ParshaClass/The First Fruit Thanksgiving that leads to David’s Offspring
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Rabbi Z. Aviner
NoahideSevenCommandments.com
For what good state should we bless God according to the Torah?
There is a private good, such as a person who has been saved from danger or illness.
And during the time of the Temple, it was possible to bring a thanksgiving sacrifice – a burnt offering – for the good. For a personal miracle, such as healing from illness or from danger,
Like Naaman, the commander of Aram’s army, and like Noah after the Flood
Good is a subjective thing. Personal. But there is good in the eyes of man, and there is good in the eyes of God, the Torah
There is a special situation that is good both personally and in the eyes of the Torah, and that is the bringing of the firstborn.
What is special about the mitzva of the first fruits? And what is the implication for the children of Noah?
The Reading
We will read Deuteronomy chapter 22, verses 1-11
Let us describe the situation of the person who brings the firstborns, and the Torah calls this state good
When you come to the land – an important condition for the mitzvah, the owner of the field is in Eretz Yisrael
And you shall dwell in it – every man of Israel has his own piece of land, as Yehoshua did after conquering the land
From the beginning of all the fruit of the earth – the owner of the field goes down to his field and chooses the best fruits and ties them with rubber
And the fruits are the best, not dates that grow in the mountains and not apples that grow in the valleys
And you shall sit in the womb and go to the place which the Lord your God will choose to dwell His name there – the Temple stands, and in it is the Shekhina.
The Mishna describes walking to Jerusalem with song and joy, and on the way they are greeted by the local residents with blessings, the land is inhabited, there is no fear of the enemy, the government is Israel’s.
And there is peace on the way, and you are not afraid to leave the city, and Jerusalem is standing and its inhabitants welcome you with joy
And the next day you go up on foot to the Temple Mount with a bear full of fruit on your shoulder, yourself, not a messenger
And you enter the service and accompany you with the song of the Levites – which we sing every day at the beginning of the prayer every morning
And you say – in Hebrew – to the priest who welcomes you the confession of the first fruits – which is special in its
It tells the entire history of the people of Israel since Abraham who left idolatry in Aram
Until the Exodus from Egypt and the reception of the Torah and the Land of Israel and Jerusalem and the Temple – the whole story behind you until this very moment
In other words, the entire story of the book of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings
Then the priest puts his hand under your hand and you both wave the basket in the direction of the Holy of Holies and the priest places the basket next to the altar
Both of you – because this situation is good in the eyes of the owner of the field and in the eyes of G-d
The Torah calls the situation that you have described good. There is no other situation in the entire Torah that is called good in the eyes of the Torah
Goodness and joy – for Israel and the whole world (Sefat Emet)
It is important and good in the eyes of the Torah that Israel dwell in the land safely and build the Temple – for Israel and for the entire world
Why is the situation good?
For these steps – the dwelling of Israel in the Land of Israel and the judges and the building of Jerusalem brought good fruit to David, as Bilam prophesied, and in the future they will bring the Messiah, the son of David, as Bilam prophesied – says Maimonides
David – Government in Israel, Ben David – Messiah to the Whole World (Rambam)
When did this good situation happen in history?
This special state of observing all the stages – good in the eyes of Adam and God – that each of Israel sits under his vine and fig tree and Jerusalem is built and the Temple stands – existed for the first time during the time of King Solomon who built the First Temple.
The people thought that Solomon was not suitable for kingship because of the story of his mother, Bat Sheva, but when they saw that the doors were opened and fire descended from heaven to burn on the altar – all the people bowed down on the floor with joy, and the choir of the Levites sang for the first time the songs of David – Psalms – thanking God that it is good that His mercy endures. (Divrei Ha-yamim). The good situation of the firstborns was fulfilled.
At that time, Solomon gave his speech in which he said to God: ‘We know that this house cannot contain you, but your Shekhina is here and this house will be a place for all nations to come and pray to You. The Temple was built as a source of goodness and joy for the whole world – and after that all the people returned to their homes with great joy
And Isaiah chapter 2 says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of God in Jerusalem shall be higher than all the mountains, and all the nations shall flock to it to pray and study Torah.” In other words, from this place the Messiah, the son of David, will reign – in peace and joy for all the world (and not that he will kill the unbelievers with the sword, nor that he will not fight Gog and Magog).
What are we thankful for in our time for the good?
During the time of the Temple, Solomon and the people could bless thanksgiving because it is good. Why do we bless and say thank you today that there is no Temple?
Chazal thought about this when they returned from Babylon at the time of Ezra, and decided to say in prayer every day to thank God that it is good “for your prince and your wonders in each and every day – the visible and the hidden.
They also added a prayer that all the steps that brought David and Solomon would be repeated
For as the prophet Balaam understood, it is important that the people of Israel dwell in the Land of Israel and not elsewhere
The people of Israel are planted in the Land of Israel like a tree that will bear good fruit. And the tree requires a good climate, good soil, good water in order for the fruit to be the best
Thus, the people of Israel were planted in the Land of Israel in order to yield good fruit – David and the son of David, who would bring good to Israel and to the whole world.
Why is the situation good in the eyes of God? Why do we need a Messiah?
The Sefat Emet says that the true story is in the chapter of creation in the book of Genesis
God created the world in order to enter Shabbat. He aspires and wants to finish His work and enter Shabbat
In other words, to reach a state in which the Shekhina openly fills this world
– And for this purpose He created man. Man accompanies God on his way to Shabbat
Just as the borrowers in the Temple accompany a person with the fruit in the direction of the Holy of Holies
Noah was the first
And Noah was the first man to see the entire journey of humanity to sit
It is written in the Torah, “Noah, Noah” twice Noach on the side, and the name Noach means Noach on Shabbat
Noach saw two Shabbatot – our Shabbat, and the Shabbat that is to come.
For there was peace in the ark, and a wolf did not devour the kid, and a little boy could play with a snake without fear
The Story of Noah after the Flood
Noah was thankful for the good after the flood, he was saved from poverty, but he felt a great lack of time in going to Shabbat
Because he was very afraid that the bloodshed he had seen in his generation would return
He remembered that the first thanksgiving sacrifice had already been brought before him – by Cain and Abel, each of whom had brought to God the best of his crops
Cain brought the best fruits, and Abel the best of the sheep
They were the first to bring first fruits
But immediately afterwards the first murder took place, out of jealousy of G-d
Noach feared that even after the burnt offering, his thanksgiving, his sons would rise up and spill blood – for example, out of religious jealousy
Therefore, he said to God, “I will not bring any more children into the world until you promise me that this will not happen, that on the one hand there will be an end to the bloodshed, and on the other hand you will be more tolerant and will not bring the flood immediately, as in the past, but will be forgiving
Build the altar on Mount Moriah
Noah took his three sons to Mount Moriah, where he built an altar from the same stones of the altar that Cain and Abel had built
He said to his sons, “This is where the bloodshed in the world has begun, and from this place it will stop
That is why the city of Jerusalem is called the City of Peace. He knew that it was impossible to achieve goodness and sit as long as there were wars and bloodshed
The Rainbow Alliance
God answers Noah’s prayer through the covenant of the rainbow, which says that in order for a person to overcome bloodshed, he must observe the laws that appear with the covenant – the laws of bloodshed and murder
Noach repented after the flood in the covenant of the rainbow for thanksgiving, but he also prayed that his sons would not repeat their bloodshed and theft
Therefore –
The children of Noach should pray like Israel for the establishment of the Temple, from which good will come out for the whole world, good in the eyes of both Adam and God. Tov – The Coming of the Messiah
And in Noach, we must help Israel to repeat all the steps that will bring the son of David, and the world will be not only good, but very good.
The Rainbow Alliance
God answers Noah’s prayer through the covenant of the rainbow, which says that in order for a person to overcome bloodshed, he must observe the laws that appear with the covenant – the laws of bloodshed and murder
Noach repented after the flood in the covenant of the rainbow for thanksgiving, but he also prayed that his sons would not repeat their bloodshed and theft
Therefore –
The children of Noach should pray like Israel for the establishment of the Temple, from which good will come out for the whole world, good in the eyes of both Adam and God. Tov – The Coming of the Messiah
And in Noach, we must help Israel to repeat all the steps that will bring the son of David, and the world will be not only good, but very good.