KI TEITZEI Bless G-D for All This Bounty
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dates. You will eat and be satisfied and KI TEITZEI bless G-d for all this bounty. EIKEV There is a lot of love in this parsha. His love for us translates into giving us the Land. Later, we will see our love for ALIYA-BY-ALIYA Him is translated into our loyalty to the SEDRA SUMMARY mitzvot. Rabbi Reuven Besides the love, we are told to remem- Tradburks ber. Remember the manna. There was no Director of food in the desert. He fed you. Remember RCA Israel Region that. He provides your food. In the Land, it will look completely different to you. st 1 aliya (Devarim 7:12-8:10) The food grows on trees, wild wheat and On the heels of you keeping the barley. Who needs Him? Remember the mitzvot, G-d will keep His cove- manna and Who provides. nant with you. And love you. You will nd enjoy success: economic, health, military. 2 aliya (8:11-9:3) Be mindful Should you fear the nations in the Land, amidst all your success that you wondering how you will prevail over have not forgotten its Source. them, remember what G-d did in Egypt. Even after He has led you all these years, The signs, the wonders, the outstretched you are apt to say “all this success is my arm. He will do it to these nations too. doing”. Remember: He is the One Who When you enter the Land, remember the gives you this success, as an expression of manna in the desert. G-d relieved your the Brit he made with you. If you forget hunger through manna, to teach you that Him, He will vanquish you. As you van- bread comes from Him. Now when you quish nations in the Land, so too will it be enter the Land, it will be different: with you, on the heels of your ignoring streams and springs, wheat, barley, Him. Great nations await you; fortified grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and cities, strong people. Know that He will champion your cause and they will be Keren Malki empowers overcome by you. families of children with special needs in Though the aliya adds on a few lines, Israel to choose home the symmetry of the “heels” is pretty. care. Donations are We began the parsha with “ekev”. On tax-approved in Israel, US and UK. the heels of your loyalty to the mitzvot, Honoring the memory of G-d will shower you with love. We end this section with the counter; you will be הי”ד Malka Chana Roth kerenmalki.org 1985-2001, killed in the vanquished on the heels of ignoring Him. 02-567-0602 Sbarro bombing. Beautiful poetic symmetry. 6 TORAH TIDBITS 1430 / EIKEV 5781 discussing how to continue to operate the 3rd aliya (9:4-29) Do not assume Zula when the teenagers aren’t always your displacing the nations is interestedIItt ppaysay sin tto ocompiling bbuyuy a ppropertywithrop ecoronarty due to your righteousness and guidelines, such as not properly wearing their folly. It is rather due to their failing iinn AAshkelonshke lon – hhere’ere’s wwhy:hy: their masks. Due to Corona, the Zula is and G-d’s covenant to you. Remember: REASON #7: ASHKELON IS BOOMING! operating outside its usual location on you have a long history of your own folly. Yaffo“G lStreetobes ”since repo werts cannot(June 1 4be, 2 inside.021) At Horev: I ascended the mountain to get Theth coldat m ino rYerushalayime new home wass w efrigid,re so andld the tablets, Divinely inscribed with all He my hands remained in my pockets while spoke at Sinai, for 40 days. But He ordered in Ashkelon than anywhere I shuffled my body to try and stay warm. me to descend for you had made an idol. else in the entire country. Yet, a few meters in front of me our Zula With the tablets in hand, I descended, And it’s no wonder – Anglo-populated Ashkelon shattering them upon seeing the golden counselorsoffers new, Kwereosher rstrummingestaurants, be atheirutiful b eguitarsaches, andan dsitting drama ticalmlyc sunsets astha tthey just c alistenedn’t be bea t.to the calf. I ascended again to plead for you. Just imagine the wonderful family memories you And there were other moments of folly. youthcan crunburdeneate by hostin gthemselves. your kids and g rTheyandchi ldwereren seeingfor th e thewee kepotentialnds in your veinry othesewn Hol idkidsay ho mande But I pleaded, appealing to the covenant, which is so close to both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv! that you are His people. watering them with acceptance and love because they know that they will be the Moshe has employed the word remem- futureL I V blossomingE O P P O SleadersI T E TofH theE SJewishE A ber 3 times in this parsha. When you are people. 0 5 4 4 - 3 3 2 6 2 1 36 DAY afraid of the strong nations, remember davidz@A shkelonProperties.com the wonders of Egypt that He wrought and will do again for you. When you DECLUTTER have fabulous success in the Land and CHALLENGE are tempted to push G-d out of your life, Avi Join the 36 day challenge for $1 a Executive Director, OU Israel remember that He provides as He did with day + 7 bonus days to get ready the manna in the desert. And now, when Save a Life - Gain yours for Pesach. Daily challenge email, you feel superior to the nations of folly, video, how tos, & support group. remember the golden calf, your terrible 1 of 78,424 Finally declutter moment of folly. Moshe is preoccupied EFRAT AND get organized!! with the machinations of the mind, our www.efrat.org.il 02-5454500 short memories, our self-delusions. JOIN TODAY! Remember our history, he says. Learn www.balaganbegone.com/36 from it. He champions our cause. He is Hotline option avaliable the source of our success. And don’t let it go to your head. You suffer foibles like all STARTS others. Bad mistakes. But, as we will see FEB 14, 2021 We remember the sacred lives רפואה שלמה of those murdered in the יהודה מאיר בן יקירה Chevron Massacres on AV 18 1929 OU ISRAEL CENTER 7 OU ISRAEL CENTER 5 in the next aliya, He does not give up on commitment to you that transcends your you. And that says more about His great- failings, as egregious as they may be. ness than it does about yours. After all, He transcended the golden calf. 4th aliya (10:1-11) G-d said to 5th aliya (10:12-11:9) Now, what me: chisel 2 stone tablets to really does G-d want of you? replace the first and make an Only this: fear Him, walk in His Aron for them. A second set as the first ways, love and serve Him and keep all He were made and put in the Aron. I commands of you. His is the universe, yet descended with the Aron. The Leviim he chose to love your forefathers. So cir- shall be G-d’s servants; they bore this cumcise your heart and quit stiffening Aron. I implored successfully for you not your neck. Fear, serve, cleave to Him. He to be destroyed. G-d said: go up and take is your G-d. As you yourself have seen: the Land I promised to your forefathers. you descended to Egypt with 70 souls, all the wonders He wrought, the defeat of This is the conclusion of the story of the Egypt’s might at the sea, the desert, the golden calf. Moshe is telling the people earth swallowing the rebellious ones in to remember this story to temper their the Korah rebellion. You have seen all feelings of superiority. Don’t feel supe- this; hence, keep the mitzvot to prolong rior; the golden calf was quite a failure. your stay on the Land. However, in this conclusion, he empha- sizes a different point. Reconciliation. As These 20 verses are very difficult to sum- if to say: you are not a perfect nation. You marize, as they are so stunningly beautiful. have failed and you will in the future too. This is Moshe with his hair down. It is But despair not. G-d’s commitment to like he leans a bit closer, elbows on the you is more powerful than your failures. table, and confides: listen, really, what And that is exactly Moshe’s point. Do not does G-d want? Now, one would think say that your supplanting the nations in maybe a one word, one phrase answer. the Land is due to your piety. For you Like: loyalty. Or walk humbly with Him. fail. But rather it is due to G-d’s powerful Or truth. Moshe’s answer is not what to do but the deepest aspirations. Moshe May the Torah learned answers: you know what G-d wants? He from this issue of Torah Tidbits wants emotion, aspiration, feelings, sen- and in loving memory of sitivity. He wants your deepest being to לע"נ be want Him, love Him, cleave to Him. Drop ליבע בת משה ע"ה the inhibitions, the distractions, the fluff ע"ה Lynne Grossman beloved wife, mother, grandmother of life and give your deepest self to Him. on her 14th yahrzeit What a phrase: circumcise your heart, quit stiffening your neck. Meaning, give .Me your true heart, don’t be stubborn י"ז מנחם אב The Grossman Family This aliya ranks up there with the most 8 TORAH TIDBITS 1430 / EIKEV 5781 but you could possibly do them.