GAVE TITHES YET?

Parashat Ki Tavo

Torah: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8

Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (6th haftarah of consolation)

Elul 18, 5784 / September 20-21, 2024

--------------------------------------------------------------

My Cheshbon Hanefesh Worksheet - 5785 Edition, is now available at my blog:

https://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2024/09/cheshbon-hanefesh-worksheet-5785-edition.html 

I hope you find it useful.

-------------------------------------------------
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. On September 23, we'll be at BT Chagigah 9b, page 10 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 3:

  "... תניא מעוות לא יוכל לתקן ..."

"We are taught in a Baraitha: That which is crooked cannot be made straight ..."

Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing 

----------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
--------------------------------------------------------------

GAVE TITHES YET?

"When you have set aside the full tenth part of your crop - in the third year, the year of the tithe - and you have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, that they may eat their fill in your settlements, you shall say before the Lord your God: 'I have cleared out the holy portion from the house ...; I have not transgressed Your commandment and I did not forget.'" Deuteronomy 26:12-13

"Boy with a Basket of Fruit" - Caravaggio, 1593

With the destruction of the Temple, the end of the sacrifices, and the Kohanim and Levites therefore no longer entitled to tithes, one might think that the practice of tithing had ended. But this tithe, the one for the poor and propertyless, remains as the obligation of tzedakah. In truth, it has replaced all of the other tithes, so that one is obligated to give every year, not just one year out of seven - and not just from crops, but from earnings.

As the above declaration indicates, the tithe is holy. But note that, unlike virtually any other mitzvah, there is no blessing or statement of intent before performing the act - there is only an affirmation afterward.

One reason for this may be that the tithe has to be separated out first - if I say a blessing and then begin measuring out the tithe, I might be distracted and never fulfill the mitzvah, or I might decide that I can't or won't give the full amount. Then the blessing would have been said in vain, making me a liar.

A second, and perhaps more compelling reason, is that when people are in need, when they are hungry - they shouldn't be made to wait while we tell God that we are going to help them. Actions speak louder than words.

With this year coming to a close, now is the time to dole out the full measure of tzedakah, so that our prayers for a good new year will have merit behind them.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."
"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"
Yehuda Amichai

-----------------------------------------------

Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!):
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net