Connecting to the Natural World

Ki Tavo

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Précis: The parasha contains numerous religious concerns regarding the formation of a civil and moral community (including tithes of first fruits and tithes to support the Levites). The People are promised that if they follow God’s instructions, they will be transformed into a “holy people.” They are further instructed that they have a choice in their own destiny: there are blessings and curses (the “Admonition”), and they must to choose between the two - and take the consequences. The parasha ends with Moses reminding the People about all that God had done for them in bringing them from Egypt, providing sustenance, defeating their foes, and giving them the Land.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which Adonai has given you, and dwell there, that you will take the first fruit of the ground…and place it in a basket...and go to a place that Adonai will choose…And you will come to the priest…and say to him, 'my father was a wandering Aramean, and he went to Egypt, and there became a great nation…And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us…and we cried to Adonai…and He heard our voices…and brought us forth with a strong hand…and brought us to this place, flowing with milk and honey…and now I have brought the first of the fruit of this land which You, Adonai, have given me' ...And you will rejoice in all that Adonai has given you…”

We set the stage: the Land has been (or will have been) conquered, and each tribe has been allocated its holdings (except, of course, for the tribe of Levi). The farmers have spread over the land, sown their crops, and planted their trees. The harvest approaches, and they are now commanded to bring those first fruits to the Temple as a thankful expression to God.

            These Israelite farmers recite a specified prayer of thanksgiving that ties their sacrifice back to their Exodus from Egypt, now complete with the bestowal of Torah, the gift of the Promised Land, and the success of their initial harvest. The scripted prayer is an historical reminder, and also serves to remind the community of their essential continuing dependence on God.

            Rabbi Avraham HaKohen Kook, a principal leader of the Religious Zionist Movement in the early 20th century, taught that agriculture in the Land of Israel has the ability to unify the Jewish People. He explains that the ceremony of the first fruits makes the connection of the People to the Land, and that the farmers are due the praise of their fellow citizens. Rogers and Hammerstein taught us in Oklahoma that” the “cowboy and the farmer should be friends.” Rav Kook taught us that the urban dwellers had to respect the farmers and recognize their contribution to the national enterprise. It’s not surprising that many of the “intellectual class” among early Zionist immigrants also thought that getting one’s hands dirty in agriculture was an activity in which all should be engaged.

            Today, most of us in America (and Israel) are separated from the sources of our food. We go to supermarkets and purchase canned or packaged produce; the butcher provides us with trimmed and wrapped meats and fowl. Excerpt for the occasional trip to a farm stand or apple picking, we have lost most real connections to the land.

In this light, I’m so proud that my daughter Liz, currently a culinary student, has taught me the importance of farm-to-table food preparation. While it’s not necessarily a direct corollary to Rav Kook’s guidance, there is a theme: it’s a Jewish ethical mandate to recognize the connection between ourselves and the natural world, and it is our responsibility to thank God for His fruits and the farmers who toil to provide the bounty to us. It’s also a reminder for those of use with close connections to synagogues that an understanding of where the food we serve comes from (and how it is produced) is a matter of real importance.