Kira Sirote
Author of “Haftorah Unrolled,” Ra’anana, Israel

Our verse is the commandment to give 鈥�Maaser Ani鈥� – tithe to the poor after a harvest. Torah doesn’t actually say 鈥漰oor,鈥� it says: “The Levi, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.鈥� This list also appears in the commandments of celebrating the harvest holidays, Shavuot and Succot: 鈥漎ou shall rejoice in your holiday: You, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, and the Levi, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, who are in your gates.鈥� (Devarim 16:14)听

The Midrash says: 鈥淕-d said: you have four dependents, and I have four dependents. If you bring joy to Mine together with yours in your home, during the holidays that I gave you, then I will bring joy to yours together with Mine, in My House 鈥� 鈥業 will bring you all to My Holy mountain, and bring you joy in My House of Prayer.鈥樷�� (Tanchuma Re’eh 18)听

People who do not have the means to own land, or to work and harvest the land that they own, are dependent on the kindness of others. The Torah demands that we do not see it as kindness, but rather as responsibility. People who do not have the same kind of roots in the land as others might perceive themselves as less grounded, unmoored and undesirable. The Torah demands that we include them in our homes and in our celebrations. That will make us worthy of G-d’s House, Beit HaMikdash, where everyone feels included and valued, regardless of their financial and social status.

Rabbi Tova Leibovic-Douglas
@rabbi_tova, 听

We see this commandment of caretaking for the stranger, orphan, and widow throughout our texts. 51视频 wisdom commands us to ensure that those most vulnerable in our communities are the ones to never forget. Yet, in our world of chaos that meets abundance, change that meets fear, and reaction that meets distraction, I wonder if this commandment is truly lived out by most in the way it once was prioritized. Many of us forget those who rely on us because we are not yet satisfied with ourselves. Will we ever be? The question for us to consider during this time of reflection and spiritual investigation of the Hebrew month of Elul is if we are living according to the values that are set out for us as the blueprint for our souls. Ki Tavo translates to 鈥渨hen you enter,鈥� and while it may be describing the Israelites entering the land of Canaan, the phrase is an invitation for us to personally remember that while we are preparing to enter a New Year in our calendar, we have obligations that are deeply spiritually important. This verse reminds us to ask: are we prepared to enter this year? If so, let us do the work to feel satiated so that we can move towards nourishing those who need it most. It is past time.

David Brandes
Screenwriter, World Famous in Canada

My cranky old friend, screenwriter Walter Davis used to say, 鈥淭he problem with the entire human enterprise is that man ain鈥檛 no good.鈥� Walter was only confirming what God suspected all along. Recall, after the flood (Genesis 8:12) God reflected: 鈥淭he imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth.鈥� And then there is the Sh鈥檓a where God hones in on the problem and warns us 鈥渘ot to follow our hearts and eyes which we lust after.鈥� The Rabbis took it very much to heart and ruled that we recite the Sh鈥檓a twice a day in our prayers.听

Okay, so there are design flaws in man and no 1.1 update is available. Lest you fall into despair, God has many workarounds, namely the commandments. Tithing your earliest produce in this week鈥檚 parsha is but one example. Not to make us feel good; not because it鈥檚 the right thing to do; and certainly not because it would place us on the right side of history. It鈥檚 a corrective for our flawed nature. The Abarbanel explains鈥� 鈥� the purpose was to humble man鈥檚 selfish passions 鈥� and subdue natural instincts.鈥� Or as Freud put it, civilization begins with repression.听

This is a good time of the year for us to consider our dark side. The High Holy Days are almost upon us. It鈥檚 an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for our transgressions. Have you ever wondered why Yom Kippur isn鈥檛 optional?

Nicholas Losorelli
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies Class of 2025/5785

Tithing is a concept that feels foreign to many of us today. We tend to see our income as ours and ours alone, believing we are the sole arbiters of how much to give. However, this parsha reminds us that not everything we harvest is actually ours 鈥� we must give some away. We have many choices, but the requirement to tithe is not a choice, it鈥檚 a divine mandate. Although we labor, we neither caused the rain to fall nor the plants to grow 鈥� those powers of nature are God鈥檚. As such, we mustn鈥檛 fool ourselves as to who is the true owner of the labor of our hands. While human civilization gives us the privilege of manipulating nature for our benefit, it also creates economic disparity, leaving people like strangers, orphans, widows, and many others vulnerable, a pitfall of human agency and nature of which the Torah is acutely aware.听

The Torah is both aspirational and realistic, acknowledging that human free will can lead to suffering. Given this reality, tithing represents a compromise: we may build our cities, manipulate nature, and exercise our free will, but we must also care for those affected by civilization鈥檚 inequity and iniquity. They too are made in the image of God and helping them isn鈥檛 just right 鈥� it鈥檚 righteous. At the heart of Tzedakah is Tzedek 鈥� justice, and if we stand any chance at holding onto this world, we must partner with God in the mitzvah of giving away what is rightfully God鈥檚 to give.