Devarim

Ki Tavo - Parsha

 

Last we learned about being fair to others and to say kind words. This week we read parsha Ki Tavo.  Ki Tavo means “when you enter”, like when the Jewish people enter the Promised Land for the first time.  Moshe tells the people what they should do when they cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Israel for the first time.  Remember, Moshe is still not allowed to go with them into the land of Israel because he is being punished for hitting the rock in the desert to get water instead of talking to it.  So Moshe wants to make sure they will remember all the rules because he won’t be there to remind them once they enter the land.

We keep hearing Moshe telling the people the rules and Commandments over and over again.  These are all the things they need to know to live in the new land.  Only Moshe hears the voice of Hashem who tells Moshe what He wants the people to remember.

Moshe tells the people to offer the first fruits picked in the Promised Land as a gift offering.  The first fruits are the most special.  Then they talk about all that has happened since the very beginning.  Let’s see how many things we can remember.

1) Where were the Jewish People living when they were slaves?  (Egypt)
2) Who lead them out of slavery?  (Moshe)
3) Where did Moshe go to get the 10 Commandments?  (Har Sinai)
4) What food did Hashem provide the people in the desert? (Manna)
5) In what special place did the Kohan Gadol keep the laws? (in the ark in the Mishkan)

Moshe particularly wants everyone to remember what will happen if they do good deeds and what will happen if they don’t follow the rules.  This is what Moshe does:

He gathers the 12 tribes together and divides them into 2 groups.  One group of 6 will stand on top of Har Grizim(Mt. Grizim) and one group of 6 will stand on top of Har Eval(Mt. Eval). The group on Mt. Grizim will listen for the blessings, or the good deeds to be announced and after each blessing they hear, they will say “Amen”.  The group on Mt. Eval will listen for the curses or things that they can get punished for to be announced, then they will say “Amen”. (see the list of blessings and curses in Multimedia ideas)