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From the Rabbi:
Parashat Ki Tavo has within it the long list of ills and horrors that will befall us if we misuse the earth by not following the manufacturer’s instructions. Much like the horrors of today's world, though we’d rather not hear about them, we would be remiss not to talk about the elephants in the room. We mustn't be ostriches burying our head in the sand of distractions nor hiding out in the ivory tower of purely theoretical Torah. The Torah wants us to recognize the suffering in the world. Some of the curses mentioned here are so literally unspeakable that we read the whole list quickly in an undertone and even change certain words which are deemed too vulgar to say in shul. But we do read it. Every word.
Unlike the similar list in Leviticus, this one doesn’t have (26:45) “and I will remember my covenant." This week there's no (Deut 30:4) "He will gather you in from the ends of the Earth." No, there’s no happily ever after here, no heavenly aid. We made the mess, we will suffer for it, and if we don't like it, we need to clean it up. Yes, we can always point fingers and blame someone else. But that won't ease our suffering nor will it clean up the mess. The only way forward is that our "we" needs to get bigger.
Our pact with Hashem is that the health of our society and our planet is in our hands. "Oh no, the garden is infected, quick call the Gardner!" Oh, wait. That's us. We're the one’s God sent to help. We inherited a broken and traumatized world and we're it's only hope.
We may not be able to directly or individually defeat any given moral infection, but we all need to fight them. Moreover, we must cultivate morally and spiritually healthy behaviors that will strengthen the entire body. Just like good diet, exercise, and enough sleep strengthen the body so it can heal itself, so too Prayer, Repentance, Charity, Mitzvot, Kindness, Torah study and expressing gratitude to Hashem give vital strength to the whole of the world. When we see suffering we have to look inward and ask ourselves, “How can I help?"
As Rosh Hashanah approaches we must know that the good we can do is at least as strong as any evil in the world. A little light dispels much darkness, and We CAN turn the tide. The Rambam tells us (Teshuvah 3:4) "Throughout the entire year, a person should always look at himself as equally balanced between merit and sin and the world as equally balanced between merit and sin... If he performs one mitzvah, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others." Every kind word or smile at a stranger, every bracha before we eat, every bit of time and energy we put into Torah, every little mitzvah makes a real difference.
We read this parasha every year before Rosh Hashanah in order to “finish the year with all its curses.” May the conclusion of this year bring an end to suffering and sorrow, and may we all come into Rosh Hashanah ready, willing, and able to shine our light and bring renewed joy, health, and happiness to the world.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Shlomo
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