to next in life? But it's also a time to stop for a moment and look what's in the basket. What's in the basket? Is there How many brachos do we take for granted? How many beautiful blessings we just assume are part of the tapestry and landscape of our lives without realizing, "Oh my gosh, it's like I won the lottery in so many different ways." Take the time to live in the land of contentment. Take the time to look in the basket of brachos and reflect and find a profound sense and express that gratitude to Hashem. And then, and then, take the basket, el makom, move forward in life. The Rebbe teaching us such a profound lesson for Elul, such a profound lesson for life. Vayaki sav al ha'aretz. Make sure to spend ample time in the land of contentment. Take the time to reflect, to appreciate, and to express gratitude for the brachos that we have. And then, after you finish looking in your beautiful basket of brachos, vesamta batana, after that, vahalachta, then take those brachos and get a little impatient because there's more to accomplish. There's more to do. There's more to be. Spend your time in the land of contentment and then take your brachos and move it forward. In Yiddishkeit, the end of a chapter doesn't leave the rest of the page blank. Celebrate the accomplishments, reflect on the brothers, live life in the land of contentment, and then move yourself forward for remaining alone and year ahead and years ahead of beautiful holy accomplishment. Wishing everyone good marrow Shabbos and a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh.