Ki Tavo, this week's Torah portion, opens with a commandment to bring the first fruits of our harvest as an offering to God, acknowledging God's having brought us into the Land of Israel. Then, we are told to recite the words that appear in the Passover Haggadah (Deut. 26:5-10):
My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the Eternal, the God of our ancestors, and the Eternal heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The Eternal freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. God brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So, I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O Eternal, have given me.
The text, along with the Passover Haggadah, tells us not to take for granted the blessings that we have. Perhaps you believe that the Exodus from Egypt literally happened. Or maybe you believe, as I do, that the lessons of the Exodus are more powerful and more truthful than whether or not the Exodus actually happened (I don't think it did!). Either way, I know that a lot of the blessings that a lot of the blessings I have in my life are the result of circumstance beyond my control. I do believe that God plays a role in those blessings and our tradition teaches us to be grateful and to offer our thanks.
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