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This week’s Parasha is entitled Kee Tavo, meaning, When You Come In. It covers Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:9.

It must have been a relief for Israel to hear that their 40-year journey through the wilderness was finally coming to an end.  They were about to cross over into the Promised Land, given to them by Adonai.

Moses instructs the people, saying, “When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’

Kee Tavo includes the laws of the tithes given to the Levites and to the poor, and it gives detailed instructions on how the Israelis were to proclaim the blessings and the curses on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Moses reminds them that they are Adonai’s chosen people, and that they have declared Adonai to be their God.

The laws described here are mostly concerned with protecting the more vulnerable members of society.  They include the laws concerning the beautiful captive, paying workers in a timely fashion, and leaving a portion of the harvest in the field for the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger.

After listing the blessings with which Adonai would reward the people for their obedience, Moses gives a long account of the consequences that they would experience, should they decide to abandon the commandments and statutes of Adonai.

Moses concludes by telling the people that despite all the miracles Adonai performed in their midst, they still had not attained “a heart to know, eyes to see, nor ears to hear.”

I feel chapters 27 and 28 are the heart and soul of this parasha. The commands listed in chapter 27 are what I consider common sense commands. If people would diligently follow the commands laid out in this chapter, our world would be a much better place. Treat your mother and father with respect, don’t move your neighbor’s boundary stone, don’t pervert the justice due the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. Don’t have immoral or perverse sexual relations. Don’t attack your neighbor secretly. These things are what make for a peaceful, stable society.

Chapter 28 lays out the benefits of obedience and the consequences for disobedience, and it is clear that God is NOT playing with us. First, Adonai describes His blessings over the land and all it produces, the flocks of animals, His people, and even promises to protect them, causing their enemies to flee before them seven directions. Adonai is clear on how he wishes to bless and care for Israel.

But, should they not obey the voice of Adonai and observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes, the consequences were promised to be dire. Adonai lists some chilling admonitions that take up half of this parasha. Just to name a few, the Lord would strike them with consumption, with fever, inflammation, severe burning fever, with the sword, and with mildew until they perished.

But two really stood out to me.

The first was “And the heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed.” This is a description of Adonai withholding rain and blessing, resulting in a drought-stricken, barren land unable to be cultivated, leading to more hardship and oppression.  The second was “You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard but shall not gather its grapes.” This stood out to me especially being a man. A man’s wife and home and livelihood are important and treasured things. Defiance of God proves costly.

In the Torah, there are two major passages of curses. One is in Leviticus 26, the other is here in Deuteronomy 28. However, whereas the curses in Leviticus 26 end on a note of hope, these in Deuteronomy end in bleak despair. The Leviticus curses speak of a total abandonment of God’s ways by the people. Their attitude towards God is hostile, rebellious and contemptuous. But the curses in Deuteronomy are born of ingratitude, as Moses wrote, “because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart out of the abundance of all things.” We invite judgment upon ourselves if we forget Him and fail to serve Him with joy and appreciation for the abundance that He has given us.

Adonai must be the center of our lives; He desires for us to have cheerful, grateful hearts and to serve Him out of love. He also wants us to keep a heavenly perspective. And finally, He wants us to believe on His Son, Messiah Yeshua, who came to Earth and perfectly lived out His life according to the commandments and statutes of Adonai. He took our place and received the punishment of death that we deserved for our sins, but rose from the dead, and has been given all authority in Heaven and Earth. If we place our faith and trust in Him, He gives us the Holy Spirit, enabling us to also keep Adonai’s commandments with joy.

May the joy of Yeshua fill your hearts so that you lead joyful, productive and blessed lives.

Shabbat Shalom.