Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
(based on a derasha by
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim )
Giving To Ourselves
"When you come to the land that the Almighty has given you as an inheritance and settle there. And you have taken the first of every fruit – the bikurim – from the land that the Almighty has given you and put it in a basket…and the Kohen will take the basket from your hands” (Devarim 26: 1 - 4).
The bikurim were among the many gifts that the Jewish people gave to the Kohanim and Leviim in exchange for their service in the Beis Hamikdash. They were also sustained by gifts of fruits and vegetables in the form of terumos u'maaser, wool from the reshis hagez, and meat from the zaroyah lechayim v'keiva. At first glance the Torah seems to have assigned the tribe of Levi to an eternal fate of being "schnorers," forever dependent on the “hand-outs” of their fellows Jews for every aspect of their existence.
But if we look deeper, we will see that just the opposite is true. Kohanim are the agents transferring Hashem's blessing to the Jewish people through Birkas Kohanim. By assigning the Kohanim to be the ones to bless the Jew people, the Torah is showing us that in truth when we give to them we are actually on the receiving end.
Giving these gifts allowed us to form a partnership with the Kohanim and Leviim. The Torah gives us the opportunity to support the ovdei Hashem and thereby acquire a share in their holy service. In this sense, the gifts to the Tribe of Levi were the ultimate bargain – mere worldly produce in exchange for a priceless connection to the Almighty and the World to Come.
Recognizing Good
"And you shall rejoice with all the good that Hashem has given you" (Devarim 26,11).
Many of us find ourselves beset by problems in our lives which, if we let them, could cause us to sink into a state of despair. When overwhelmed with responsibilities and troubles, how can we recognize all of the good that the Almighty has bestowed upon us?
By giving to others we can get a real glimpse into how much we have been given by Hashem, and this brings us to a state of simcha.
Since it is not always easy for us to feel simcha upon giving away our hard-won earnings, the mitzvah of Bikurim is accompanied by a special viduy. We humbly concede that we have listened to "the voice of Hashem" and done all that He has commanded. In order to grant the mitzvah its full impact, we need to bear in mind that the Almighty has specifically asked us to give away our money.
Shulchan Aruch obligates us to give tzedaka with joy. Whatever we are able to distribute, we should do it with simcha. Even if we give a large sum, if we do so with a sour face, we are transgressing the Torah's will, and we do not fulfill the mitzvah of tzedaka.
One Gaon once said, "It is difficult for me to give tzedaka as I do not have any money. However it is even harder for me to refuse in the proper way." If we can only give a small donation, we should give it joyously and express our appreciation for the opportunity to have a share in this mitzvah.
The Torah obligates us to give charity for our own benefit, for the giver actually reaps more benefit than more than the receiver. For this reason these gifts are referred to as tzedaka, from the word tzedek, justice. Money distributed to tzedaka is really owed, and by giving it away, we are merely carrying out our obligation to distribute it.
Even someone so poor that he is not able to give tzedaka can find ways to enjoy the Almighty's overwhelming kindness. Rav Shternbuch's Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Moshe Shneider, related that the talmidei talmidim of the Vilna Gaon learned Torah in a state of dire poverty, something which could potentially lower one's spirits. How did they ensure that they would stay b’simcha and focus on all the good that Hashem bestowed on them?
Every erev Shabbos they would visit the local hospital in Vilna. When they saw all of the sick people there, they felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to the Almighty that He had preserved their health for another week. In this way they always recognized all of the good that they received and remained in a state of joy.
Seize the Moment
"Because you did not serve Hashem with joy and good-heartedness when you had everything" (Devarim 38,47).
Based on the above we can understand why the Torah promises such harsh treatment if we fail to serve the Almighty with joy. Hashem gave us Bikurim and other mitzvos to help us to recognize how much good we have. If we are not able to appreciate all He has bestowed upon us, it will be taken away so we can look back and realize how blessed we actually were.
We can apply this concept to the month of Elul and the upcoming judgment on Rosh Hashanah. If we recognize now what is incumbent upon us and prepare ourselves properly while the opportunity is still in our hands, we can hope to receive a year of beracha.
Rav Chaim Brisker offered the following parable to help us wake up and internalize our situation as we progress through Elul:
There was once a Jew who hired a wagon driver to smuggle his entire fortune over the border. Since the Jew stood to lose all of his money if his plan failed, he was plagued by nervousness for the entire month prior to the fateful day.
The wagon driver, on the other hand, was used to this type of work, and although he would be punished severely if caught, he only started worrying a week ahead.
Only one member of this team was calm from start to end – the horse that pulled the wagon. He had no clue that he was participating in such a dangerous operation, and that something bad could happen. Both before and during the smuggling operation, the horse was completely calm.
So, too, said Rav Chaim, those tzadikim who recognize how much they have to lose on Rosh Hashanah, start to worry during at the beginning of Elul. They fill the entire month with prayers and pleading for Divine mercy. Individuals with less awareness and less at stake only wake up a week before, during selichos. Unfortunately, some people are like the horse and even on Rosh Hashanah they have no idea what is transpiring.
Wake Up!
Chazal describe two levels of sleep, sheina and tenuma. Sheina is a normal state of sleep, and if a person is shaken he can be woken up. Tenuma is a heavy state of slumber, and arousing a person in this state is much more difficult.
The tochachos that we read on Parshas Ki Savo were meant to shake us out of our sleep. In our generation, our hearts are less sensitive and waking up is much more difficult. Only someone who is ready to open up his heart and dedicate himself to Hashem, stands a chance of waking up from the deep slumber that encompasses the world today.
(Rabbi Travis is Rosh Kollel of Kollel Toras Chaim in Yerushalayim and is the author of Shaylos U'Teshuvos Toras Chaim and "Praying With Joy – A Daily Tefilla Companion" a practical daily guide to improving one's prayers, available from Feldheim Publishers. For more information about his work contact dytravis@actcom.com.)
