Jews are the Bikurim of Hashem | Parshas Ki Tavo

00:00 There is an interesting Midrash, Midrash Tanchuma on Parshas Ki Savo, about the mitzvah of bikkurim, bringing the first fruits. The Midrash says that when Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw through ruach hakodesh that the Beis Hamikdash would be destroyed in the future and the mitzvah of bikkurim would cease, he instituted prayer for them three times a day. He instituted the mitzvah of prayer three times a day when he foresaw through ruach hakodesh that the mitzvah of bikkurim would cease. The obvious question is: What is the connection? Is the mitzvah of bikkurim replaced by prayer? They are two separate things. Bikkurim are “from the first of all the fruit of the land”: one brings fruit grown in the Land of Israel to the Beis Hamikdash. What does that have to do with the service of prayer? The service of prayer takes place three times a day, every day, all year, whereas bikkurim are brought once a year, from the first of all the fruit of the land. What is the connection between them? What is this surprising thing the Midrash is saying? When he foresaw through ruach hakodesh that bikkurim would cease, he instituted the mitzvah of prayer—how are these things connected? When we look at the mitzvah of bikkurim, we see that it was one of the first things a Jew brought from the produce of the land. In general, when bringing produce of the land, there are several obligations: bikkurim, terumos, maasros, and quite a few others—maaser rishon, maaser sheini, many things that are given from the produce as it grows. Various charitable gifts and offerings are taken from it for the Beis Hamikdash, the kohanim, the Levi’im, and the poor; many mitzvos are connected with grain and fruit. But what comes first? “From the first of all the fruit of the land”—that is bikkurim. And here we find two things called “first.” The Torah calls the mitzvah of bikkurim “first,” and the mitzvah of

02:00 terumah is also called “first”: “The first of your grain.” There are two things called “first”: the mitzvah of bikkurim and the mitzvah of terumah. But we find that the mitzvah of bikkurim comes earlier—not just earlier, but much earlier. Bikkurim begin while the fruit is still attached to the tree and is not yet ready to be picked. A person enters his garden, as Rashi quotes from the Mishnah, and sees a fig that has begun to ripen, a fruit still attached and growing, and that fig will be bikkurim. In other words, bikkurim begin right at the start, while the fruit is still growing. Terumah, by contrast, although it too is called “first” in the Torah, comes only once there is grain, once there is a pile of harvested grain. After the sheaves have been gathered, after the grain has been cut and all those things have been done, the obligation of terumah takes effect, and one takes from the first of the grain. But in general, both bikkurim and terumah are called “first.” What do these two things allude to? There are two things called “first.” In his commentary on the Chumash, on “Bereishis—G-d created the heavens and the earth,” Rashi says: “Bereishis”—for the sake of the Torah, which is called “first,” and for the sake of Israel, who are called “first.” In other words, two things are called “first.” Jews are called “first”: “Like the first fig in its first season, I saw your forefathers,” a verse in Hoshea that compares the Jews to bikkurim. And where is the Torah called “first”? “Hashem made me the first of His way.” “Israel is holy to Hashem, the first of His produce” is said about Jews, and “first” is also said about the Torah. In other words,

04:22 Jews and the Torah are called “first.” And here the Torah says “Bereishis”—and Rashi says in his very first commentary—that the entire world was created for the sake of the Jews and for the sake of the Torah. That, too, is what “first” means. The true meaning of “first” is not merely that they were at the beginning of the world, but that the entire world was created for their sake. In fact, they preceded the world. The Jews and the Torah preceded the creation of the world. And the Midrash, citing Tanna Devei Eliyahu, says that two things preceded the world: the Jews preceded the world, and the Torah preceded the world. The Midrash continues: Which of them came first? Between the Torah and Israel themselves, which came first? the Midrash asks. And it answers that when we look in the Torah and see it saying, “Speak to the Children of Israel,” “Speak to the Children of Israel,” we understand from this that Israel came first. The Jews preceded the Torah; that is why the Torah tells the Jews what to do. If the Jews had not come first, to whom would the Torah be speaking, and whom would it be teaching how to behave? So the Jews and the Torah are called “first,” and of the two, the Jew is “first,” because he precedes the Torah. On this basis, the Alter Rebbe explains in his maamarim that these are the two concepts of bikkurim and terumah. Bikkurim allude to the souls of Israel. He cites the verse, “Like the first fig in its first season.” In other words, Jews are called bikkurim because they are the first in the order of things. Bikkurim come first, and afterward a person separates terumah. Similarly, Israel precedes everything. “The thought of Israel preceded everything,” says a Midrash. Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s thought, so to speak, of the souls of Israel came before everything, even before the Torah. Accordingly, bikkurim represent the souls of Israel. Terumah

06:36 refers to the Torah. The Zohar says, as the Alter Rebbe cites in Tanya, chapter 47, concerning “And they shall take for Me terumah”: The word “terumah” alludes to the Torah, because “terumah” consists of the letters of “Torah” with the addition of the letter mem, which alludes to the Torah that will be revealed in the future. In other words, terumah’s being called “first” is connected with the Torah, which is the second “first.” This is the second thing, in order, that a person brings to the Beis Hamikdash. On this basis, we can understand the Midrash about Moshe Rabbeinu. The Midrash says that bikkurim represent the souls of Israel, and the souls preceded the world, and even the Torah. This teaches us the great stature of the souls of Israel: the soul is rooted, connected, and planted in the essence and being of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, on the highest levels, above the Torah, above the worlds, and above everything else. That is where the souls of Israel belong. And that is what bikkurim are about. When a Jew brings bikkurim, their spiritual purpose is that he brings them to the Beis Hamikdash in order to reveal, illuminate, and awaken the essence of the soul. In other words, every Jew has a soul that is literally a part of G-d above. The soul is in a very lofty place, in the upper worlds, but that is its state above. When a Jew brings bikkurim, this actually reveals and brings forth the essence of the soul: the fact that he is a Jew and literally a part of G-d above. This is revealed through the mitzvah of bikkurim. And that is what the Torah says: “When you come to the land.” As explained in several books, as Yosef Goren [?] says, and as cited in several books, in Tzror Hamor on the Torah, in Sifsei Chachamim on the Torah, and the like. It appears in several books, and for

08:37 Israel, the matter is explained, especially in the teachings of Chassidus, at even greater length: “When you come to the land” refers to the soul’s descent below. The soul descends here, into this physical world; “And you shall go to the place that Hashem will choose”—the soul descends here and goes to the place that Hashem will choose, in order to fulfill the Divine purpose down here, in this physical world: to make a dwelling place for Him in the lower realms. Of this it says: “And you shall take from the first of all the fruit of the land”—the bikkurim—“and place it in a basket.” “Place it in a basket” refers to the soul becoming enclothed in a body. The soul, which is literally a part of G-d above, enters a basket, a vessel, a physical body, and through this it becomes possible to fulfill physical mitzvos. When the soul is not in a body, it cannot fulfill mitzvos. The soul descends here and becomes enclothed in a body so that it can fulfill Torah and mitzvos in this physical world. And there is the well-known saying that the Rebbe Rashab said to his son, the Frierdiker Rebbe. [unclear] He said to him, pointing to his physical body, to his hand: See how precious this is; or: See how precious the flesh of the physical body is—for the sake of refining this flesh, this body, so much Torah and so many mitzvos have been bestowed upon it. And the Alter Rebbe also once said, as cited in Hayom Yom for Erev Rosh Hashanah, that it is impossible

10:16 at all to say or describe how precious a Jew’s body is to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This shows the greatness of a Jew’s body. “And you shall place it in a basket,” the Torah says: We must take the bikkurim, which are the soul, bring it down into the body, and connect the soul with the body, so that the soul shines within the physical body, within physical flesh. And how do we fulfill this today, when there is no Beis Hamikdash? This is the central purpose of the service of prayer. That is the difference between the two matters, bikkurim and terumah: the service of prayer and the study of Torah. And this is what the Midrash says: When Moshe saw through ruach hakodesh that a time would come when the Beis Hamikdash would be destroyed—when the Beis Hamikdash stood, how did a Jew reveal the essence of his soul? Through the mitzvah of bikkurim. And then, indeed, performing the mitzvah of bikkurim once a year was enough. Nothing more was needed: you came to the Beis Hamikdash, where the Levi’im sang, “I will exalt You, Hashem, for You have lifted me up,” as brought in the Mishnah and the Rambam. And the kohanim received the bikkurim. It was a complete service, performed by the kohanim in their service, the Levi’im in their song, and the Yisraelim in their stations. Every Jew did his part and brought the bikkurim, and through this

11:43 what happened? When they came to the Beis Hamikdash, the essence of the soul shone forth and was revealed in the body—“and you shall place it in a basket.” Through this, the Jew received the strength to serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu and observe Torah and mitzvos throughout the year. As Moshe Rabbeinu says, “[unclear].” [unclear] And as we say about prayer in general: prayers take the place of sacrifices. In the Beis Hamikdash, offering sacrifices required certain conditions. Sacrifices could be offered only in a state of purity; purity was required, a kohen and a Levi were required, along with the entire surrounding order. Those were the conditions for offering sacrifices. Since the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, prayers take the place of sacrifices. Every Jew can perform the service of prayer in place of the sacrifices. All the more so with what we are saying here about bikkurim. What are bikkurim? The great revelation that comes from connecting the body with the essence of the soul, with the holiness in the soul, which is connected with [unclear] and purity. Today, this is revealed through the service of prayer and finds expression in our business dealings and in the basket. This helps us understand what Chassidus explains at length about the wonder of the service of prayer. Chassidus explains that the word for prayer, tefillah, implies joining and connecting. The service of prayer itself joins and connects the soul, and connects the essence of the soul with the Shechinah above, higher and higher. A Jew’s soul comes from the loftiest levels, and the body brings it down into the basket. This is the Rebbe’s wonderful explanation of “and you shall place it in a basket.” In addition, there is a very interesting law that the Gemara cites, and that the Rambam later brings

13:31 as the halachah concerning the mitzvah of bikkurim. But first, before getting into that, I need to tell a story. The story chassidim tell comes from someone who was there when it happened. We are talking about bikkurim. The story illustrates the spirit of what we discussed earlier, and it has to do with mishloach manos. This was the practice in the Rebbe’s home at that time: many people brought mishloach manos to the Rebbe’s home and placed them on the table. There were also some prominent families who brought large mishloach manos, with expensive, lavish, beautiful things, for the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin. They brought the mishloach manos to the house, and the women there arranged them. The household did not use all the mishloach manos afterward. They thought about who would eat them and took them to shuls, children, yeshivos, and schools. They distributed the mishloach manos. Once, on Purim, late in the afternoon, someone knocked on the door. The household staff went and opened it. A young man stood at the door and said he wanted to bring mishloach manos to the Rebbe. This was not the usual thing, but he was a young man who felt [unclear]. Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka a”h was sitting there at the time. She saw someone bring in mishloach manos and place it on the table. She asked, “What is that?” They told her, “A young man was here; he came and brought this mishloach manos.” Her face lit up. She looked at it and said, “Ah, this bag, this mishloach manos, I’ll show my husband.” By “my husband”

16:47 she meant the Rebbe. “I’ll show it to my husband; he will surely be very happy with it.” And it was remarkable: on the table lay large, beautiful, lavish mishloach manos, in big bags filled with all sorts of things. But it was precisely this simple bag, with the simple mishloach manos brought by an ordinary young man—he had bought it with the few pennies he had—that gave the greatest pleasure and was held most precious. We find an interesting halachah concerning bikkurim. The Gemara says, in Bava Kama 92, that some who brought bikkurim were poor and some were wealthy. The wealthy brought their bikkurim in large vessels of gold and silver. The poor brought their bikkurim in very simple vessels made—as the Gemara says—of reeds and willow, that is, of leaves, branches, and all sorts of things from the field. Ordinary people fashioned them into a kind of basket and placed in them the little produce they had, the few fruits they had. Those were their bikkurim. The Gemara says that when the wealthy people came with their large vessels, the fruits were taken out and they took the vessels back. The vessels did not remain with the kohen. The kohen received the fruits, but the vessels

18:38 they took back. Not so the poor: they brought the fruits in baskets, and the baskets, too, remained with the kohen. And the Gemara concludes: “Poverty follows the poor.” In other words, even in the end, it is specifically the poor man whom poverty pursues. What does it mean that poverty pursues him? Even his vessels did not remain in his possession; they stayed with the kohen. But what is the reason for this? Why did the wealthy bring vessels and take them back, while in the case of the poor, even the vessels remained with the kohen? The commentaries offer several explanations. One explanation they give is very simple: In the case of the wealthy, [unclear] the vessels to the kohen. These were very dignified vessels, and bringing them added to the pleasure of the occasion. But afterward, the vessels were to remain theirs; the fruits went to the kohen. Not so in the case of the poor: these were simple baskets, made only to carry the fruits, so they had no reason to take the vessels back. That is one reason. A second reason given is that, since the poor brought very little—as Tosafos explains—since the poor brought very little, they brought just a few fruits and wanted their gift to have at least some significance, some value. It was therefore established that the vessels, too, would remain with the kohen, so that the gift would have something more to it, some substance, some importance. The wealthy already brought plenty of fruit and many kinds of gifts. Well, the fruit alone was enough. The poor brought only a plate of fruit and wanted to give a larger, more significant gift; the vessel is what gave it that significance. But in truth, there is a deeper point here. The Rebbe explains it at a farbrengen on Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo, Elul 5744, and the explanation was later printed in Likkutei Sichos with additional details. The Rebbe made a wonderful point: We see that the procedure for bringing bikkurim gives the basket a whole role of its own: “And you shall place it in a basket,” and then, “The kohen shall take the basket from your hand.” In other words, the basket is central to the mitzvah of bikkurim. We see explicitly that the Torah makes a whole mitzvah of the basket. Seemingly, why does the Torah need to mention the basket at all? Do as you wish: bring the fruits in a sack, a bundle, a bag, or a box; bring them however you like. That is up to you. Why does the Torah specify what they are brought in at all? But we see that the Torah makes a whole mitzvah of the fact that—

20:03 Very little fruit indeed, and they wanted their gift to have at least some significance, some value. So it was established that the containers, too, would remain with the kohen, giving the gift something more—some substance, some importance. The wealthy had already brought plenty of fruit and all sorts of other gifts. Well, the fruit alone was enough. The poor brought only a plate of fruit, and they wanted to give a larger, more significant gift. The container is what gave it that significance. But there is actually something deeper here. The Rebbe explained this at a farbrengen on Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo, in Elul 5744, and the discussion was later printed in Likkutei Sichos with additional details. The Rebbe made a remarkable point: In the procedure for bringing bikkurim, the first fruits, we see a whole emphasis on the tana, the basket: “You shall place it in a basket,” and then, “The kohen shall take the basket from your hand.” In other words, the basket is a central part of the mitzvah of bikkurim. We see explicitly that the Torah makes a whole mitzvah of the basket. Seemingly, why does the Torah need to mention the basket at all? Do as you please: bring the fruit in a sack, a bundle, a bag, or a box; bring it however you like. That is up to you. Why does the Torah specify what to bring it in? But we see that the Torah makes a whole mitzvah of the fact that—

21:39 They must be placed in a basket, and the basket must be brought: “The kohen shall take the basket from your hand.” From this we see that the basket is important. But in what way? Here there is a distinction. Bringing the basket is an essential part of the mitzvah of bikkurim. Once the basket reaches the kohen—“The kohen shall take the basket from your hand”—we have to consider what happens to it. And this is where the distinction comes in. For the wealthy person, the basket was made of a material that was not fruit, that had no connection to the seven species or to their growth, planting, and harvesting. In other words, the vessel itself was not subsumed within the fruit. Its only purpose was to fulfill the mitzvah as the Torah states it: “You shall place it in a basket,” and “The kohen shall take the basket from your hand.” But once that was done, its role was over. The main thing remained the fruit of the seven species. The basket, by contrast, had no connection to their growth. It was not left there; it went back to its owner, the wealthy person. But when the poor brought a basket, the basket itself was connected to growth. It was part of the seven species themselves. This kind of vessel, this kind of basket, became completely subsumed within the fruit; it became part of the mitzvah of bringing bikkurim. It is as though, even if they were to take it

23:15 You have the fruit, the tree, the straw, [unclear], all kinds of parts from which a vessel can be made. A vessel made of woven shoots is, so to speak, like part of the fruit itself, part of those shoots. In this way, the vessel joins the fruit of the seven species, and so, when the mitzvah of bikkurim is fulfilled, it remains there with the kohen. This kind of vessel in particular, made of woven shoots, was part of the bikkurim not only when they were brought, but remained part of them afterward. The wealthy person’s vessel, by contrast, was from the outset a separate vessel that made it possible to fulfill the mitzvah of bringing bikkurim as commanded. Afterward it remained ordinary property and returned to its owner. What is the spiritual meaning of this? In light of what we discussed earlier, there is great depth here. As we said, bikkurim relates to the soul. The soul is truly a part of G-d above, [unclear] precedes the world, the first fruits, [unclear]. The soul must descend below, and it must specifically become clothed in a body. This is why the Torah gives the mitzvah of the basket, according to the inner meaning of things: the purpose is for the soul to descend here below and become clothed in a physical body. Through this, the physical body becomes a vessel for G-dliness. That is the meaning of “You shall place it in a basket.” And this

24:50 is what the Torah is telling us: specifically the basket—the body—[unclear] vessels of wealth, of gold and silver, but the simple physical body. That is what the basket represents: the simple body. And it is precisely this body that becomes subsumed within the soul. Chassidus teaches us that when the soul shines specifically within the body, we see plainly that the intent is a dwelling place for Hashem in the lower realms: fulfilling mitzvos with simple things. We are not looking for [unclear], not looking for grand things or other things, [unclear], but for the body to become subsumed within the soul. It is specifically the simple body, performing simple mitzvos—particularly through action, by a simple Jew, as the Baal Shem Tov says—that reveals the soul’s true eternity. This is expressed especially in Parshas Ki Savo, which always falls around Chai Elul, the birthdays of the two great luminaries, the holy Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. This also reveals something more about Eretz Yisroel, and this is what we reflect on: simplicity itself is revealed specifically through simplicity. In other words, the soul’s simplicity—for the soul is bikkurim, truly a part of G-d above—is revealed specifically in simplicity, in simple faith, in wholehearted faith, and in practical mitzvos that a Jew performs with kabbolas ol and simple faith. And it is precisely this that reveals the soul’s vast reach, great depth, and great wonders. That is what the weekly parsha tells us in the passage about bikkurim. “When you come into the land”—the soul has descended below. And the Baal Shem Tov’s explanation, connected with Chai Elul, of “When you come into the land” is well known: a Jew reveals his will and what he desires, the innermost part of his soul. “You shall go to the place that Hashem will choose”—a Jew considers where he is going and where he stands,

26:55 for that is “the place that Hashem will choose”: Hakadosh Boruch Hu sent him into the world to illuminate it with a verse from Chumash, a verse from Tehillim, a mitzvah, a blessing. This is the meaning of “You shall place it in a basket.” And the basket—specifically the simple basket—remains with the kohen, remains in the Beis Hamikdash, becomes part of the mitzvah of bikkurim, and through it we fulfill the intent of making a dwelling place for Hashem. From this we come to see, especially now, at this time, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and during Rosh Hashanah, which are days of judgment, that it is specifically material matters that bring the physical to the fore. From this we come to see the wonders of a Jew’s body. And we cannot begin to imagine, as the Rebbe said on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, how precious a Jew’s body is. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu therefore grant every Jew, materially in the most literal sense, a good year in material matters, and a good inscription and sealing. And through this, through the work of prayer that reveals the soul within the body, may it indeed be a blessed year, a sweet year, a joyful year, with every material blessing for every Jew, in visible and revealed good, leading to the complete Geulah through our righteous Moshiach. Then we will bring actual bikkurim to the Beis Hamikdash.