parshat ki tavo - Camp Moshava Ennismore

PARSHAT
KI TAVO
ENNISMORE
18 Elul, 5771 – September 17, 2011
Volume 10 Number 2
A MSUANTDT Programming Project
Ki Tavo! Aliyah! We’re Here! - By Ezra Javasky, Rosh MH ‘10
This week‟s parsha begins with the words “”‫ והיה כי תבוא אל הארץ‬Chazal notes that the
word „ ‟‫תבוא‬is in the singular tense oppose to the plural tense of „ .‟‫ תבואו‬Chazal
explains that this is because there is an obligation upon each and every Jew to live
in Israel. Chazal continues and points out that the word „‟‫ והיה‬connotes happiness.
Rabbi Eliyahu Gutmacher explains that the Torah is emphasizing the great joy that
comes with making aliyah to Israel. The pasuk then continues, “ .”‫אשר תביא מארצך‬
Chazal asks why the pasuk relates to Israel as „ ,‟‫הארץ‬the Land and then switches
to „,‟‫ ארצך‬your Land. Chazal answers because Israel is only acquired through the
sweat of our brow; only after we have toiled over the land and make it bear fruit
once more, will the land be ours. (Based off one of the vorts from the sefer Parpraot
Hatorah on parshat Kitavo)
On that note I would like to thank G-d for being born in the era of the redemption and of the ingathering of the exiles. Life in Israel is not easy. Each day we
must overcome language, cultural, and financial barriers. But through our day to
day struggles we are living lives filled with meaning and joy. " ‫הזורעים בדמעה ברנה‬
"‫יקצרו‬. May this year see the return of the whole Jewish nation to the land of Israel
in its entirety, and may we once again bring the bikkurim to the Beit Hamikdash in
Jerusalem, amen. By Ezra Javasky—Rosh Mach Hach 2010
Shabbat Times
Jerusalem: 6:04/ 7:20
Moshava : 6:05/7:05
Toronto: 7:08 /8:08
Montreal: 6:46 / 7:47
New York: 6:46 / 7:43
Los Angeles: 6:40 / 7:34
Ramat Gan: 6:25/ 7:24
Ki TAVO STATS
Haredi, Arab saving lives together by Akiva Novick
“An Arab and a haredi are riding a motorbike." No, this is not the beginning of a joke.
The story of Fadi Bahir and Hezy Roth can definitely be adapted into a feature film: Imagine an ultraOrthodox man dressed in black, entering an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem in order to save
someone's life. Hours later, an Arab man runs into the heart of the haredi neighborhood of Mea
Shearim in order to provide medical care.
This is their story. Hezy and Fadi volunteer together at United Hatzalah, an emergency medical services organization similar to Magen David Adom. Hezy is a resident of Mea Shearim, while Fadi lives
in the Arab neighborhood of At-Tur.
Arabs residents from east Jerusalem have recently began volunteering at United Hatzalah, joining the
organization's 1,800 volunteers – most of them haredim. They help mostly in Arab neighborhoods,
which the Jewish volunteers are often afraid to enter.
One of the new volunteers, Fadi Bahir, asked to work with a haredi volunteer.
He teamed up with Hezy Roth, and together they tour Jerusalem's haredi
neighborhoods and visit the nearby Mount of Olives, which At-Tur is built on.
Hezy comes from his fish shop, and Fadi from his work as a maintenance man
at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. "This whole issue is really insane," Fadi says, smiling. "I'm approached by
people in the tle of Mea Shearim, asking me for help. I have found myself more than once, with or
without Hezy, in the middle of a yeshiva – performing resuscitation."
50th of the 54 sedras 7th of 11
in D'varim
Written on 233 lines in a Sefer
Torah (rank: 13)
21 Parshiyot; 5 open, 16
closed (ranks 7th, tied with
Vayikra and Va'etchanan)
122 p'sukim - ranks 17th (2nd
in D'varim) Same number as
Vayakhel & Va'etchanan; Ki
Tavo is larger than Vayakhel,
smaller than Va'etchanan
1747 words - ranks 16th (2nd
in D'varim) Same as Ekev.
Ekev is a bit larger than Ki
Tavo
6811 letters - ranks 15th (4th
in D'varim)
P'sukim are longer than average for the Torah, short for
D'varimMitzvot:
6 of the 613; 3 positives and 3
prohibitions
Being Mekadesh the Chol
By Meir Balofsky
We are told to bring our first fruits every year to Jerusalem
Upper-right is the Bikurim
and offer them to the Kohen. Firstly, it’s an amazing ritual
story. Basket of first fruits
that is greeting with singing, dancing and much pageantry.
placed at the side of the
Why is it that this event is so elaborate? The answer is that
Mizbei’ach. The bringer is
when we bring our Ma’aser—10%, that’s already after we
smiling the ultimate smile have our harvest and then give a portion of what we alhe is SMILE personified, as
ready have. When we give bikkurim, we have no idea how
the Torah commands us to
much more there is to come in the season. It’s a much
rejoice in all that G-d has
more significant gift in that way.
given us. And the smiley is
When we identify our bikkurim, we see the first fruit comreciting (speech bubble)
ing in and label it with a string. Much like the way we are
about going down to Egypt
Mekadesh anything in Judaism, we take something that is
and about being brought out
otherwise normal and mundane—from an apple to a day of
of Egypt and taken to Eretz
the week, and we make it holy—we change it, we elevate
Yisrael.
it. We improve and
Upper-left is HASHKIFA...
enhance our experience
G-d, look down upon us
in this world by giving
from on high... (of course,
it a level of kedusha
he does not need a teleand use it to bring us
closer to Hashem. On
scope...)
that note: Party Rockers
One of the blessings mentioned in the sedra is that if we keep the Torah,
in the House tonight.
then we will be ―heads‖ not ―tails". See the two shekel coin images.
Lower-left are the 12 stones upon which were engraved the Torah (or parts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_M5-qthA8w
of it).
Lower-right is the opened treasure, as we ask of G-d. That treasure is in the
form of beneficial and timely rains, and the bumper crops that result from good and plentiful rain.
The skate is for the word HASKEIT. It is a unique word in Torah and Na"Ch. Words that appear only once are often difficult to translate,
since they provide only one context with nothing to compare it with. HASKEIT is rendered as "pay attention" or "be silent" or "form
groups". It is followed by USHMA, and listen, hence the different possibilities for HASKEIT.
The successful basketball shot is for BARUCH TAN-ACHA, blessed is your basket (i.e. fruit, Rashi).
Thumbs up pointing to a city scape and a field is BARUCH ATA BA'IR UVARUCH ATA BASADEH.
Pepper with YES & NO. Is pepper a PRI HAADAMA. Well, as far as Ki Tavo is concerned, the answer is YES and NO. The command to
take of the first fruits of the land, PRI HAADAMA does NOT include pepper. Only the Seven Species. On the other hand, later in the sedra
when the PRI HAADAMA is to be blessed (if, and not so if not), pepper is assumedly included in that term.
At the top of the ParshaPix is a (spice) rack, representing another promise for our faithful behavior, that will will be RACK L'MAALA, just
at the top. (Please forgive bad Hebrew-English puns.) The flower next to the 12 stones is a "forget-me-not", as in "... I did not violate any
mitzvot, nor did I forget." Part of Vidui Maasrot. The golf club (it's an IRON) is UNDER the STONES, as in the haftara: V'TACHAT HAAVANIM BARZEL. FOR THE SOURCE AND CONTINUATION VISIT www.ou.org
MOSHAVA NEWS
Huge writing call out to everyone!
The next Moshava Newsletter will be
published IY‟H ahead of Rosh Hashana.
If you would like to write a Rosh Hashana Greeting or a short Dvar Torah,
to be published, please email me at
Don‟t miss the Moshava 50+ years Gala
Event in November!
Balofsky@gmail.com, by Sunday September 25!
This week’s SHOUT-OUT goes out to Mach ‘12
Mach 11 is equal to 3 743.19 m / s Mach 12 will be = 4 083.48 m / s -so Mach 12 is faster—Google it!