Torah For Today

Ki Tavo (when you enter)

Deut. 26:1 - 29:9=

We have come to the climax of Moses’ final discourse to the children of Israel. He begins by telling them to bring= an offering to the Lord when they enter the land. Then, he tells them - in detail - how obedience will bring blessing and disobedience will bring a curse. In this Torah portion, we have a g= ood illustration of both the communal identity and personal identity of the Israelites. God commands the = nation to act, yet it is the individual who fulfills the command. In Judaism, there is much emphasis= on community. In the Siddur (prayer book), almost all of the prayers are writt= en in the first person plural - “we” or “us”. In fact a service cannot take place unless ten men over the age of 13 are present. However, there is also much emphas= is on individuals living out the instructions of the Lord.

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<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> In the Greek Scriptures (New Covenant) many of the directives given by Yeshua or Paul are written in the second person plural. For example in 1 Cor. 6:19, we read “your body is a temple…”= Paul uses the plural form for the word “your”. He is speaking to the whole congregation. The whole congregation as a body is called upon to glorify God. Yet this is lived out= in the lives of individuals. In = our Torah portion for today, we learn that there is both a corporate and person= al responsibility to God. Corporately we need to be concerned about each other, so that the w= hole body is obedient to the Lord. Individually we need to do what is right beca= use it not only affects us but the congregation as a whole. We do not live in isolation. What = we do affects those around us.

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<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> As we near the High Ho= ly Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, let us prepare our hearts to confess = our sins and draw closer to God. In doing so, we are not only growing in our own lives, but affecting the life of the congregation as well. Each one of us m= akes a difference! Shabbat Shalom!=

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