Ki Tavo
כי תבואFirst Fruits & Gratitude
89 translated essays · 89 total
תרל"א(1870)
Renewing Torah Each New Day· Essay 1
במדרש תנחומא היום הזה ה’ כו’ מצוך לעשות את החקים כו’ לכו נרננה כו’ נשתחוה ונכרעה כו’ צפה מרע”ה שביכורים עתידין ליפסק תיקן תפלה כו’. The Medrash on the first pasuk speaks about the Bikurim – fi…
Blessing Before the Mitzvah Act· Essay 2
בשם אא”ז מו”ר ז”ל עמ”ש ולא שכחתי מלברכך על הפרשת מע’ כו’. In the name of the Chidushei Harim Za”l. On the pasuk לא עברתי I did not transgress your mitzvot. The gemara explains it is referring to the…
Perceiving the Hidden Divine Word· Essay 3
ולא נתן ה’ לכם לב לדעת כו’ אזנים לשמוע כו’ And HaShem has not given you a heart to comprehend and ears to hear etc. וברש”י ומד’ כשאמר הקב”ה מי יתן והי’ לבבם זה ליראה כו’ הי’ להם לומר תן …
תרל"ב(1871)
Returning To The Root· Essay 1
In the Midrash: Moshe Rabbeinu instituted tefillah in place of the bringing of bikkurim. My grandfather, my teacher and master of blessed memory, explained that the giving over of the first and choicest portion in every matter is called the…
Standing At The Threshold· Essay 2
In the Medrash on the verse, "If you will surely listen" (Devarim 28:1), it expounds: "Fortunate is the one whose listenings are to Me... whose doors are a door within a door..." — the meaning of "his listenings" is to be prepared at all ti…
Ki Tavo תרל"ב
תרל”ב במדרש מרע”ה תיקן תפלה במקום ביכורים כו’ אא”ז מו”ר ז”ל פי’ נתינת הראשית בכל דבר נק’ מצות ביכורים וכן תפלה מועיל על כל היום כו’. וכ’ היום הזה כו’ מצוך לעשות כו’ פרש…
תרל"ג(1872)
Heading For Ki Savo· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven. Ki Savo, in brief — a collection of assorted matters. This is the heading that opens the piece on Parshas Ki Savo, noting that what follows is recorded in abbreviated form and gathers together several distinct point…
Reserving The Mind For Hashem· Essay 2
"I have removed the holy portion from the house" (Devarim 26:13). The Sfas Emes opens with the words of viduy maaser, where one declares that he has cleared the sanctified tithes out of his house. We must understand this, for the mitzvah is…
Ki Tavo תרל"ג
תרל”ג ב”ה תבא בקיצור ערבובי דברים בערתי הקודש כו’ הבית כו’. יש להבין דהא המצוה הנתינה לכהן ולוי ואין עיקר המצוה הביעור מהבית כמובן. וי”ל כי הפרשת תרומה ומעשר להיות ניתן חלק לגבוה ומפריש הראשית להש”י ועי&#…
תרל"ד(1873)
Dedicating Beginnings To Hashem· Essay 1
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the mitzvah of bikkurim (the first fruits) would not be possible in galus, and so he instituted three tefillos to be said each day. Since bikkurim could not be performed …
Uniting Neshamah And Body· Essay 2
"But Hashem did not give" The Sfas Emes opens by citing Moshe Rabbeinu's words that Hashem did not give the people something. "to you a heart to know, and eyes [to see], and ears to hear" (Devarim 29:3). He completes the verse: a heart to k…
Ki Tavo תרל"ד
תרל”ד במדרש תנחומא כי מרע”ה ראה שלא יהי’ מצות ביכורים בגלות תיקן ג’ תפלות בכל יום. ופי’ מו”ז ז”ל כי מצות ביכורים היא ליתן את הראשית מהכל להש”י וכן התפלות בשינוי הזמנים ערב ובוקר וצהרים כו̵…
תרל"ה(1874)
Restoring All Beginnings To Hashem· Essay 1
"This day Hashem your God commands you" (Devarim 26:16). The Torah says that Hashem commands us "this day," and the wording stresses the present day specifically. Rashi, and the Midrash Tanchuma, explain that they should be new to you each …
Inner Doors of Listening· Essay 2
In the Midrash on the verse "Shamoa tishma" ("If you will surely listen"), it is expounded as referring to entering door within door — "to be vigilant at My doors" (Mishlei 8:34), and so forth. The Sfas Emes brings the Midrash that reads th…
Clothing Torah In Deeds· Essay 3
My grandfather, my master and teacher, of blessed memory, related in the name of the holy Rebbe of Peshischa, of blessed memory, on the verse "But Hashem did not give you a heart to know... until this day" (Devarim 29:3). The Sfas Emes open…
Bikkurim Sanctifies The Beginning· Essay 4
In the Midrash we find that one who brings the bikkurim, the first fruits, stands and prays on behalf of all of Bnei Yisrael with the words "Look down from Your holy dwelling" (Devarim 26:15) and so forth. The Sfas Emes opens with the Midra…
Blessings Safeguarded Until Ready· Essay 5
"And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you" (Devarim 28:2). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse that the blessings will not only come but will actively pursue and catch up with a person. For there is a blessing that the one…
Ki Tavo תרל"ה
תרל”ה היום הזה ה”א מצוך. ברש”י ובמד’ תנחומא להיות בכל יום חדשים כו’. פרשנו כבר שהתחדשות הימים הוא לפי עבודת האדם. והענין שיש ג’ בחי’ עולם שנה נפש והם תלוין זה בזה. וכפי מה שמתפשט כח הנשמה בגוף בא הת…
תרל"ו(1875)
Standing Humbly At The Door· Essay 1
The Midrash expounds on the verse "to be watchful at My doors" (Mishlei 8:34) — a door within a door, etc. — and on "the posts of My entrances" (ibid.) — like a mezuzah that is permanently affixed, etc. The Sfas Emes opens by citing a Midra…
Arousing Hashems Will Below· Essay 2
"You have proclaimed Hashem this day ... and Hashem has proclaimed you this day" (Devarim 26:17-18) - and this applies every single day, for it is within the power of Bnei Yisrael to arouse the Supernal Will through this arousal of theirs. …
Receiving Abundance Without Falling· Essay 3
"And Hashem will leave you over for good, etc." (Devarim 28:11). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse promising that Hashem will leave a person over "for good," and proceeds to ask what it means to be left over for good. The explanation is th…
Humility from Divine Kindness· Essay 4
There is yet another explanation of "and He will make you exceed" (vehosircha): through the abundance of Hashem's kindnesses, a person must take on great submissiveness from this lofty kindness, so that in his own eyes he should regard hims…
Oil Rising Through Avodah· Essay 5
"And Hashem will set you on high" (Devarim 28:1) — the Midrash explains this with the analogy of oil, which floats up above all other liquids. The pasuk promises that one who listens to Hashem will be elevated, and the Midrash compares this…
Ki Tavo תרל"ו
תרל”ו במדרש לשקוד על דלתותי דלת לפנים מדלת כו’ מזוזות פתחי כמו מזוזה קבוע כו’. כי בכל פתיחת פתח חדש נולד כח הסט”א ג”כ כמ”ש לפתח חטאת רובץ לכן צוה לקבוע מזוזה בפתח כמ”ש בזוה”ק זז מות. והיא התער…
תרל"ז(1876)
Listening Elevates The Mind· Essay 1
The Midrash expounds the verse "Praiseworthy is the one who listens to Me, to be diligent at My doors day by day" (Mishlei 8:34) as referring to door within door; and the Midrash Tanchuma teaches that "if you will surely listen" means that …
Returning Endings To Beginnings· Essay 2
The mitzvah of bikkurim was a preparation for Rosh Hashanah, for the season of bringing them extends from Shavuos until Sukkos, and presumably most bikkurim were brought before Rosh Hashanah; for after the close of the fruits of the year, B…
Rectifying the Two Hearts· Essay 3
The Midrash on the verse "But Hashem did not give you a heart to know" (Devarim 29:3) teaches that when the Holy One, Blessed is He, said, "Who would grant that this heart of theirs remain theirs" (Devarim 5:26), Bnei Yisrael ought to have …
תרל"ח(1877)
Daily Tefillah Renewing Time· Essay 1
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the mitzvah of Bikkurim (the first fruits) was destined to be nullified, and therefore he instituted the three tefillos to be recited each day. The Midrash says Moshe Rab…
Standing Forever at the Doorway· Essay 2
In the Midrash on the verse "If you will surely hearken" (shamo'a tishma). The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash on the doubled language "if you will surely hearken," linking it to a verse in Mishlei about standing watch at Hashem's doorways. …
תרל"ט(1878)
Cleaving to the Root· Essay 1
In brief. A heading marking that this is the concise version of the piece. The essential preciousness of the mitzvah of bikkurim lies in the very first fruits that Bnei Yisrael brought when they entered the Land, as we have already explaine…
Ascending To Receive Bracha· Essay 2
On the verse "And Hashem your God will set you supreme... and all these brachos shall come upon you... and overtake you... and Hashem will give you abundance..." (Devarim 28:1, 28:2, 28:11) — these brachos draw from an exalted root above, a…
תר"מ(1879)
Clinging to the Reishis· Essay 1
The mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits) is exceedingly precious, for the verse spells out every single act involved: "And you shall take of the first (reishis)" (Devarim 26:2), as Chazal teach (Mishnah Bikkurim 3:1) that a person goes out in…
Willing Acceptance of Consequences· Essay 2
Regarding the blessings and curses of Har Gerizim and Har Eival, as it is written, "Behold, I set before you... a blessing and a curse" (Devarim 11:26). The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's framework of blessing and curse, presented at Har …
תרמ"א(1880)
Renewing Creation Through Tefillah· Essay 1
In the Midrash Tanchuma it states that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the bringing of bikkurim (the first fruits) was destined to be nullified, and so he instituted the three daily tefillos. Moshe Rabbeinu saw that one day Bnei Yisrael would n…
Standing at Teshuvah's Door· Essay 2
In the Midrash on 'Im shamoa' (Devarim 11:13), there is the teaching of 'a door within a door,' to be diligent at 'My doorways' and the 'mezuzah of My entrances' — just as the mezuzah is fixed and permanent and the doorpost does not move fr…
Faith Beyond Revelation· Essay 3
In the Midrash it states, "Greater is the one who answers Amen, etc." The piece opens with a Midrash teaching that answering Amen is greater than reciting the blessing itself. The matter in brief is that the level of Eretz Yisrael is emunah…
תרמ"ב(1881)
Daily Renewal Through Diligence· Essay 1
The Midrash, on the verse "to be diligent at My doors" (Mishlei 8:34), notes that the word for "doors" is in the plural — two doors. The Midrash draws attention to the plural form "doors" in the verse, signaling that there are two distinct …
Hashem Torah And Yisrael United· Essay 2
Regarding the pasuk: "You have proclaimed Hashem this day... and Hashem has proclaimed you this day" (Devarim 26:17-18). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in which there is a mutual proclamation: Bnei Yisrael declare Hashem to be their God…
Bikkurim And True Submission· Essay 3
In the Midrash Tanchuma on the verse "Come, let us sing joyously" (Tehillim 95:1), it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the mitzvah of bikkurim, the first fruits, was destined to be nullified, and therefore he instituted the three …
תרמ"ג(1882)
Returning The First Beginning· Essay 1
Regarding the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits), and afterward the mitzvah of maaser ani (the tithe for the poor), and afterward the verse "this day Hashem your God commands you" (Devarim 26:16) — Chazal expounded that one who brings bikku…
Awakening Earlier Generations On Shabbos· Essay 2
The Midrash teaches: "Greater is the one who answers Amen than the one who recites the blessing," and so on. The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash's statement that answering Amen is even greater than reciting the blessing itself, setting up …
Joyful Service Within Poverty· Essay 3
On the verse, "Because you did not serve Hashem your God with joy and gladness of heart, out of the abundance of everything" (Devarim 28:47). The Sfas Emes opens with the Torah's rebuke that the punishments came because Bnei Yisrael failed …
תרמ"ד(1883)
Tefillah Reawakens the Root· Essay 1
In the Midrash Tanchuma, on the pasuk "Come, let us bow down and bend the knee, let us kneel" (Tehillim 95:6): Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the Beis HaMikdash was destined to be destroyed and that the bringing of the bikkurim (first fruits) …
Torah Gifted Over Forty· Essay 2
On the verse, "But Hashem did not give you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day" (Devarim 29:3). The Sfas Emes opens by citing Moshe Rabbeinu's words to Bnei Yisrael that only now, after forty years, did Hashem…
תרמ"ה(1884)
תרמ"ו(1885)
The Inner Door Gift· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "For if you will surely listen" (Devarim 28:1) — "Praised is the man who listens to Me" (Mishlei 8:34), for his teachings are for My sake, etc., "at My doors." The Midrash links the verse about listening to Hashem with the p…
Blessing Through Holy Separation· Essay 2
On the pasuk, "Hashem will command the blessing to be with you... the blessing in your storehouses... Hashem will establish you... as a holy people... and all the nations of the earth will see... and they will fear" (Devarim 28:8-10). The S…
תרמ"ז(1886)
Daily Renewal Through Speech· Essay 1
The Tanchuma comments on the verse "This day Hashem your God commands you etc." (Devarim 26:16). The piece opens by citing the Tanchuma's teaching on the verse that begins the parshah of bikkurim, where Hashem commands Bnei Yisrael "this da…
Three Keys Of Shabbos· Essay 2
In the Midrash on the pasuk "Hashem shall open for you... His good treasury" (Devarim 28:12), the Sages teach that there are three keys held in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed is He, as is explained there. The Midrash on Hashem opening Hi…
תרמ"ח(1887)
Becoming A Vessel For Blessing· Essay 1
The Midrash expounds on the verse "If you will surely listen" (Devarim 28:1): "Praiseworthy is the man who listens to Me." The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that reads the Torah's promise of blessing for listening as praise for the one w…
Inner Tefillin Revealed· Essay 2
There is a further insight to be understood in the matter of 'a door within a door.' The Sfas Emes opens with a deeper layer in the image of 'a door within a door' — that physical structures point to hidden spiritual ones. One must know tha…
Emunah As Path To Emes· Essay 3
In the Midrash: "Greater is one who answers Amen than the Holy One, Blessed is He" who makes the blessing, and so on. The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that one who answers Amen is, in a sense, greater than the one who actually recites t…
Tefillah Replacing Bikkurim· Essay 4
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted the three daily tefillos in place of bikkurim, the first fruits; see there. The Midrash teaches that our three daily tefillos correspond to and take the place of the bringi…
תרמ"ט(1888)
Dedicating Creations First To Hashem· Essay 1
Regarding the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits), and in the Midrash that Moshe Rabbeinu instituted the tefillos in place of bikkurim, as is brought in the Midrash Tanchuma. The Sfas Emes opens with the mitzvah of bikkurim and the Midrash t…
Shabbos Torah Inner Light· Essay 2
On the verse, "Hashem your God will open for you... the heavens..." (Devarim 28:12). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse in our parsha describing Hashem opening His good treasury, the heavens, to bestow blessing. For it is written, "The heav…
תר"ן(1889)
תרנ"א(1890)
Opening The Inner Doorway· Essay 1
The Midrash expounds on the verse "to be diligent at My doorways" (Mishlei 8:34) — a doorway within a doorway. The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash on "My doorways," noting the plural implies an inner door and an outer door — two stages of …
Crushing the Self for Torah· Essay 2
On the pasuk "Hasket ushema... hayom hazeh nihyeisa l'am" — "Be attentive and listen... this day you have become a people" (Devarim 27:9). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in which Moshe tells Bnei Yisrael that on this day they have becom…
תרנ"ב(1891)
Hidden Blessing Through Elevation· Essay 1
Regarding the blessings that are not stated explicitly, since Chazal taught that all of the curses began with a blessing, The Sfas Emes opens with Chazal's teaching that in the tochachah every curse was preceded by a blessing, even where th…
Listening For Its Own Sake· Essay 2
In the Medrash: "Fortunate is the man who listens to Me" (Mishlei 8:34) — at the very moment that his hearings are directed to Me, and so forth. The Medrash darshens the pasuk in Mishlei to mean that a person's good fortune is bound up spec…
Swimming In Torahs Depths· Essay 3
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught that the Torah is compared to water, for the Midrash reckons several points of comparison, among them that just as with water, one who does not know how to swim in it drowns, and so forth, as it is expla…
תרנ"ג(1892)
Dedication For A Wedding· Essay 1
With the help of Heaven. From Parshas Ki Savo, and in honor of the wedding of my son, may he live. This is the author's opening dedication line, invoking the help of Heaven and noting that this piece was delivered in connection with Parshas…
Tefillah Reveals Mikdash Light· Essay 2
In the Midrash Tanchuma on the verse "Come, let us bow down and prostrate ourselves" (Tehillim 95:6), it is taught that Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, instituted the three daily tefillos when he foresaw that the Beis HaMikdash was desti…
Sweetening Judgment Into Joy· Essay 3
On the verse, "I have done according to all that You commanded me; look down from Your holy dwelling" (Devarim 26:14-15). The Sfas Emes opens with the vidui maaser passage, where one declares he has fulfilled all the mitzvos and then asks H…
Forty Years Completing Torah· Essay 4
The Midrash comments on the pasuk "And Moshe called" (Devarim 29:1): just as he received the Torah through a calling, so too he transmitted it through a calling, see there at length. The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash that links how Moshe r…
תרנ"ד(1893)
Elevating The Body Upward· Essay 1
The juxtaposition of the mitzvah of bikkurim (the first fruits) to the wiping out of Amalek, as it is written, "Amalek was the first of nations, but his end is to perish forever" (Bamidbar 24:20). The Sfas Emes opens by noting that the Tora…
Revealing the Hidden Good· Essay 2
And as Chazal said regarding the phrase "I have declared today" (Devarim 26:3) — that I am not ungrateful, since it is written "And you shall rejoice in all the good" (Devarim 26:11) — for there is a hidden good concealed within every thing…
Torah Like Floating Oil· Essay 3
The Midrash expounds on the verse "If you will surely listen" (Devarim 28:1). The piece opens by citing the Midrash on the verse from the beginning of the parsha that promises blessing for those who heed Hashem. "Then Hashem your God will s…
Inner Gates Of Listening· Essay 4
The Midrash expounds on the verse "Fortunate is the man who listens to Me" (Mishlei 8:34) — "whose hearings are to Me," to be diligent, in keeping with what it says, "do not stand at the outer doorway to daven," as the entire Midrash there …
תרנ"ה(1894)
First Fruits Defeating Amalek· Essay 1
The mitzvah of bikkurim (the first fruits) is connected to the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek, as it is written, "Amalek was the first of the nations, but its end shall be utter destruction" (Bamidbar 24:20), and as it is written, "When the w…
Raising Power Upward· Essay 2
Now, our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "the terumah of your hand" (Devarim 12:17) — this refers to the bikkurim, the first fruits. The Sages identify the "terumah of your hand" in the verse as a reference to the mitzvah of bringing bik…
Three Tefillos Ascending Bittul· Essay 3
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is asked: "Let us prostrate ourselves and bend the knee, let us kneel" (Tehillim 95:6) — but is not bending the knee already included in prostration? Rather, Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the Beis HaMikdash was dest…
תרנ"ו(1895)
תרנ"ז(1896)
Earthly Avodah Rousing Heaven· Essay 1
On the verse 'And it shall be, if you hearken' (Devarim 28:1), the Midrash teaches: 'Fortunate is the man who hearkens to Me' (Mishlei 8:34) — fortunate is the person at the moment when his hearing is directed to Me, as it says, 'to wait at…
Shabbos Root Of Brachos· Essay 2
On the pasuk "And all these brachos shall come upon you and overtake you" (Devarim 28:2) — "all these brachos" — "if you will listen to the voice of Hashem your God." The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk that all these brachos will come and o…
Becoming Wholly Torah· Essay 3
In the Midrash on the verse "And He called to Moshe" (Vayikra 1:1): If so, Klal Yisrael, etc. The piece opens by citing the Midrash on the opening verse of Vayikra, which begins to draw a connection to Klal Yisrael. Just as Moshe Rabbeinu r…
תרנ"ח(1897)
תרנ"ט(1898)
Elevation Toward The Root· Essay 1
In the Sifrei it is taught: "Perform a mitzvah," etc., "for it is in the merit of that reward that you will enter the Land." The Sifrei teaches that entering Eretz Yisrael is a reward earned through performing mitzvos. Doing the mitzvah is …
Cherishing Mitzvos Through Berachah· Essay 2
On the pasuk "and I have not forgotten" (Devarim 26:13), Rashi explains: "and I have not forgotten" to bless You over the separation of maaseros. When Bnei Yisrael declare before Hashem that they have not forgotten, Rashi understands this t…
Inner Gate of Shabbos· Essay 3
The Midrash on "And it will be, if you will surely listen" cites this verse: "Fortunate is the man who listens to Me, whose hearings are to Me... to keep vigil at My doors, to enter door within door" (Mishlei 8:34), see there. The Midrash l…
תר"ס(1899)
Daily Renewal Through Bikkurim· Essay 1
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is expounded on the verse "This day Hashem your God commands you" (Devarim 26:16). The piece opens with a Midrash Tanchuma on the verse describing the day Hashem commands Bnei Yisrael, setting up the theme of "thi…
Keeping Watch At Hashems Doors· Essay 2
In the Midrash on the verse "If you will surely listen" (Mishlei 8:34): Fortunate is the man who listens to Me, whose hearings (i.e., the lessons he absorbs from Me) bring him "to keep watch at My doors" — a doorway within a doorway, as it …
תרס"א(1900)
Consecrating The First To Hashem· Essay 1
"And you shall take from the first" (Devarim 26:2). The piece opens with the mitzvah of bikkurim, taking from the first of one's produce, and the Sfas Emes will expound on the meaning of "first." Bnei Yisrael are called "first," because the…
Rising and Falling Joy· Essay 2
In the Midrash Tanchuma it is taught: Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw that the Beis HaMikdash was destined to be destroyed and that the bringing of bikkurim (first fruits) was destined to cease, so he instituted three tefillos — "let us bow down," "…
Watching Daily At Hashem's Doors· Essay 3
In the Midrash on the verse "And it shall be, if you will surely hearken" (Devarim 28:1). The Sfas Emes opens with the Midrash that links the parsha's verse about hearkening to the verse in Mishlei about watching daily at Hashem's doors. It…
תרס"ב(1901)
Daily Renewal Through Tefillah· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "And it will be, if you will surely listen" (Devarim 28:1) — "Praiseworthy is the one who listens to Me" (Mishlei 8:34), to be diligent at My doors, door within door. The Midrash links the parsha's call to "listen" with the …
Neshamah Yearning Toward Body· Essay 2
It is brought in the Zohar Chadash that the consolation hinted at within this tochachah (rebuke) is what is stated, "And your life shall hang in doubt before you" (Devarim 28:66). The Sfas Emes opens by citing the Zohar Chadash, which finds…
תרס"ד(1903)
Suffering Sweetening Divine Service· Essay 1
On the verse, "Because you did not serve Hashem your God with joy... out of an abundance of everything" (Devarim 28:47). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse warning Bnei Yisrael that they were punished for failing to serve Hashem with joy ev…
Groping Toward Torah Light· Essay 2
On the verse "and you shall grope at noon as a blind man gropes in the darkness" (Devarim 28:29). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse from the tochachah that describes Bnei Yisrael groping at midday like a blind man feeling his way in the da…