Ki Tavo
Rabbi Eliyahu Meisel (1821-1912), the rabbi of Lodz, was well known for his herculean efforts on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. Many stories are told about his dedication to the mitzvah of tzedakah.
For example, one time he needed to raise money to purchase firewood for the poor. He visited a wealthy man on a bitter cold day in order to make a request for funds. The wealthy many invited the rabbi in for some hot tea. Rabbi Meisel refused to go inside and instead insisted on speaking with the wealthy man while he was standing outside. Out of respect for the rabbi, the wealthy man came outside to ask the rabbi what he needed. When the rabbi explained that he needed firewood for the poor, the wealthy man agreed at once. He then asked the rabbi, “You know that I always respond favorably to your requests, so why didn’t you come inside and drink some hot tea?” The rabbi responded, “I knew that you would support the poor people and help them get wood for fuel, but I wanted you to realize just how desperate they are for some heat. That’s why I needed to talk with you outside.”
There is a story about Rabbi Meisel that relates to a mitzvah from our parasha, the mitzvah of bikkurim (26:1-11).
One time Rabbi Meisel was walking on the street and he saw a prominent businessman. He asked the man, “so, how is everything going?” The man responded with a laundry list of complaints. One of his partners was cheating him, one of his employees was stealing, another employee was quitting abruptly, and the government was raising taxes on him. On top of all this, his business was doing very poorly and he wasn’t making anywhere close to the amount he needed to make. Rabbi Meisel gave him a blessing and continued on his way. A few months later he saw this same business man on the street and the rabbi again asked him how he was doing. This time the man responded by simply stating, “everything is good.”
Rabbi Meisel replied to the business man, “This reminds of a midrash to parashat Ki Tavo. The verse states, ‘Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, Hashem, have given me’ (v. 10). The midrash comments, ‘A person offers praise with a soft voice, and offers complaints in a loud voice’” (From Mei’Otzreinu Hayashan; cited by Rabbi Shalom Rosner, 5772).
In Parshas Ki Savo, we learn that the Jewish people are going to have a ceremony in the times of Yehoshua at the sites of Har Gerizim and Har Eval. As with everything in the Torah, it is perfectly clear what took place and why, are there are no outstanding questions about this event. The tribes split into two, half on each mountain, and pronounce blessings from Her Gerizim and curses from Har Eval that will occur if the Jewish people follow, or not, the Torah. The division of the tribes had been a mystery until it was discovered that based on the most recent census, of all the possible ways to divide the tribes into two groups of six, the division prescribed by the Torah led to the most even split by headcount. This was discovered by Rabbi Carlos Danger...uh, Rabbi Michael Broyde, several years ago. Anywho, Generation Revelation is out and Generation Subjugation is in! We're going to recreate the scene and learn about the covenant made!
Yoni Friedman
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