Ki Tavo

It shall come to pass when you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance…you shall take the firs of all the fruit of the earth which you shall bring of your land that the Lord your God gives you…and shall go to the place which the Lord your God shall choose…You shall go to the Kohen that shall be in those days, and say to him, “I proclaim this day to the Lord your God that I come into the country which the Lord swore our ancestors to give us.

26:1-3

This ceremony teaches man that it is essential in the service of God to recall previous experiences of suffering and distress in days of comfort…Those who amass wealth and live in comfort are more prone to fall victim to the vices of insolence and haughtiness, and abandon all good principles…

Maimonides (12^th Century)

Since the first fruits constitute man’s most reassured possession, God commanded man to subdue his natural instincts and not earth from them, but rather dedicate them to God.

Abravanel (15^th Century)

The major reason for using this passage from Deuteronomy as the basis for seder discussion..is because it is couched in the first person, rather than the usual third person of the book of Exodus. In essence, the authors of the Haggada and the sages of the Mishna are teaching that in order to be effective, objective history must become transformed into subjective personal memory.

Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)

It is the unique insight of our Torah that ritual can be harnessed to assist us in our search for purpose and perspective. Conventional wisdom holds that belief determines behavior. The Halakhic system maintains that behavior can mold belief, that the symbolism associated with the observance of our laws and customs profoundly impacts the Jew’s spiritual development. The mitzvot serve as powerful educational and psychological tools, enabling us to achieve a sense of our proper position in time, in society and in relation to the Eternal… The mitzvah stresses more than the organic connection of the Jew to contemporary coreligionists; it also binds one to the Jewish people as it has existed for countless generations…

Joseph Feit (Contemporary)

Why is this ceremony prescribed? Why recall all of this? Because the memories and laws, left to themselves, may fade; they must be deliberately passed on, from one generation to the next. Each generation must relive them, and must transmit them to the next one. It is not easy. The United Stated has existed barely more than 200 years, and although we have by official sanction an Independence every 4^th of July and a thanksgiving feast, to remind people that liberty and prosperity are not to be taken for granted, we all are aware how their spiritual content has eroded, leaving little more than a 3-day weekend, bargain sales, fireworks and Macy’s parade.

Ken Berger (20^th Century)