Deuteronomy Cycle Three Ki Thavo 26:1 to 29:8

Ki Thavo


Imagine this. We collect in the town square with fresh fruit and grapes (if we live close) dried fruit and raisins (if we live far). We bring the seven species; figs, pomegranates, olive oil, date honey, wheat and barley. An ox with horns wears a crown of olive branches. The flute plays. We walk up to the temple, mothers and fathers with babies, old men and women, lovers, friends. Leaders and artisans come out to meet us. The Levite does a wave offering of our basket of first fruits by placing his hand below while we hold it by the handles. We recite a verse from Psalms 30:2: I will extol you O Lord for you have raised me up and have not suffered my enemies to rejoice over me.

This is how Ki Thavo begins. Once we are in the Promised Land amd only once we come into it (Rashi) we are to bring the first fruits to the place-name of God’s choosing. In the scene above (in Talmud) this place is the temple.

This is my interpretation. We are to bring the divine sparks from all animate things and beings to meet at the one central heart-nexus. This is the place of God’s choosing. It can be seen as the temple. It can be seen as an intangible place within our hearts. Wherever it is, it’s to where we must cause the fruits of the earth to rise and come. This nexus is where all divine sparks from earth and from body meet, where there is healing, flow, touch, taste, spiritual honey, the entry to the home of God.

It’s work though to do this offering. It just doesn’t happen. We want to begin by shedding the material world, just a bit, and raising our eyes to the central point. Rabbi Nachman says this: God created the world out of love…He brought about the entire creation from the beginning…of Atzilut…down to the end of the central point of the material world, all in order to manifest His love. You can say that the first fruits are in our eyes and as we raise them we make our offering. In yoga, it is known that our bodies follow our vision. The higher we can look up, the more we can arch our backs off the ground. So we visualize the first of the harvest, collect these pure fruits, begin walking.

We continue by looking at the word bo (come) with the eyes of the spirit. We move forward to a Promised Land within which is an even more Promised Land. And the way we get within is by not only coming but by causing-to- come. We have to cause-to-come our spirits from our hearts as if we are tending-watering-alluring fruits from the land. We have to cause-to-come all divine sparks from all life (even beyond our own bodies). We work hard on freeing that seed-spiral from our hearts. We create a continuum of forward movement. It just keeps happening. Faster and faster. You let loose. And the fruits pop up from the earth. The light pops out from the tree. All sparks collect at a nexus. More people join you on the march. More fruit. More music and celebration. You collect at the temple today before your eyes. And then the basket of this essence…the absolute essence… is raised to God.

Finally, we want to know the boundaries. The more solid, the more direct the path, the greater the flow-potential to the center point. After all, our bodies are already boundaries for the light within us. So there also must be a beyond-human flow with strong, frightening, heart-breaking boundaries. Boundaries that seem to slam our faith if we don’t know what they are. Boundaries that seem to destroy us if we don’t know what they are. Curses that seem to deny our very God if we don’t know why they are there. You enjoy the walk and move forward. You are careful and you move forward. You recognize the fear and doubt (you let it be the boundary) and keep it out of the path. You keep out words or actions that can destroy the path. And then carefully, the basket is raised by the Levite to God.

Here’s memories from Numbers. Blessed with the consciousness of both Korach and Aaron , we step directly and keep our vision on the first fruits. We see how easy it is to get swallowed by the earth and see that if we can really go to great depths, even our staffs…even the inanimate… will raise sparks and flower.

So, may we see that in Bo we are being asked to cause-ourselves-to-come beyond. May we realize that there is great abundance in our connection with God... joy, beauty, generosity, caring, compassion. May we see that the boundaries enable our offering and our march to the nexus. May we honor the curses as well as the blessings for they are all God. May we join the flow of divine sparks and move to the center of love.