Sep 1, 2026 · 11 min · 6 segments
This week Rabbi Jerry teaches on parasha Kee Tavo which covers Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8. He discusses the importance of following the Lord's commands and how our intentions matter.
Parashat Ki Tavo addresses tithing and sets before us the blessings promised for obedience and the curses that follow disobedience to the Lord.
Now, chapter 26 begins with the tithe of the first fruits of the land with a tenth of the produce taken from the first and best of the crop.
This tithe was to be carried into the temple with a joyful heart.
And at the altar, the worshiper recited a formal declaration before the priest, recounting the mighty power and steadfast love of Adonai, who had brought us into the land he had promised us.
Now the text continues with the commandment that in the third year of the seven-year agricultural cycle, we were to give a tithe to support the Levites.
And this tithe wasn't just for the Levites, but it was also to provide for the most vulnerable in society, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.
When worshipers presented this tithe to the Levites, they recited another declaration, affirming that the portion had been given in a holy way, with a cheerful heart, and in accordance with the commands of Adonai.
And Moses closes this chapter with yet another warning that we were to obey these commandments with careful intent and with the totality of our being.
He reminds those, the generation about to enter into the promised land, that they have declared the Lord to be their God and therefore expected to walk in his ways.
The Lord in turn has promised to bless them, to keep them, and make them a holy people if they hold fast to the terms of the covenant.
In chapter 27, Moses presses this point further, charging us to obey the teachings of Adonai with utmost seriousness.
We see this happening over and over again in Deuteronomy, especially as we get close to the end of the Torah.
Why is Moses repeating himself through the Holy Spirit? Because what he is saying through the Holy Spirit is critically important.
The Lord instructed the Levites as well that when our people assembled, we were to declare that we would not commit idolatry, indulge in sexual immorality, or pervert justice for the vulnerable.
And if you've been following along with our study in Judges, particularly the life of Samson, you see that this didn't last too long.
Chapter 28 contains the blessings that were to be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal once our people entered the land.
The blessings of the Lord included material abundance and prosperity for the land of Israel, along with the promise of numerous offspring.
We were also promised that the Lord would lift us above all the other nations so that we would be respected and feared throughout the world because Adonai was our God.
The blessings in this parasha are amazing, yet the curses in this chapter far outnumber them and they are incredibly specific.
The curses for disobedience escalate steadily, beginning with the reversal of every blessing given to the land and the people.
Where the Lord had once blessed us with children and food, there will now be a barren land and a barren womb.
The curses intensify, invasion by foreign nations, exile, famine, cannibalism, and plagues like those which the Lord struck Egypt with when he set us free.
Such graphic detail served as a warning of exactly what would happen if we broke our covenant with God.
It's meant to be shocking.
It's meant to be scary.
Parashat Ki Tavo addresses tithing and sets before us the blessings promised for obedience and the curses that follow disobedience to the Lord.
Now, chapter 26 begins with the tithe of the first fruits of the land with a tenth of the produce taken from the first and best of the crop.
This tithe was to be carried into the temple with a joyful heart.
And at the altar, the worshiper recited a formal declaration before the priest, recounting the mighty power and steadfast love of Adonai, who had brought us into the land he had promised us.
Now the text continues with the commandment that in the third year of the seven-year agricultural cycle, we were to give a tithe to support the Levites.
And this tithe wasn't just for the Levites, but it was also to provide for the most vulnerable in society, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.
When worshipers presented this tithe to the Levites, they recited another declaration, affirming that the portion had been given in a holy way, with a cheerful heart, and in accordance with the commands of Adonai.
And Moses closes this chapter with yet another warning that we were to obey these commandments with careful intent and with the totality of our being.
He reminds those, the generation about to enter into the promised land, that they have declared the Lord to be their God and therefore expected to walk in his ways.
The Lord in turn has promised to bless them, to keep them, and make them a holy people if they hold fast to the terms of the covenant.
In chapter 27, Moses presses this point further, charging us to obey the teachings of Adonai with utmost seriousness.
We see this happening over and over again in Deuteronomy, especially as we get close to the end of the Torah.
Why is Moses repeating himself through the Holy Spirit? Because what he is saying through the Holy Spirit is critically important.
The Lord instructed the Levites as well that when our people assembled, we were to declare that we would not commit idolatry, indulge in sexual immorality, or pervert justice for the vulnerable.
And if you've been following along with our study in Judges, particularly the life of Samson, you see that this didn't last too long.
Chapter 28 contains the blessings that were to be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal once our people entered the land.
The blessings of the Lord included material abundance and prosperity for the land of Israel, along with the promise of numerous offspring.
We were also promised that the Lord would lift us above all the other nations so that we would be respected and feared throughout the world because Adonai was our God.
The blessings in this parasha are amazing, yet the curses in this chapter far outnumber them and they are incredibly specific.
The curses for disobedience escalate steadily, beginning with the reversal of every blessing given to the land and the people.
Where the Lord had once blessed us with children and food, there will now be a barren land and a barren womb.
The curses intensify, invasion by foreign nations, exile, famine, cannibalism, and plagues like those which the Lord struck Egypt with when he set us free.
Such graphic detail served as a warning of exactly what would happen if we broke our covenant with God.
It's meant to be shocking.
It's meant to be scary.
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