Parshat Ki Tavo

This week’s parashah, Ki Tavo, explains how ancient Israelite farmers offered bikkurim, first fruits. Each year, they would bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. They would give their basket to a priest, and then, in the presence of the priest, would recite a statement of thanksgiving for God’s gifts. The Mishnah, in tractate Bikkurim, elaborates. It tells us that those who knew the statement by heart recited it on their own, and those who did not know it repeated it after the priest.

The problem, according to the Mishnah, was that those who could not recite the statement by heart eventually stopped coming to the Temple with their bikkurim because they were embarrassed. To fix the problem, it was decided that everyone would repeat the statement after the priest, whether they knew it or not, so that no one would be put to shame.

The Mishnah hints at a broader lesson. In order to grow in our relationship with God, we need a safe place in which to do so. In order to learn, we need a supportive community that will not judge us for what we do not know. May our community always be such a place. By protecting one another’s dignity, may we help each other to reach higher.