Parashat Ki Tavo
Shalom Friends,
There are many verses in the
Torah that suggest a tangible likeness in image and actions between humans and
G-d. From the words in Bereishit/Genesis
that say “let’s make man in our image…”(1:26) to the verse in this week’s Torah
portion in Dvarim/Deuteronomy “…to follow in His ways…”(28:9) Chazal/Our Sages teach that to “follow in His
ways”, to emulate G-d, has a specific meaning.
Just as G-d is compassionate, so should we be compassionate, etc. Through these actions, we achieve a level of
connection to G-d that can only be achieved when observing any of the 613
commandments. There is more, Chazal
states that when we act in accordance with G-d’s mitzvot, the world is watching
as well and the positive actions are a Kiddush Hashem-Sanctification of G-d’s
name. These actions also increase the holiness of the world as those who
observe others doing acts of lovingkindness may continue and emulate the good
that they see being performed.
Rabbi M. D. Soloveitchik
points to the great weight of responsibility that a Jew carries when performing
any act in public. The actions of one
Jew reflect on the rest of the community, thus, if the actions are negative,
the whole community will suffer if there is a price to pay. A Jew, no matter
what his or her intentions are, can never isolate him/ herself from the
community. All actions have an effect on
others. Therefore it is important and
even rewarding to do the positive, while knowing that the consequences of the
opposite should inspire us to greater heights of mitzvah performance. Don’t we all prefer a smile to a frown?
In addition, we are quickly
passing through the month of Elul. This
is our month of deep introspection.
While none of us is perfect it is important to evaluate ourselves and
our actions over the past year. Without
exception, we all have things that we need to work on and improve within
ourselves and in our relationships with others. Please consider joining
our/your community wherever you may be in the lead-up time to the High Holy
Days. The benefits of advance
preparation can make all of the difference in what we can each gain from this
time of year when we are gifted with the opportunities for spiritual renewal.
Shabbat Shalom Umvorach
Rabbi David