Ki Tavo

1. Ki Tavo
Introduction - there is abundant discussionhere again of blessings and
curses that flow from our decisions and actions related to living inside or
outside of covenant with God.We won’t cover much ground we’ve already
traversed. But we will explore true gems we find on our journey and
considerwhy Moses places such emphasis at this crucial time on these
matters.
I. Read 26:1-11.
A. Any thoughts about the first verse? “It will be when you enter the
land….”

2. (Let’s recall our learning that God will be what God will be? This word,
v’haya, has letters from God’s name. Isn’t there a sense of becoming here
for us, too, as we enter the promised land, the time for the beginning of
fulfilling the covenant? As God is becoming, we are coming into serving in
God’s image, in our enterprise to become a kingdom of priests, a holy
nation.
B. What strikes you in the next 10 verses? Lots of possibilities.
(1. Lots of verbs! Possessland. Settle. Take first fruits. Go to God’s place.
Offer.Recite. These verbs, to me, suggest life.
2. And life with God,more specifically, involved production, offering, and
acknowledging gratitude to God for our salvation and sustenance, both in
material and spiritual ways.
3. There’s a recognitionof our history, our past, our ancestors. We come to
the promised land, not out of nowhere, rootless, but rather from people,

3. with a narrative, and with God’s miracles and saving hand. Having the
covenant means remembering, among other things.
4. We give of the first and the best to the Source of all we have. We do so
out of duty and joy, declaring the truth of all this. And we address our
gratitude directly to God.)
II. Read 13-14.What do you think is the significance of this personal
declaration to God?
(Obviously the doing is crucial. But the saying is powerful as well. My
speaking to God makes it personal, direct, announced, meaningful. It has
the feel of prayer, yet here we’re not asking for help or expressing need;
rather we’re notifying God that we have given, we have helped. It has the
feel to me of completionof duty in at least this important one respect.
Poignant.)

4. III.Read 27:1-3,6. Impressions?
(1. Moses AND the elders command the people. This suggests the
increasing role the elders will assume, as Moses departs the scene.
2. It’s the entire instruction that is intended.
3. It is the instruction that is central to their entering the land. It’s the
hallmark and the landmark of their being there. Indeed it - physically - is to
become the marker at the boundary of the land. This is rich, in its power in
defining who we are to ourselves and others and what is to guide us in the
promised land.
4. Drawing near to God through offerings,especiallythose that show
gratitude, is always concomitant with our service to God.)

5. IV. Read 15-20,24-27.How is it that this combination of mitzvoth draws
curses?
(Isn’t it a balanced representation? Against idolatry, violation of family,
demeaning of father and mother (i.e, heritage and tradition),stealing either
through a false boundary or misleading the unwary, bribery, striking
another, and, more generally, those who do not uphold and do the mitzvoth
- both offenses against fellows and God.)
V. Read 28:2.We’ve studied a lot about the blessings God bestows to the
faithful who serve the Divine. We won’t repeat those discussions here - for
the most part. But I was intrigued by this verse that these blessings will
come into force for you, v’hisigoocha. What’s your translation? (overtake
you?) What does this mean?
(It will happen in ways we don’t understand perhaps. It could be quick and
overflowing. It could come when we are least aware or “trying.” It could
come when logic would dictate otherwise. There’s a sense in this whole

6. discussionof this being God’s consideration in the covenant, but this verse
also adds a sense of mystery, and rings of mercy and grace as well.)
VI. Read 28:6. What does this mean?
(On one level, it suggests again the idea of “all the time,” the bookends of
the day, when we come in and go out. Rashi says it’s blessed when we
come into life as we are when we leave this life. Perhaps it’s when we
come into the various activities of life and when we complete them.Maybe
it’s when we come into prayer and when we go out, or when we draw near
to God with an offering and when we go out. Think of the song, Shalom
Aleichem, in which we wish peace on the ministering angels in their coming
to us, their blessing us, and their going.)
VII.Read 28:32-34.We have spent considerable time on the curses we
incur when we abandon God. I don’t want to coverthat ground again now.
But I was struck by certain verses that are new or seem fresh to me. The

7. first batch here seem poetic,haunting, and rich in meaning. Thoughts on
32?
(Recall this text parallels the blessings in that we lose all that we would
gain if we choose to abandon, instead of cleave to, God.If we’re unloving
(instead of loving), unjust (instead of just), inattentive (instead of attentive
and dutiful), out of balance (instead of in balance), we lose the value,
beauty, and richness of our blessings. Once we are lost and abandoned,
our children are unmoored and lost, even from us. This is not to say that all
always works out well, as we define “well,” in good times.The Bible is
simply saying when we go away from God, we should not be surprised to
see our children be “given over to another people.” And we will yearn for
them, unable to bring them back. Are there examples of this in our own
culture?
(Discussion.)
Next in 33 we read that all of our productionis consumed by people we do
not know. Do you have ideas of how this could be and what this might
mean?

8. (Discussion.)
Finally, we read in 34 that we will go insane from what we see.Meaning?
(Discussion.)
VIII.Read verse 47. Conventional wisdom is that the blessings and curses
are thought to flow from simply following God’s way or not. This verse
introduces a powerful and new concept. What is it, and how does it make a
difference?
(We are to serve God with joy of heart, with gladness, and with abundance.
We should rememberthat serving God by rote, without delight and
liberality, leaves us alone and unfulfilled, too. Just seeing this was
important to me upon the reading in that it awakened me to the fact that
this is not just work, and never to be dreary. If I’m just going through the

9. motions of service in any sort of way, it’s inadequate and merits my
ramping up the excitement and energy and joy to what I do and give.)
IX. Read 28:54 and 56. These verses seemedfreshand frightening to me.
What do you make of them?
(Waywardness isn’t just a personal matter, with only personal
consequences. As it spreads and becomespart of the culture and takes
over a community, it affects all and indeed can take over and “turn bad” the
tender and the delicate (sensitive? or maybe pampered?) in such extreme
ways so that even they hurt and abandon their own families. This was
particularly poignant and sad to me. Is it for you? Is this possible? Any
insights into how and in what ways this could happen?
(Discussion.)

10. X. Read 29:2-4.How do you explain this statement that the people did not
have the eyes, mind, and heart to understand until this day? Didn’t God
hope/want/expect the people to understand to go straight into the land
upon the departure from Egypt?
(It could certainly be that it takes 40 years to fully come out of the narrow
straights to the promised land and to fully appreciate God’s saving hand,
the amazing gift of God’s love and instruction, and to instill it all in our
selves and souls. Or could this be a bit political as well in that Moses is
further stressing the differences betweengenerations and the capacity of
this generation that he is addressing to understand and live true to the
covenant as they enter and live in the land? Or is this just mysterious?)
XI. Read verse 4. What does this mean?

11. (They made it with God’s help. There was miracle in their sustenance.
More spiritually, the midrash says that God clothed the people with the
Splendorof His Glory.)
Conclusion - Moses has taught the blessings and curses on several
occasions. Why again? Why so prominently does he do so again here as
we approach the end of his orations and the end of his life?
(This idea, however we understand it and explain it, that we are blessed to
live with God and cursed to live apart, is central to our faith. We can’t over-
learn this lessonin all its many manifestations. It bears our constant
attention and absorption. In fact, as much as it’s here, we don’t generally
give it the emphasis it deserves, and many, including some in the faith
community, find ways to fight it or say it isn’t true or interpret it in ways that
would be wrong and/or unjust. We are given so many doses of it in the text,
as if to implore us to avoid such ways of believing and acting, and instead
find ways to be opento these ideas, interpret them to enhance our wisdom,
and orient ourselves better to bring ourselves to be near to, and serve,
God.)