There is a moment in this week’s Torah portion Ki Tavo that touched me to the core. It comes in the second aliyah as we hear from an anonymous Israelite after they have completed their yearly offerings. Standing in front of the priests in the Holy Temple they are instructed to say the following: “I have cleared out the consecrated portion from the house; and I have given it to the [family of the] Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, just as You commanded me; I have neither transgressed nor neglected any of Your commandments” (Deuteronomy 26:12)
This plea continues for another verse as they vouch for their own righteousness, and, then, in that moment, they pray not for themselves, but for their people: “Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel, and the land which you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land that flows with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:15). Please God, this person implores God, we’ve done the hard work, now give us what you promised us.
There is something so honest and raw about the request. And, especially in these days after 10/7, so relatable. It is also, in a way, very selfless. With all the things we can ask of God, peace and security is all we really need. After two millennia of suffering, we are finally back in our own land, why can’t it be easier? For a moment, I am not a citizen of the modern age, but have traveled back to the time of our ancestors and like them, standing in front of the God of Creation. Having done all I can to make things right, reciting from the psalms, “I lift my eyes up to the hills, when will my help arrive?” (Psalm 121).
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex