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September 6, 1958

Selichot (1958)

Ki Tavo
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Outline

Forgetting God (1957)

Towards the end of the special prayer recited by the Jew bringing bikkurim (first fruits), he says a seemingly anti-climactic phrase: "lo shachachti" – “I have not forgotten.” What an amazing expression. Of course he didn’t forget – how could he? This man went through a long, devoted, loving, and detailed process: watching for the first blossom, tying it, watching it grow, gathering the fruits, preparing for a long pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and presenting the fruits with care and reverence. After all that, the idea that he might have “forgotten” seems absurd. It's like praising someone as highly spiritual – and also noting that he doesn't pick pockets or torment the elderly. Yet, in those two small words lies a profound chunk of Jewish hashkafah – philosophy.They reveal that it's possible to perform many good deeds, even mitzvot, and yet “forget” them – to do them by habit, by social pressure, by imitation, without conscious intent. That is, one can live a superficially pious life without ever being spiritually alive. The key question is: Why am I doing this? Am I religiously awake or asleep? If someone lives decently but never reflects on their actions or their purpose, then while they may be a “good person,” they haven't truly lived religiously. The phrase lo avarti mi’mitzvosecha – “I have not transgressed Your commandments” – may indicate the absence of sin, but it is not the presence of virtue. Only when one adds lo shachachti – “I have not forgotten” – meaning: I remember why I do this, I do it consciously, with kavvanah, because God commanded it, because I accept my destiny and acknowledge my dependence on the Divine – only then has one performed a real mitzvah.This is the meaning of kavvanah – of meaningfulness. That’s why ritual mitzvot need constant reflection and intention. They should not become mere habits, but meaningful habits. That’s why we say hineni muchan u’mezuman – “behold, I am ready and prepared” – before certain mitzvot.So many areas of mode…
Ki Tavo

Synagogue Sermon

Fear and Forgetfulness (1965)

There is a verse in the Psalms that we read every Shabbat morning as part of our services, and that we also recite, with special gusto, at the end of our Grace or ברכת המזון. The verse reads: יראו את ה’ קדושיו כי אין מחסור ליראיו, “Fear the Lord, you, His holy ones; for those who fear Him will suffer no מחסור, no lack or want or need.” On the face of it, this is a beautiful verse, but rather unexceptional: those who are God-fearing will be rewarded by not having to suffer need or privation.However, on second thought this sentence appears somewhat puzzling and troublesome. Is this not basically an uninspired appeal to selfishness? Is it spiritually worthy to appeal for piety on the grounds that we will be handsomely rewarded for it? Is this not a classical case of what the Rabbis called, disapprovingly, the servant who obeys his master על מנת לקבל פרס, on the condition that he will receive a tip or reward?A meaningful answer is offered by the great Hasidic teacher, author of the “בני יששכר.” Divested of its complex Hasidic terminology, his answer is that the fear of God, which is simply the Hebrew idiom for “religion,” is fundamentally different from any other kind of יראה. Every other fear is caused by a חסרון or מחסור, a lack that I recognize within myself. I fear the government because I know that I am powerless and weak by comparison. I fear the Internal Revenue Service, because I know that I lacked integrity in preparing my returns. I fear an examination, because I know that I failed to study and hence lack the learning to pass it. I fear exposure to disease, because my body lacks the strength to combat and endure illness. Every יראה is symptomatic of an inner מחסור. However, the fear of God is not the result of any personal מחסור. I do not fear God because I am afraid of Him in the ordinary sense. My religion is not motivated by some basic material or psychological needs that I experience and that cry out for fulfillment or care. I am not religious because – a…
Ki Tavo

Synagogue Sermon

Selihot - First Fruits of the New Year (1964)

At the beginning of today’s Sidra we read of two institutions which were legislated for our ancestors by Moses. The first is the bikkurim, the commandment to bring the first fruit to the Kohen or Priest. The second is the maasrot, the various tithes which were obligatory for the Jew: a tenth of one’s income to the Levite every year and, on alternate years, an additional contribution to the poor and underprivileged, and the bringing of one’s fruit to Jerusalem and eating them there joyously. There are a number of similarities between bikkurim and maaser. For one thing, both are compulsory contributions. Further, each of them is accompanied by a set recitation. And finally, both of them became effective only upon the entrance of Israel to the Holy Land: ve’hayah ki tavo el ha-aretz.But even more significant than the similarities are the differences between these two great institutions. In introducing the recitation that is to accompany the giving of the tithe or maasrot, the Torah merely says v’amarta, “and you shall say.” Before the recitation for the bikkurim, however, the Torah prefaces the words v’anita v’amarta, “and you shall call out and say.” That extra word v’anita was interpreted variously by our Rabbis. Thus, they said that the bikkurim are to be brought and the recitation is to be read be’kol ram, in a loud voice; whereas the recitation for the maasrot is to be pronounced be’kol namokh, in a whisper. Furthermore, the recitation for bikkurim must be bi’leshon ha-kodesh, in the Holy Tongue or Hebrew; whereas the maasrot reading may be be’khol lashon, in any language. A third difference involves the terminology used: the bikkurim recitation is called mikra, a reading or proclamation; whereas the maasrot reading is called viduy, which means a confession. And then there is also a historical difference between the two. The bikkurim was offered in the Holy Land as the Temple was in existence. The reading for the maasrot, however, was interrupted in the middle of…
Ki Tavo