Ki TavoArtscroll p.1068 | Haftarah p.1201Hertz p.859 | Haftarah p.874Soncino p.1117 | Haftarah p.1134

Volume 30No. 50

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In loving memory of Chaim Elozor Ben Harav Dov Ber

“It will be when you enter the Land that the Lord, your God, gives you… you shall take of the first of everyfruit of the ground… and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord, your God, willchoose, to make His Name rest there” (Devarim 26:1-2).

1 September 2018 21 Elul 5778

Shabbat ends London 8.36pmJerusalem 7.40pm

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Sidrah Summary: Ki Tavo

United Synagogue Daf HashavuaProduced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United SynagogueEditor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial Team: Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Michael Laitner, Sharon RadleyAvailable also via email US website www.theus.org.uk ©United SynagogueTo sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Gila Howard on 020 8343 5699, or ghoward@theus.org.ukIf you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email rabbigross@theus.org.uk

1st Aliya (Kohen) – Devarim 26:1-11 Once the nation has come into the Land of Israel,there is a mitzvah for a produce-grower to takethe first fruits of the new harvest and place themin a basket, before bringing them to a Kohen inthe Temple (bikkurim). After the Kohen takes thebasket, the person who has brought the fruitreads out a text which recalls the initial descentto Egypt and the servitude and the redemption.It concludes with an expression of gratitude toGod for the bounty of the Land (see p.4 article).

Point to Consider: Why does the text read outby the farmer start by mentioning Lavan’sattempts to destroy Yaakov? (see Rashi to 26:5)

2nd Aliya (Levi) – 26:12-15At the end of every third and sixth year of theseven year shemitah cycle, one has to make surethat all the tithes from the produce of the Landfrom the previous years have been given to theirrespective recipients. Once that has beenorganised, a text known as viduy ma’aserot issaid, which declares one’s care for the laws oftithing, followed by a prayer to God to bless theLand.

3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 26:16-19Moshe encourages the people to keep themitzvot and to see them every day as fresh andnew (Rashi). This will elevate the nation to thestatus of being holy and distinguished.

4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 27:1-10Moshe tells the people that on the day they crossthe Jordan, they should take stones, coat themwith plaster and inscribe upon them the wordsof the Torah. They should erect these stones onMount Eival, where they shall also build an altarand bring peace-offerings.

5th Aliya (Chamishi) – 27:11-28:5After the nation enters the Land, they will cometo Mount Gerizim and to Mount Eival. Six of thetribes are to stand on one mountain, six on theother. The Levi’im will stand in between themountains to call out the blessings and thecurses, to which the people will respond “Amen”(Rashi).

6th Aliya (Shishi) – 28:6-69This aliya opens with further blessings if wefollow God's will – our enemies will flee from usand the other nations will be in awe of us.However, the sidrah continues with the tochacha,the passage of retribution. If we do not listen toGod’s commandments and do not observe the mitzvot, the consequences will be grave.Verse after verse warns of petrifying suffering,including illness, plague, blindness, childrentaken captive, being at the mercy of othernations, parents eating their own children and thenation becoming scattered over the Earth.

Question: The end of the rebuke warns that God will send the nation to which country ‘inships’? (28:68) Answer on bottom of page 6.

7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 29:1-8Moshe reminds the people of their wondrousExodus from Egypt, their miraculous survival inthe desert for 40 years and their victories overthe mighty kings Sichon and Og.

HaftarahTaken from the book of Yeshaya, this is the sixthof the seven ‘haftarot of consolation’ read afterTisha B’Av. The prophet relates a vision of thenations of the world coming to Zion andrecognising God. Violence and pain will becomememories of the past – “never again shall yoursun set, nor shall your moon be withdrawn; forGod will be an eternal light”.

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3In memory of Shalom ben Pinchas

The Ambiguity of Translation by Rabbi Emanuel Levy, Palmers Green & Southgate United Synagogue

Judaism seems to have aninconsistent attitude towardstranslations of the Torah. Onthe one hand, when theTorah was translated intoGreek at the behest ofPtolemy, the day of itscompletion on 8 Tevet (c. 245

BCE) was regarded “as calamitous as the day theGolden Calf was made” (Tractate Soferim 1:7). Inearlier generations, it was even kept as a fast dayin its own right; it is still referred to in the selichot(forgiveness prayers) recited on the Fast of 10Tevet.

On the other hand, today’s sidrah states thatwhen the Israelites would eventually cross theJordan and enter the Promised Land, the site oftheir crossing would be commemorated by theerection of large stones in the Jordan, uponwhich would be written “all the words of theTorah, well explained” (Devarim 26:8). Rashi (d. 1105), citing the Talmud (Sotah 32a), says that the phrase “well explained” means “in 70languages”, referring to all the known languagesof the world. The Talmud goes on to explain thatthese stones would warn non-Jews to acceptupon themselves all the Noachide laws and toreject idolatry, which was so rampant at thattime. We see here that by Divine command, noless, the Torah was to be translated. How can weunderstand this in the light of the aversion to theGreek translation, which was known as theSeptuagint?

Rabbi Mordechai Miller (d. 2000) answers thisquestion. He explains that the motives of the two translations were entirely different. TheSeptuagint was tainted by the desire of theGreeks to vaunt their culture to the nations of theworld. Rather than regarding the Torah as pure,Divine, holy and unique, they pandered after therespect of others.

In the case of Moshe’s translation, the contrastcould not have been greater. The people,marching through the desert, were entirelydevoid of influence from alien cultures. They wereled by the Clouds of Glory and were cut off fromany outside forces. Moshe, having absorbed thedeep wellsprings of the Torah, could engage inpure, unadulterated translation. Because the truespirit of Torah lay within him, he could translate itcorrectly into other languages.

Moshe’s translation of the Torah into manylanguages also created a benefit for us. If westudy Torah in a language other than Hebrew, isit true Torah study? Perhaps the holiness andpurity of Torah can only be conveyed to thosewho study it in its original form? The ChidusheiHaRim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter d. 1866),referring to Moshe’s translation, explains thatGod foresaw that, ultimately, the Jewish peoplewould be dispersed amongst the nations of the world, all of whom would speak differentlanguages. By translating the Torah, Moshecaused a spark of holiness to enter each one ofthose languages. As a result, no matter thelanguage, the Torah in all its glory carries itspower to those who study it.

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4In memory of Reuven ben Yehuda Leivish

Living Stories by Rabbi Yoni Birnbaum, Hadley Wood Jewish Community

Over 100 million peoplein India are thought tosuffer from mental healthissues. Despite manyefforts to help people, the root of the problem isthat a huge taboo stillsurrounds these issues.

Tragically, this prevents people from accessingthe help that they so desperately need. Yet aremarkable project was started last year inBangalore by a young woman with bipolardisorder, Sanchana Krishnan. It has alreadychanged hundreds of lives for the better.

Krishnan’s project is called ‘Living Stories’.Young people sit quietly around tables in anordinary café and simply tell each other their life story, describing the difficult times as well as the happy times. Those telling the stories callthemselves ‘open books’ and the strangerslistening to them call themselves ‘readers’.Through telling their own stories and listening tothose of others, they gradually learn to look uponthe world with fresh eyes.

The opening passage of this week’s sidrahdescribes a farmer bringing his first fruits toJerusalem. A key requirement for every farmerwas to stand in the Temple and tell the story ofJewish history, beginning with the words “aramioved avi”, meaning an Aramean pursued myfather, followed by the slavery in Egypt, the storyof the Exodus and finally the arrival of theIsraelites in the Land of Israel (Devarim 26:1-11).Why did every farmer have to go back to squareone? Why did he have to relate the entire ‘Jewishstory’ from the very beginning?

Perhaps the answer is that to bring a generalstory to life, to give it real continuity, it mustbecome personal. By connecting nationalhistory with the powerful moment of bringing his

own first fruits to the Temple, the farmerpersonalises that history and brings the generalJewish story to life. The farmer thus claimsownership of it and makes it his own.

Even more importantly, this declaration indicateshis full-hearted belief in the eternal truth of thestory. Only for such a story would a person bewilling to dedicate their time and efforts - to travelfrom afar to Jerusalem and to declare there thewords, “And now I have brought the first fruitsthat you have given me, God….”

The ‘Living Stories’ project in India aims to inspireothers through the telling of personal stories. The farmer bringing his first fruits is also inspiredby a story, in his case by linking his individualexperiences with our national story.

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5In memory of Devorah Bat Avraham

Navigating Difficult Get Cases Part 2: The Legal Landscapeby Joanne Greenaway, Get Case Director at the London Beth Din

Every case needs a carefullyevaluated and tailoredapproach. Thankfully, there is a practical toolkit availableto us at the London Beth Din.

When a Get application is brought to us, a civil

divorce usually runs concurrently; couples need to fulfil both halachic requirements and civil law requirements. This actually presentsopportunities. My role involves listening carefullyto the parties’ concerns and grievances, as well as liaising with any legal representativesappointed by the parties to progress the Getwithin the context of the civil divorce.

We work to avoid the Get being used as leveragein the context of ancillary issues, such as childrenand finances, which is unacceptable and cancause tremendous stress and anxiety. We areable to offer advice, information, support, referralsand, crucially, reassurance that we will exploreevery avenue to progress the Get. Often ancillaryissues can be taken to a mediation rather than to court. Mediation involves a skilled, impartialmediator who facilitates a collaborative processwhereby the couple arrive at their own solution,rather than an imposed one. This can be hugelybeneficial in resolving any impasse and enablingthem to move forward with all aspects of theirseparation, including the Get. We therefore offermediation options both within and outside theBeth Din.

In the civil divorce process itself, parties can apply to the appointed judge to delay the finaldivorce (Decree Absolute) until the Get is effected– a solution which assists in many cases. Thislegislation was proposed by Her Honour JudgeDawn Freedman and Her Honour the late JudgeMyrella Cohen and was passed in 2002,effectively requiring the dissolution of a religiousmarriage before a civil divorce is granted.

Where a controlling spouse has no interest ineither the Get or the civil divorce and wishes todelay both, it can be more effective to use an

approach whereby both parties commit, duringnegotiations, to dealing with the Get within acertain timeframe. This commitment can then beendorsed by the court as part of a final order.

Whilst the English courts provide some avenues,we are more limited than the Israeli Rabbinicalcourts, where the Dayanim have jurisdiction toimpose penalties, including prison sentences.However, when a Get refuser travels to Israel, we have successfully taken advantage of theseavenues by working with Israeli lawyers. In sucha case, the individual would be summoned to the Beth Din and prevented from leaving Israeluntil a Get was arranged. Recently Israeli law has widened this process to apply to any Jew,regardless of whether they have a connection toIsrael. This change, promoted by our Rosh BethDin, Dayan Menachem Gelley, as part of theleadership of the Conference of European Rabbis, will hopefully prove enormously helpful.

Other legal mechanisms include our Pre-NuptialAgreement, which relates specifically to Getrefusal. This preventative mechanism is signed by couples prior to marriage and fosters anawareness of appropriate behavior around marital breakdown.

We are also constantly involved in consultationsto assess whether new legislation could assistindividual situations. We aim to ensure thatrelevant government departments are fullyappraised of the Jewish community’s needs inthis area and propose creative suggestions.

Many of us know of people whose marriages aresadly ending in divorce. Knowledge of these keytools can enable us to help them.

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6In memory of Shmuel Nissim ben Yaacov

Selichot – Getting to Know Yourself by Rabbi Chaim Burman, US Living & Learning Rabbinic Fellow

“Know before Whom youstand” (Talmud Berachot 28b).This phrase (dmvi hta ym ynpl id)is displayed in manysynagogues across the world,often at the front of the shul. It sets the tone and focus forprayer. In the Greek Temple of

Apollo in Delphi, a parallel but very differentquotation was displayed: “Know thyself”. Thishas since become a familiar maxim in Westernphilosophy. What is behind these contrastingstatements and why do they differ so starkly?

An answer to this question can be found byexamining the structure of Selichot. Theseprayers are read from before Rosh Hashanahuntil Yom Kippur, in which we acknowledgewhere we have gone wrong and the resultingeffects. We wistfully recall the great dedication toGod displayed by our ancestors and raise ourawareness that we often fall short of actualisingour potential. This is an important part of theteshuva process that we undertake at this timeof year.

We would therefore expect the Selichot prayersto begin with some kind of confession of sin or aplea for forgiveness, yet they start on a totallydifferent note. They open with a familiar sectionfrom Tehillim (Psalm 84, leading into Psalm 145): “Happy are those who dwell in Your house” (Ashrei Yosh'vei Veitecha), which seemsincongruous to the entire process. Ashreiacknowledges God’s kindness and praises Hisprovidence. The Selichot prayers then continuewith a recital of Kaddish, which further sanctifiesHis Name. Again, this seems out of place whenwe are about to focus upon our ownshortcomings. Why do we speak so much aboutthe greatness of God when we are coming toengage in the personal process of teshuva?

The answer to this question is that teshuva is aprocess which begins with becoming self-aware.

Without a sound knowledge of what motivates,inspires, amuses and irritates us, we lack thebasic ‘data’ to draw upon when moving towardsa more meaningful life. When we reflect andbecome self-aware and where we are ‘located’,we can then construct a grounded vision ofwhere we hope to reach, and map out a plan ofhow to get there.

Knowing oneself requires humility. A real egotistcannot have meaningful self-knowledge,because their self-preoccupation blinds themfrom seeing the world around them and howothers’ lives intersect with and influence theirown.

We start Selichot with Ashrei and Kaddish tocultivate an awareness that teshuva begins when we step back and allow God into thepicture of our lives; it is within this paradigm thatwe can build accurate self-awareness.

The Greeks were right; knowledge of oneself is crucial to living an honourable life. However, it does not end there. True self-knowledge ispredicated upon the ability to free ourselves from being self-centred. “Know before whom you stand” reminds us that our lives have greatpurpose that extends far beyond the gratificationof our own short-term agendas.

Answer: Egypt

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