Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvah of bikurim, the first fruits a farmer brings to Yerushalayim. But more than just produce, bikurim is a declaration of bitachon (trust in Hashem).

The Sifrei explains that in the farmer’s words—

“Arami oved avi, vayered Mitzrayma… We went down to Egypt small in number, became great, were enslaved, made to suffer, cried out to Hashem, and then Hashem saved us and brought us to the land of milk and honey”

—we are not only expressing gratitude for produce, but declaring that Hashem alone controls the world. Jewish survival and our presence in Eretz Yisrael were never natural—neither then nor now. Our very existence is testimony that Hashem intervenes in history and guides us every step of the way.

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Doing Mitzvot with Heart

Later in the parsha, the farmer declares:

“I have not transgressed Your mitzvot and I have not forgotten.”

The Sfas Emes points out something striking: one can “forget” a mitzvah even while doing it. If we perform mitzvot by rote, without kavana (intention), it is as if we have forgotten them.

But when we bring our heart into mitzvot—without distraction—we strengthen our relationship with Hashem, and that connection lingers with us. This is the source of blessing. The opposite, as the tochacha warns, is punishment that comes from doing mitzvot without joy, without a full heart.

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Doing Our Part, Then Asking for His

The parsha continues with another powerful moment:

“Hashkifa mim’on kodshecha min hashamayim—look down from Your holy abode, from heaven and bless Your people.”

After doing what was commanded, we turn to Hashem and say:

“I did my hishtadlut. Now please, Hashem, do Your part.”

My wife once shared a beautiful tefilla to say after finishing baking bread: when the work is done, the dough rises only with Hashem’s blessing. She encouraged me to adapt it to my own work—put in honest effort, then hand it over to Hashem and ask for His bracha.

That same idea applies to everything in life. We often feel, “I didn’t do enough, I wasn’t productive enough.” But the truth is, results are never in our hands. Our role is only to try.

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Transforming Daily Life

This changes the way we live.

• When I eat: “Hashem, I ate to nourish my body to serve You. Please bless me with strength.”
• When I sleep: “I rested to have clarity to serve You. Please bless me.”
• When I work: “I put in my effort. Please bless me with my needs.”

Every moment becomes an opportunity to do our part with joy, then leave the outcome to Hashem. And then we can truly live:

V’samachta b’chol hatov — Rejoice in all the good Hashem gives us.

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Our Cry for Geula

And so, in a world unraveling before our eyes—filled with darkness, confusion, and unbearable sheker—we lift our voices to Hashem:

We are Your children.
We have cried.
We have davened.
We have said Tehillim.
We have learned Torah.
We have done chesed.
We have loved one another.

We are ready for Mashiach.

Just as the farmer once stood with bikurim and declared, “I have done what You commanded,” so too we stand before You, Hashem, and say the same. We know that You have always controlled the world.

And now we turn to You and plead:

Hashkifa mim’on kodshecha, min hashamayim, u’vareich et amcha et Yisrael v’et ha’adamah…
Bless Your people Israel and the land You gave us, as You swore to our forefathers.

Bring the geula shleima.
Bring us all home.
Boneh Yerushalayim—Rebuild the Beit HaMikdash.

Let us once again bring bikurim, with the Shechina back in Yerushalayim.