Ki Savo: putting things into perspective

Parshat Ki Savo

In 29: 4-5 as Moshe is describing how he led them through the desert, and Hashem performed miracles, etc.. he says our clothes did not wear out... You did not eat bread, wine and beer you did not drink..

Why not just say Hashem took care of your needs by providing the manna every day? Why mention the foods they did not eat? The miracle was the giving of the manna - why not mention it?

We get used to what we have and consider them necessities. I heard once a saying that what we consider a luxury, our children will consider a necessity. What they consider a luxury, their children will consider a necessity..

Hashem fed us the manna for 40 years in the desert.That showed us we could rely on Him to provide for our needs. That was a very important lesson, especially now that they are going into Eretz Yisrael and going to have lead normal lives.

But here Moshe wanted to point out a different lesson from the same incident. He tells us that we need to approach the incident with an attitude of "Look at what I survived without". All those things I thought were necessary for my daily survival - look at that, I survived 40 years with them. I did not get a new suit every year or two. I did not get new sneakers. I did not have my special foods and drinks. No cranberry juice or Cherry Coke. No steak and Italian breads.

"You did not eat bread or drink wine in the desert" - and you survived without them.

You need to realize what is really a necessity and what is a luxury and look at things properly and with the proper priorities and attitude. Keep things in proportion and do not give too much importance to things that are not really so important.

It is not just that Hashem took care of us, but He also showed us that we can survive without the things we thought were important.

Ki Savo: serving with joy

Parshat Ki Savo

While the Torah is writing about how the people were commanded to write the Trah on stones by the Jordan River and build an altar, etc. it adds in 27:7 וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ... - you should slaught sacrifices and eat there and rejoice before Hashem.. and then it gets right back to saying that they should write the Torah on the stones.

What does this happiness have to do with what's going - writing down the commandments, etc.? Why is this mentioned right here in the middle of this discussion?

I think this shows how integral joy and happiness is in the serving of Hashem and fulfilling the Torah. As it is telling us to write and keep the Torah it is telling us we have to be joyous.

This thought is enhanced by what is written in the "tochacha" in 28:47 where it tells us the various punishments that will befall the nation in the even that they do not keep the Torah. It says there, "Because you did not serve Hashem with simcha" - Even if you did serve Hashem, but if you do not do it with the joy and happiness, that means it is lacking in its dedication and truth.

A vital component of service is the joy.