Ki Tavo

Our Sidra contains a description of the ceremony of offering the first-fruits of the land of Israel, and gives the prayer that was to be recited by each person as he made his offering. One peculiarity of this prayer, is the way it singles out two miracles...

This week’s Torah reading begins with the mitzvah of Bikkurim, the first fruits which are brought as an offering to Jerusalem. Living far away from agricultural communities, it is hard for us to appreciate the sacrifice involved in this mitzvah. Think for...

Adapted fromLikkutei Sichos, Vol. IX, pgs. 152ff, 289;Vol. XIX, p. 245ff;Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo 5750;Sefer HaSichos 5748, p. 634ff;Sefer HaSichos 5751, p. 810ff Intangible Gifts Our Sages teach:Bava Basra 9b. “A person who gives a coin to a poor person i...

Introduction The Talmud relates: Taanis 2a-b. Rabbi Yochanan said, “Three keys are [held] in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, which were not transmitted to an agent. They are: The key of rain, the key of life, and the key of the Resurrection of th...

Introduction In the sichah that follows, the Rebbe focuses on Rambam’s categorization of the charge, Devarim 28:9. “Walk in His paths,” as one of the 613 mitzvos, as Rambam writes in his Sefer HaMitzvos, Sefer HaMitzvos, positive mitzvah 8. “[With this mi...

Introduction The sichah to follow combines two different talks delivered by the Rebbe. The first focuses on the mitzvah of bikkurim, the first fruits, that were brought as offerings in the Beis HaMikdash. The Rebbe highlights two different lessons gleaned...

The seventh section of the Book of Deuteronomy concludes Moses’ second farewell address to the Jewish people. It contains Moses’ completion of his review of the commandments, beginning with one that would become relevant only after the Jewish people would...

In the Torah portion Savo, we are told to “walk in His paths.”Devarim 28:9. The Rambam regards this exhortation as a positive command,Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Command 8; Hilchos De’os 1:5 — based on Sotah 14a. explaining it to mean that “we are to emulat...

The body is the vessel of the soul, yet it elevates the soul to the greatest heights.

The Torah portion of Savo begins by saying:Devarim 26:1-2. “When you come (savo) to the land that G-d your L-rd is giving you as a heritage, occupying and settling it, you shall take of the first fruits….” Thus, the opening words “When you come to the lan...