Ki Tavo begins by focusing on the commandment of Bikkurim, the offering of the first fruits - a ceremony where the first produce from each of the seven species for which Israel is praised: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates, are presented to the a Kohen - a priest.

On hearing this, one would naturally think that the farmer is celebrating the land and produce, but instead, the focus is on history. As the farmer is presenting his fruits, he recounts the history of the Jewish people. It begins with our ancestors who went down to Egypt with a small family. The Israelites then grew to become a great nation, but were enslaved by the Egyptians. G-d then rescued us, and we were brought to the Land of Israel.

So why is the focus on the story of the Jewish people instead of the produce? Judaism places enormous importance on remembering the past. As Rabbi Sacks said, “We are what we remember.” Jewish tradition does not just see its history as a progression of events - it also sees G-d acting through it.

But how are memory and history different? History is about events that happened to other people in the past. Memory means understanding those events as part of our own story. The Jewish story therefore did not end with the people described in the Torah. Every generation becomes another part of the same continuing story.

This connects directly to Bikkurim. The Torah could simply have commanded the farmer to bring his first fruits, and separately commanded the Jewish people to remember the Exodus. Instead, it combines them. This shows that the fruit being grown from the tree today in  Israel is part of the continuing Jewish story: the farmer cannot fully understand what he has without remembering how he came to have it. The farmer is there to be a link in the chain of Jewish history. 

Bikkurim is also a lesson in gratitude. The farmer does not simply enjoy his success. He remembers everything that made that success possible and then thanks G-d. The more clearly we understand the journey that brought us somewhere, the harder it is to believe that we got there completely on our own.

Rabbi Sacks often taught that we should remember the past without becoming trapped by it. History should help us, the Jewish people, understand where we came from and guide where we go next.

And I think this applies directly to us as students. When we achieve something - whether it is a good result, a performance, winning a competition or simply getting through a difficult year - it is easy to focus only on the final achievement. But Bikkurim teaches us to also remember the journey that brought us there: the teachers who taught us, the families and friends who supported us, the mistakes we made, the opportunities we were given and the challenges we overcame. Just as the farmer became another part of the Jewish story, we are also writing our own chapter.

So perhaps the message of Bikkurim is to remember where we came from, be grateful for what brought us here, and think carefully about where we go next.

Shabbat shalom

Written by Ari, Grade 11