Ki Tavo Commentary

The Order of Disorder

A word and its opposite may be one and the same.

Ki Tavo

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Ritual Reinforcement

Through rituals, blessings, and warnings the Children of Israel strengthen their connections to history, land, and God.

Parashat Ki Tavo: Summary

Moses instructs the Israelites regarding the first fruit offering; Moses then lists the blessings for keeping the commandments and the punishments for disobeying them.

Discovering The Relationship Between Curses And Blessings

By viewing the troubles and joys of our lives as part of a continuum we can uncover blessings even in the most challenging curses.

Private Feelings, Public Consequences

The activities for which people are cursed by God directly are those committed in secret.

Twice Warned

The two extended warnings for breaking the covenant reflect the changing relationship between the people of Israel and God.

It’s The Joy, Not The Oy

Our religious and spiritual experiences of serving God should be joyful and uplifting.

History And Memory

The ritual of the first fruits provides an example of the tension surrounding forgetting and remembering crises and miracles in our history.

Law, Not Love, Is The Opposite Of Hate

Law is essential to Judaism, establishing an external set of moral guidelines.