Ki Tavo

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Ki Tavo resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Ki Tavo: The Presence of G-d

Rabbi Jay Kelman

In the secular world in which we live it can be—and often is—hard to feel the presence of G-d. The Western world has turned religion into a private issue by establishing a wall separating church and state. Undoubtedly, this separation of…
Article
Aug 30, 2018

Ki Tavo: In the Garden of Eden

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which You have given me" (Devarim 26:10). The Israeli farmer was to express his gratitude for his bounty by bringing his first fruits to the Temple and publicly thanking G-…
Article
Sep 8, 2017

Ki Tavo: To Share or Not to Share

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvot of bikkurim, the farmers’ bringing of his first fruits of the land to the Temple, and viddui maaser, the declaration of this same farmer that all tithes have been properly distributed. On the surface these …
Article
Sep 4, 2015

Ki Tavo: A Covenant of Love

Rabbi Jay Kelman

With less than two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, the theme of teshuva begins to take centre stage. While the cycle of Torah reading--and for that matter, the obligation of public Torah reading itself--is only rabbinic in nature, the …
Article
Sep 12, 2014

Ki Tavo: Real Estate Talk

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The central aspect of the Pesach seder is the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzraim, retelling and reliving the Exodus experience. The Rabbis chose, as the central text to tell the story, that of the farmers' recital of thanksgiving as he fulfilled…
Article
Aug 23, 2013

Ki Tavo: What a Waste!

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Man has an innate desire to see the fruit of his own efforts. When life's blessings are handed to one on a silver platter, those blessings are robbed of much of their meaning. This explains the well-known phenomenon in which children of very…
Article
Sep 7, 2012