Ki Tavo: 5783 - Rabbi Shimon Zonnenfeld: The parsha of the first fruits teaches us that one must not be ungrateful. A story about Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld's visit to the home of the rabbi of Jaffa, Rabbi…

00:03 Speaker 1 One of the important mitzvos in this week’s parsha is the mitzvah of bikkurim.

00:09 Speaker 2 A mitzvah?

00:10 Speaker 1 The mitzvah of bikkurim. When Hashem bestows good upon a person, he must bring bikkurim to the Beis Hamikdash. As the parsha says, he comes to the Beis Hamikdash and brings them: “The kohen shall take the basket from your hand.” He brings it to the kohen, and it says, “You shall say to him.” What must he say? Rashi explains there: “I am not ungrateful.” In other words, the point of bikkurim is not to be ungrateful. Hashem has given him abundance, so he must give thanks. A person must not be ungrateful. This is a very, very important mitzvah. We see this in Parshas Bereishis with Adam. Hashem gave him a good gift. He gave him a wife: “I will make him a helper opposite him.” But when there was a problem, he said, “The woman You gave me—she gave it to me.” He shifted the blame onto her. Rashi says there: “Here he denied the good done for him.” He was ungrateful. Hashem gave you something good, and now you deny it. Recognizing the good done for us and not being ungrateful is very, very important. We see this with the Alter Rebbe. When he was released from prison on 19 Kislev, he was mistakenly brought to the home of the informer. The man shut the door on him, and he was there for three hours while the man distressed him. So much so that the Alter Rebbe later said those three hours in the informer’s home were harder for him than the entire imprisonment. Nevertheless, when the chassidim were looking for him and eventually came to the informer’s home, thinking perhaps he knew something, they found the Alter Rebbe there. They wanted to deal harshly with the informer when they saw how he was distressing him. The Alter Rebbe told them not to touch him, G-d forbid. Why? Well, out of respect for his hospitality. He had given him a place to stay for

02:15 Speaker 1 three hours and made him a cup of tea, so they must not be ungrateful. Even with all the distress he had suffered there, he would not be ungrateful. We learned in the previous parsha: “You shall not abhor an Egyptian.” Why?

02:31 Speaker 3 Because you were a stranger in his land.

02:32 Speaker 1 Because you were a stranger in his land. Think of the suffering the Jewish people endured in Egypt! But you had a place to stay there. “You shall not abhor an Egyptian.” Do not be ungrateful. There is a story about the rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. In 5674, there was the rabbis’ journey. It was a famous journey: a delegation of rabbis traveled to all the settlements in the Land of Israel at that time to strengthen their observance of the mitzvos connected with the land, and to strengthen their Jewish observance in general. It was a remarkable journey; there is a whole book about it. Rabbi Kook was among them. At the time, he was the rabbi of Jaffa. On their way back, they traveled by train from Jaffa to Jerusalem. When they arrived in Jaffa, Rabbi Kook’s wife—he lived there, as the rabbi of Jaffa—had prepared drinks and refreshments for the delegation. As they sat there, the rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef Chaim, was about to drink from his cup. His youngest son had accompanied him and knew that he was fasting that day. It was 17 Kislev, the anniversary of the passing of one of his children, and he had the custom of fasting on that day. The son thought perhaps his father had forgotten he was fasting, because he saw him about to sip a cup of tea. So he gently reminded him that it was a fast day. But his father paid no attention and took a sip of tea. Later, the son asked him, “Father, you were fasting. Why did you drink?” He replied, “She went to so much trouble to prepare drinks and refreshments for us. We must show respect for her hospitality.” So even though he was fasting, he would not be ungrateful. He broke his fast and drank from the cup of tea. And what reward does the Torah promise? “You will do it again next year.” When a person fulfills the mitzvah and brings

04:48 Speaker 1 bikkurim, the Torah promises, “You will do it again next year”—that Hashem will give him an abundance of good again next year. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

04:56 Speaker 4 Amen.

04:57 Speaker 1 A good and sweet year to the entire Jewish people.

04:59 Speaker 4 Amen!