Parsha Ki Tavo - The Jewish Obligation to the Land

Shalom Aleichem Chevra, so great to have you learning with us! Did you know that keeping your thousand apples might actually mean you're only keeping about 800 of them — and that's exactly the point? In this shiur on Parshas Ki Tavo, we dig into what it really means for the Jewish people to come into the Land and take up their rightful place there. We start with the mitzvah of Bikkurim — bringing the first fruits to the Kohen — and how that declaration recalls the entire journey of the Jewish people, from Yaakov through Mitzrayim, through all the ancient kingdoms that rose and fell while we persevered. Then we get into the real nuts and bolts of Truma and Maaser. We walk through the whole breakdown together — Truma to the Kohen, Maaser Rishon to the Levi, Maaser Sheni taken up to Yerushalayim and eaten there (or redeemed onto a coin for the trip), and Maaser Ani given to the poor in years three and six of the seven-year cycle. By the time we run the math on a thousand apples, the Chevra starts to see that very little of what we have is actually ours to begin with. All of it belongs to Hashem — He's letting us keep the 80% in the merit of giving away the 20. We also spend time o