Shabbos Parashas Ki Savo - 5777

Shabbos Parashas Ki Savo - 5777

Rabbi Hal Miller

I have not eaten of it in my intense mourning, I did not consume it in a state of

contamination, and I did not give of it for the dead; I have hearkened to the voice of

Hashem, my G-d, I have acted according to everything You commanded me.

[Devarim 26:14]

The Torah commands us to tithe, with a complicated schedule and varying recipients.

It then commands us in our verse and the two preceding it to make a statement about

what we have done to follow that schedule. Why is this declaration a separate mitzvah?

Further, it seems that our verse has some redundancy, when it says "I have listened"

and follows with "I have acted". If we hearken or listen to the voice of Hashem, does it

not follow that we acted as well?

Abarbanel asks, "What need is there for the person to boast orally about what he has done?"

He answers that "The tithe confession concerns the poor man's tithe," explaining that it was

obvious that people would not have a problem with the second tithe since they themselves

received the benefit by eating it in Jerusalem during their pilgrimages there. But would they

also tithe when the produce goes to someone else? Thus the Torah required a 'confession'

to go along with it.

Rav Moshe Feinstein expands on this. In the case of something difficult to do, where there

is no obvious benefit to a person, it takes more motivation to ensure completion. In our

verse we see that each person is called before G-d, Who knows our thoughts and acts,

in front of whom we must declare that we did even the parts that did not benefit us personally.

He continues, "Proper observance of this obligation thus requires the dedication of a large

part of a man's life. Through this dedication he will come to understand that there is no

difference in the degree of our responsibilities and obligations." In other words, we must

act on all mitzvos, not just the "easy" ones.

Sefer HaChinuch addresses the fear of G-d issue: "man's unique gift, setting him apart from

and above the animals, is his power of speech, since he shares his other abilities with them.

Therefore most people will recoil from dishonoring their word, more than sinning in deed."

On the matter of apparent redundancy, Talelei Oros "explains that reward comes to us not

only for fulfilling the mitzvos, but also for simply accepting to fulfill them. This can be inferred

from Rashi, who writes that the gentile nations will be punished for refusing to accept the

mitzvos." He says, "First it speaks of acceptance of mitzvos, 'I have listened to G-d.' Then it

refers to actually doing, 'I have done all that He has commanded me'."

Our verse presents us two mitzvos that we can quickly accomplish, at least in the days of

the Temple. We do them to some degree now to prepare ourselves for that day.