Ki Sovo - Coming Home
By Rabbi Yosef Serebryanski
(Deuteronomy 26:1) “And it shall be when you come to the land that Hashem your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall take possession of it and settle in it.” “When you come” in Hebrew is “tavo,” the letters rearranged read “avot” – forefathers.
The Midrash Rabbah explains that the root of the word “oretz” – “land” (rotz, ratzon) means the movement of the will of the Creator. Thus, while the verse is talking about a physical land, it also refers to a spiritual space where the will of the Creator resides.
Since the presence of the Creator is everywhere, a person can enter from anywhere into the resonance of where one is always in the presence of the Creator. This reflects both the land of the forefathers and the example for us of the way they conducted their life. Although we are not on their spiritual level, we are taught to emulate their ways and conduct ourselves accordingly.
The Jewish people were chosen for a purpose. To achieve that purpose they must follow the will of the Creator. In order to follow the will of the Creator they must have humility. The Torah continues (26:2) “and you shall take from the first of all fruit of the earth that you bring from your land.” (26:10) “Now I have brought the first of the fruit of the earth that you gave me, G-d, and you shall place it before Hashem your G-d and you shall bow before Hashem you G-d.” (26:11) “and you shall rejoice with all the good.” The action of bowing before Hashem is humbling. Doing so allows you to nullify any improper behavior, so that you can truly “rejoice.” In other words, the intensity of joy depends on how much a person is able to nullify him/herself. “And you shall take” means “you shall elevate” (Talmud Sukkah 42a).
Often, we read the two names of YH- VH Elohe-cho translated as God your God or YH-VH Elohei-nu Lord our God. The term lord is not a translation to either name and the word God is also not a real meaning of the Hebrew words. There are several Hebrew words that are all translated with the generic term God. YH-VH refers to the transcendent power of the Creator and Elohi-m refers to the power of boundaries through which the Creator expresses its will in the creation. Thus, when the words are together it refers to the way they work in conjunction with one another.
(Deuteronomy 26:19) “And to place you above all the nations that He made.” When you are focused upwards then you will be “above.” “Above” where you are not distracted from achieving your purpose and so that the light shines through you.
“To be a Holy people” and not to learn from the behavior of other people. When you are low then you are exposed and learn from their ways in order to try to find favor in their eyes. The Midrash Tanchumah writes that “above” – “Elyon” can also be read “Ilyon” meaning the direction (thumb) of the hand (as in Onkelos Leviticus 8:24).
May we merit to achieve what is referred to in Proverbs (2:10) “when wisdom comes into your heart.” The numerical value of the first letters of the three Hebrew words “when wisdom comes” is 428. The numerical value of the last letters of the Hebrew words (Psalms 145:16) “open your hands” is also 428. May all of us come home so that the world can serve the Creator in the way that the Creator desires. (Zephaniah 3:9) “For then I will transform the nations to speak in a clear language, to call in the name of YH-VH, to serve Him as one entity.”
