Parshas Ki Savo - Unraveling the Mystery of Mikra Bikkurim

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April 03 2009
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Parshas Ki Savo begins with the mitzvah of Mikra Bikkurim - Proclamation of First Fruits. The Torah commands that one who brings his Bikkurim (First Fruits) to the Beis Ha-Mikdash recite an accompanying text, in which he recounts the persecution of Yaakov Avinu at the hands of Lavan, the descent of B'nei Yisroel to Mitzrayim and our development there from a tiny group of people to a large and significant nation, and our affliction at the hand of Mitzrayim. The recitation then relates how Hashem took us forth from bondage upon hearing our forefathers' cries, performed wondrous acts for us in the Midbar, and then brought us to Eretz Yisroel, with all of its bounty.


No other action-mitzvah requires one to narrate portions of Jewish history upon its performance. (Although we recite the story of Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, the Exodus from Egypt, on Pesach night, in conjunction with eating matzah and marror, that recitation is mandated even without matzah and maror, as an independent mitzvah - unlike Mikra Bikkurim, whose sole existence is to accompany the bringing of Bikkurim.) What is unique about the mitzvah of Bikkurim such that the Torah requires the recital of such a text?


In many ways, Bikkurim reflect the origins of B'nei Yisroel. The fruit began as a small seed with no vitality, and was unnoticeable and insignifant in the larger scheme of things. With personal attention and effort on the part of the farmer and his careful cultivation, the seed grew into a fruit-bearing tree, whose produce ripened and merited to be part of Hashem's service in a most substantive manner. So, too, were B'nei Yisroel at the time of their descent to Mitzrayim frail and minute. Hashem took us under His wings, developed us into a large, thriving and dynamic nation, and brought us to His Land. Thus, Mikra Bikkurim is not only an historical narrative. Rather, it links Bikkurim to the Jew by presenting the fruit as a microcosm of the evolution of B'nei Yisroel's national destiny. 


The Talmud explains the great pageantry associated with bringing Bikkurim. Pilgrims bearing Bikkurim would be accompanied by musicians, as the pilgrims trekked to Yerushalayim; the animals which carried Bikkurim were adorned most lavishly; the baskets holding Bikkurim were ornately decorated and beautiful. Although these enhancements are precipitated by the requirement of Hiddur Mitzvah (the beautification of mitzvos), they are presented by the Talmud primarily in the context of Bikkurim.


One can draw a connection between the gala march and delivery of Bikkurim to the Beis Ha-Mikdash and the Jew. When Hashem brought our people through the Midbar and into the Land, He did so with a full display of splendor and grandeur. We were enveloped by Ananei Ha-Kavod (Clouds of Glory), led by Hashem's pillars of fire and clouds, protected from all elements in a most miraculous way, and delivered into a bounteous plain, marked by the splitting of the Yarden (Jordan River) and the passage of the Aron (Ark) and the nation on dry land. The sheer glory of our journey through the Midbar to Eretz Yisroel was akin to the radiant procession of Bikkurim from the rural farm to the Beis Ha-Mikdash; the resplendent delivery of Bikkurim is thus a reflection of our ancestors' travels upon being redeemed by Hashem.

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    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Judy & Mark Frankel & family l'ilui nishmos מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה and משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו ויהודית