By Gon Erez
This week marks the Torah portion of Ki Tavo (When you’ll come). This section of Torah deals with new beginnings and the coming of Bnei-Israel to the holy land: “And you shall come to the land which the Lord your G-d is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 26:1).
The portion addresses the importance of the first day – the day of entering the Land of Israel. Therefore, it makes sense that the Torah speaks about the first produce at the beginning of the portion, which connects us to the main point- the starting point. “And you’ve taken from the first fruit of the earth.”
Beginnings are both a discovery and a creation. They discover what is meaningful and important to us- what really interests us. They also create because prioritizing something consistently creates a special place in our soul. Hence, a principle is created: ‘Our heart is drawn after our deeds,’ and as a result, ‘Our deeds are following our heart.’
Ki Tavo is read two Shabbatot before Rosh Hashanah- the beginning of the new year. This year, it also comes right at the beginning of the school year, which marks a significant start for many families.
On a personal note – this past week, I was blessed with the birth of my third daughter, Mila, which marks my own personal new beginning- both a discovery and a creation.
May we all have a blessed beginning for the new year. May we always start off on the right foot and constantly keep creating and discovering.
Gon Erez is Chief Program Officer of the JCC of Greater Buffalo