Making God’s Blessings Happen

There is much to absorb in Parshat Ki Tavo. The portion begins with the mitzvah of offering the first fruits, accompanied by a concise declaration of the people’s history. It then reminds Israel of their tithing obligations to the Levites and the poor, before turning to Moshe’s admonition: the people’s responsibility to observe God’s will, and the consequences of obedience and disobedience. The litany of curses for disloyalty is overwhelming in its horror, underscoring the urgency of avoiding them. Yet even the blessings carry with them a weight of responsibility, one left unstated by the Torah, but discerned “between the lines” by the sages.

One rabbinic interpretation of a seemingly simple blessing gives rise to a thoughtful midrash on the very human tendency to evade responsibility. The first of Moshe’s blessings reads:

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. (Deuteronomy 28:3)

The midrash finds significance in the unusual order of this verse:

“Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field” (Deut. 28:3). Should it not have said, “Blessed shall you be in the field and blessed shall you be in the city,” since it is from the produce of the field that a person is blessed in the city? What, then, does Scripture mean by saying, “Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field”? If you encounter a mitzvah in the city, do not say, “I was only commanded in the field, to separate priestly gifts and tithes from the produce.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Open your hand also in the city.” (Tanhuma Ki Tavo 4)

Avoidance of responsibility is a deeply human tendency, one that has become ingrained in our individual-centered society. Judaism, however, as this midrash suggests, is countercultural. Such behavior is not only societally destructive; it is also, ultimately, a denial of God. Acts of tzedakah do not end simply because one lacks the immediate means to perform them, nor because one lives in a place where there are no poor. The same is true of other mitzvot as well. Ensuring a minyan, for example, is not merely the responsibility of “others,” but of each member of the community.

Without responsibility, there is no community, and all suffer the consequences. Avoidance and absolution are not Jewish options. The blessing of society is at once God’s gift to us and His demand of us, while the disintegration of society is perhaps the ultimate curse.

When we embrace responsibility together, we transform God’s blessing into a living reality.