Parshat Ki Tavo includes one of the most memorable covenantal moments in the Torah. As the Israelites prepare to enter the Land of Israel, Moses instructs them to divide between two mountains: Mount Gerizim, symbolizing blessings, and Mount Ebal, symbolizing curses. There, they publicly affirm their commitment to God’s commandments, declaring aloud the blessings that flow from faithfulness and the consequences of neglect. It’s a dramatic reminder that Torah is not abstract; it lives in our choices, and those choices have impact.
This moment at Gerizim and Ebal resonates with blessings we say every day. Before we engage with sacred text, we recite the Birkat HaTorah: “Blessed are you … who has chosen us and given us the Torah.” Before performing a commandment, we say the Birkat HaMitzvot: “…who has sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to…” These words echo the covenantal choice in Ki Tavo. Each blessing is a declaration that Torah and mitzvot are not just rituals we check off, but pathways to blessing—ways we bring holiness into our lives.
Standing between those two mountains, the Israelites learn that blessing doesn’t descend on us passively. It’s the result of choosing to live with intention, guided by Torah. Every time we recite these blessings, we symbolically return to that valley between Gerizim and Ebal, and we choose again.
This week, as we read Ki Tavo, may we hear the call from those ancient mountains in our own lives. When we bless Torah study and mitzvot, let us remember we are not simply reciting words, but affirming our covenantal choice to walk in blessing in our daily actions, big and small.
A Mountain of Choices
From the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed, our days are filled with decisions. We are constantly making choices, from what to eat, what to wear, what words to say. Some decisions are small, like whether to take the freeway or the back roads. Others are much bigger, shaping our character or even the legacy we leave. Judaism teaches that even in the ordinary, our choices are infused with holiness. And one of the most powerful ways we frame this is through the blessings we say before learning Torah or performing mitzvot.
Parshat Ki Tavo includes one of the most memorable covenantal moments in the Torah. As the Israelites prepare to enter the Land of Israel, Moses instructs them to divide between two mountains: Mount Gerizim, symbolizing blessings, and Mount Ebal, symbolizing curses. There, they publicly affirm their commitment to God’s commandments, declaring aloud the blessings that flow from faithfulness and the consequences of neglect. It’s a dramatic reminder that Torah is not abstract; it lives in our choices, and those choices have impact.
This moment at Gerizim and Ebal resonates with blessings we say every day. Before we engage with sacred text, we recite the Birkat HaTorah: “Blessed are you … who has chosen us and given us the Torah.” Before performing a commandment, we say the Birkat HaMitzvot: “…who has sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to…” These words echo the covenantal choice in Ki Tavo. Each blessing is a declaration that Torah and mitzvot are not just rituals we check off, but pathways to blessing—ways we bring holiness into our lives.
Standing between those two mountains, the Israelites learn that blessing doesn’t descend on us passively. It’s the result of choosing to live with intention, guided by Torah. Every time we recite these blessings, we symbolically return to that valley between Gerizim and Ebal, and we choose again.
This week, as we read Ki Tavo, may we hear the call from those ancient mountains in our own lives. When we bless Torah study and mitzvot, let us remember we are not simply reciting words, but affirming our covenantal choice to walk in blessing in our daily actions, big and small.
Parshat Ki Tavo includes one of the most memorable covenantal moments in the Torah. As the Israelites prepare to enter the Land of Israel, Moses instructs them to divide between two mountains: Mount Gerizim, symbolizing blessings, and Mount Ebal, symbolizing curses. There, they publicly affirm their commitment to God’s commandments, declaring aloud the blessings that flow from faithfulness and the consequences of neglect. It’s a dramatic reminder that Torah is not abstract; it lives in our choices, and those choices have impact.
This moment at Gerizim and Ebal resonates with blessings we say every day. Before we engage with sacred text, we recite the Birkat HaTorah: “Blessed are you … who has chosen us and given us the Torah.” Before performing a commandment, we say the Birkat HaMitzvot: “…who has sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to…” These words echo the covenantal choice in Ki Tavo. Each blessing is a declaration that Torah and mitzvot are not just rituals we check off, but pathways to blessing—ways we bring holiness into our lives.
Standing between those two mountains, the Israelites learn that blessing doesn’t descend on us passively. It’s the result of choosing to live with intention, guided by Torah. Every time we recite these blessings, we symbolically return to that valley between Gerizim and Ebal, and we choose again.
This week, as we read Ki Tavo, may we hear the call from those ancient mountains in our own lives. When we bless Torah study and mitzvot, let us remember we are not simply reciting words, but affirming our covenantal choice to walk in blessing in our daily actions, big and small.
