In this week's portion, Moses gives the people specific instructions for what they are to do when they enter the Land of Israel. Though he will not be accompanying them, he uses the term "tavo," which literally "when you come," as if he is inviting them in, not sending them somewhere (e.g. "when you go" ).
The first priority upon entering the land -- once it is possessed and settled? Gratitude: "[Y]ou shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you will bring from your land, which the Lord, your God, is giving you...". The fruit is to be brought to the priest, as a donation to the Temple, to give thanks.
Notably, the first fruits are usually not the best, plumpest, biggest fruits. But they are a sign of things to come. We are commanded to show gratitude at the first sign of potential, as the first hint of better things that are to come.
Gratitude is a powerful thing. I have been missing my grandmother, who passed away yesterday. At the same time, I am so grateful I had so much time with her -- especially recently, several months after she was given mere days to live.
On days when I feel sad, I try to remember the things for which I must be grateful -- not in comparison to someone else who is worse off than I am, but in an absolute sense. This life is a gift, and there is joy, if we know where to find it.
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
An interesting weekend -- one of the last of Daylight Savings Time -- in which there is much to celebrate, much to contemplate, and a bit to worry about.
The Gaza peace deal is shaky, but holding, after the living hostages returned; the shutdown is still going on, with no end in sight; the China trade war is heating up; and the confrontation with Venezuela continues to escalate.
The "No Kings" protest was a dud, despite the media's attempt to inflate it. What I find fascinating is that the Democrats have basically stolen the rhetoric and the imagery of the Tea Party protests, circa 2009. They claim they are defending the Constitution -- just like the Tea Party did.
On the one hand, this is good. How wonderful to have a political system in which both sides, bitterly opposed though they are, articulate differences through the Constitution -- and not, as in so many other countries, outside it.
On the other, this is sheer hypocrisy for the Democrats. Not only did they malign the Tea Party as ...
