The portion of כִּי-תָבוֹא/Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1-29:8) “when you come,” begins with a שִׂמְחָה/simcha, a joy. What joy? The presentation of a basket of first-fruits before the Lord.

While the wanderings of Israel in the wilderness are drawing to a close, Moses reminds them of better days ahead. He is saying: “You will enter the Promised Land … You will build homes, families, communities … You will grow crops and plant vineyards … And you will rejoice before the Lord.”

In Deuteronomy 26:11 the Torah says:

וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְכָל-הַטּוֹב, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן-לְךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ–וּלְבֵיתֶךָ

“And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.”

What Moses sees, prophetically, is striking. He sees an Israelite approach the Altar on behalf of his family, make a declaration (Deut. 26:5-15), hand the priest a basket of first-fruits, and then Moses sees him settling down, in the presence of God, to rejoice with his family, but also the “Levite, and the outsider in your midst.”

How is a declaration connected to joy? Moses exhorts them to remember the trials and tribulations of, not only their personal history, but the history of our people. Jacob fled the land of promise with his family because of famine, to be recused by his long lost son Joseph. Ultimately, the Egyptians enslaved the family of Israel. The Lord then rescues Israel, leading them out of Egypt, but disobedience led to years of wandering.

The first-fruits offering and the declaration are reminders of the covenant Lord’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise, even while bringing forth joyous fruit from the most difficult of circumstances.

Still, the declaration also confirms that we have not forgotten the least. In Deuteronomy 25:17-19 the Lord reminds Israel of how Amalek treated them along the way, attacking the least among the camp, those lagging behind: the tired and the weary. We are to “blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget.” How?

The answer is in the joy. While standing before the Lord and the priests, the imagined Israelite presents his basket as evidence of God’s promise, but also the evidence of his faithfulness to the Lord’s command, as he says, “I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments” (Deut. 26:13). Forgotten what? To blot out the memory of Amalek by taking care of, rather than discouraging, the “tired and the weary.”

When the Israelite sits down, he does so with his immediate family, but also those of his “house,” and yet broader, “the Levite and the outsider in your midst.” Together we rejoice. We rejoice because of His faithfulness to provide, to deliver, and to bring us together. As Moses says, “you will rejoice in/with all the good that the Lord has given to you and to your house.”

To make this joy we share food, we sing songs, and we share time with each other. The joy of the Lord is an immersive experience! In this, we experience His peace in a more profound way. Troubles, trials, pressures and difficulties, while they yet exist, are laid aside. Rejoicing in the presence of God, tasting and seeing that He is good (Ps. 34:8), and sharing together overcomes the seemingly ever present concerns of life.

The apostle Paul encourages us: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4; cf. 1 These. 5:16). Paul wrote these words while in prison. How was he able to do so without a hint of irony?

Paul is witnessing the preparation and presenting of the first-fruits of his labors unto the Lord (2 Cor. 11:2). He knows well, not only Israel’s trials, but also his own, and how the Lord has kept him through it all (2 Tim 1:12). He has remembered the least (Gal. 2:10). Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto the Lord while in chains together (Acts 16:25-26). Everything that Moses envisioned, at one time or another, Paul relived and exampled for us.

How? Paul looked to the One Who is the Lord’s all sufficient supply (Phil. 4:19), Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. Messiah is the High Priest before Whom, and in Whom we stand (Rev. 1:12-13). He is our deliverer (Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9). He is the first-fruit among many brethren (Ro. 8:29). He is the fullness of God’s yes and amen promises (2 Cor. 1:20). He has made one family of renewed humanity in Himself (Eph. 2:15). He humbles the great, while caring for the least (Matt. 25:31-46).

When we behold the Gospel, as Paul and the Apostles did, we can also “rejoice always in the Lord, again I say rejoice” in the midst of any trial and circumstance. We will rest in the gracious sufficiency of His sacrifice. We will remember to be on the mission He set us to (Matt. 28:18-20), and in doing so, we will find that we rejoice, not in isolation, but in the company of family, friends, and those who at first glance, appear as strangers. What a blessed joy it is to share in such a holy fellowship.

Be well. Shalom.

In the Torah portion of כִּי-תֵצֵא/Ki Tetze, “when you go out,” we find a correction to the popular idiomatic expression and children’s rhyme “finders keepers, losers weepers.” In Deuteronomy 22:1-4:

“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.”

Contrary to this popular rhyme, when we find something belonging to another, we have an obligation to return it; or, in the event of a great distance between you and them, if the location of the owner is not known to you, it must be kept safe, implying care given, until they come to find it. Then the livestock or item is returned.

What are the items in question? An ox, a sheep, a donkey, and a garment.

Deuteronomy 22:1-3 (cf. Ex. 23:4-5) is a correction of turning a blind eye in one regard, as if the lost animal or item is no concern of yours; but it is also an imperative to restore what has been lost. Failure to do so and keeping said item would be accounted as theft, subject judgment if discovered, and that would be of much greater value than a supposed gain.

The rabbis have concluded that these laws apply to all domestic animals, not just those listed; and to any item, not just his garment. Why? Why is the Torah concerned with the returning of lost livestock or items?

In a society where lives could rise or fall upon the loss of an ox, a sheep, or a donkey, to secure and return them to the rightful owner could potentially save the family. Perhaps the loss was accidental? Should the family fall into poverty due to an accident? The loss for one is not an unexpected gain for another. Note the language of Deuteronomy 22:1-3, the “brother” may not be known to you. The Lord is creating a relationship, a bond, a care and concern between two unknown parties. Why? That we ultimately trust Him for our blessing and provision.

As the Torah often does, it uses a seemingly incidental life circumstance to deepen our care and concern for the human other. It’s another example of loving neighbor, stranger, and even our enemy as ourselves (Lev. 19:18, 34; Ex. 23:4-5). It is one example of how the Lord conforms us to His image, by reaching into a very relatable situation.

Deuteronomy 22:4 demands we go deeper. If you see this unknown brother in trouble with the ox or their donkey, help them. Again, do not turn away, help. Demonstrate His grace.

Is there a deeper consideration for this? Ultimately we, and all that we have, belong to the Lord. In the Gospels, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10).

The Torah teaches us to take responsibility for the lost animal and item, how much more so the human? The Torah teaches us to help lift the burden of the neighbor along the way. How much more so the neighbor on the way to eternity?

Yeshua is seeking the lost, those belonging to Him. He has set those of us having been found at intersections of peoples lives to help, care for, and minister to until He reaches them. Admittedly, this may seem a stretch, but as the Torah and Messiah do in so many instances, they use the mundane to teach matters of eternal significance.

Finders, keepers, losers, weepers obviously is not biblical, but the joy of the Father welcoming a lost son or daughter home is (Lk. 15:24), as is the joy He experiences when we, older sons and daughters, respond obediently to His will.

Be well. Shalom.