RR Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29:9 By Jeffery Freeman
Shabbat Shalom,
This week’s Parshah is titled Ki Tavo. The name come from Deuteronomy 26:1 Now when you enter (ki tavo) the land that ADONAI your God is giving you…
There are commands concerning first fruits, tithes to support the Levites and the less privileged, reaffirming the covenant, committing to walk in ADONAI’s ways, setting up stones after crossing the Jordan River bearing Torah, the blessing and curses to be spoken at Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, and a reminder that it was ADONAI who sustained them for forty years in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 28 contains blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. There is quite a difference between the number of verses devoted to blessings and those for the curses. Just 14 verses for blessings, yet there are 54 verses for curses.
Why the disparity? When you are on the right path adjustments aren’t needed. Verses 28:9 and 14 give us the criteria for blessing… “if you keep the mitzvot of ADONAI your God,” and “do not turn aside from any of the commands I am giving you today.”
The rest of Chapter 28 is about these curses for disobedience. Too many people view the curses as punishment from an angry God. Punishment is the imposition of a restriction, financial penalty, form of suffering, or other undesired consequence for an offence. Yet God’s actions are not merely punishment, they are discipline. You may be thinking “What’s the difference?” Discipline, punishment, so what? Both are unpleasant actions taken against someone for transgressing something. Here’s what discipline is, training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, with punishment or other undesired consequences for those failing to comply.
Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the one you discipline, ADONAI, and teach him from your Torah.
The curses start in Verse 15 with “If you do not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God,” followed by a lengthy list of curses.
Verse 45 gives a hint of turning back to the LORD. Although it is not explicitly stated, the inference is “if you still persist in sinning,” “All these curses will come upon you…because you did not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God.”
Verse 58 hints at another opportunity to repent “if you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah.”
God isn’t just punishing in the curses. He is disciplining, all the while offering a way out of being disciplined by repenting and returning to Torah.
Many Christians today will assert, “For sure I repented. I said the sinner’s prayer and got baptized, so I am good to go.” In Yeshua’s time, and even today, many Jews believe that they are good to go as well because of the promises made to the patriarchs.
Why then did Yeshua go throughout the land proclaiming (Matthew 4:17) “Turn away (repent) from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near” or (Mark 1:15) “The kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe in the Good News!” Yeshua was mostly talking to Jews. If their assurances were through the promises made to the patriarchs, Yeshua had no need to talk to the Jews.
Yeshua wasn’t the first to call folks to repentance. The Prophets also called for repentance:
Isaiah 1:16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Put away your evil deeds…Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.
Jeremiah 3:12-13 Return backsliding Israel, says ADONAI…Acknowledge your iniquity. For you sinned against ADONAI.
Ezekiel 18:30 Return and turn away from your transgressions.
In many churches at the end of the message there is an altar call. This recognizes those who have asked Yeshua into their lives and have confessed that they are a sinner. Good start, confessing that you are a sinner…but what exactly are your sins? Sure, you can come up with a few, maybe even a few humdingers. But can you confidently identify all your sins?
Also, confessing sins is only part of the equation. Don’t forget that repentance (shuv in Hebrew) means to turn about, to stop doing bad and start doing good.
So where do we find what God considers good or bad? Torah. Yep, that part of the Bible that many Christians label as irrelevant, outdated, or cancelled.
Matthew 5:18 (Yeshua is speaking) Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif will ever pass away from the Torah…The earth still appears to he here, so perhaps it hasn’t quite passed away yet.
Paul says in Romans 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the Torah. Paul is telling us that Torah informs us how to identify sin.
We are called to be set apart – to actively repent.
Titus 1:14 He gave himself for us so that He might redeem us from every lawless deed so that He might purify for Himself a chosen people zealous for good deeds.
Let’s give John the last word:
1John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know Him by this – if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this – whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
Shabbat Shalom
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat29-Aug 2026 16th of Elul, 5786 Parashat Ki Tavo
De 29:2-9[1-8]Isa 60Ro 8:31-39
This week’s Parshah is titled Ki Tavo. The name come from Deuteronomy 26:1 Now when you enter (ki tavo) the land that ADONAI your God is giving you…
There are commands concerning first fruits, tithes to support the Levites and the less privileged, reaffirming the covenant, committing to walk in ADONAI’s ways, setting up stones after crossing the Jordan River bearing Torah, the blessing and curses to be spoken at Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, and a reminder that it was ADONAI who sustained them for forty years in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 28 contains blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. There is quite a difference between the number of verses devoted to blessings and those for the curses. Just 14 verses for blessings, yet there are 54 verses for curses.
Why the disparity? When you are on the right path adjustments aren’t needed. Verses 28:9 and 14 give us the criteria for blessing… “if you keep the mitzvot of ADONAI your God,” and “do not turn aside from any of the commands I am giving you today.”
The rest of Chapter 28 is about these curses for disobedience. Too many people view the curses as punishment from an angry God. Punishment is the imposition of a restriction, financial penalty, form of suffering, or other undesired consequence for an offence. Yet God’s actions are not merely punishment, they are discipline. You may be thinking “What’s the difference?” Discipline, punishment, so what? Both are unpleasant actions taken against someone for transgressing something. Here’s what discipline is, training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, with punishment or other undesired consequences for those failing to comply.
Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the one you discipline, ADONAI, and teach him from your Torah.
The curses start in Verse 15 with “If you do not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God,” followed by a lengthy list of curses.
Verse 45 gives a hint of turning back to the LORD. Although it is not explicitly stated, the inference is “if you still persist in sinning,” “All these curses will come upon you…because you did not listen to the voice of ADONAI your God.”
Verse 58 hints at another opportunity to repent “if you do not take care to do all the words of this Torah.”
God isn’t just punishing in the curses. He is disciplining, all the while offering a way out of being disciplined by repenting and returning to Torah.
Many Christians today will assert, “For sure I repented. I said the sinner’s prayer and got baptized, so I am good to go.” In Yeshua’s time, and even today, many Jews believe that they are good to go as well because of the promises made to the patriarchs.
Why then did Yeshua go throughout the land proclaiming (Matthew 4:17) “Turn away (repent) from your sins, for the kingdom of heaven is near” or (Mark 1:15) “The kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins and believe in the Good News!” Yeshua was mostly talking to Jews. If their assurances were through the promises made to the patriarchs, Yeshua had no need to talk to the Jews.
Yeshua wasn’t the first to call folks to repentance. The Prophets also called for repentance:
Isaiah 1:16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Put away your evil deeds…Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.
Jeremiah 3:12-13 Return backsliding Israel, says ADONAI…Acknowledge your iniquity. For you sinned against ADONAI.
Ezekiel 18:30 Return and turn away from your transgressions.
In many churches at the end of the message there is an altar call. This recognizes those who have asked Yeshua into their lives and have confessed that they are a sinner. Good start, confessing that you are a sinner…but what exactly are your sins? Sure, you can come up with a few, maybe even a few humdingers. But can you confidently identify all your sins?
Also, confessing sins is only part of the equation. Don’t forget that repentance (shuv in Hebrew) means to turn about, to stop doing bad and start doing good.
So where do we find what God considers good or bad? Torah. Yep, that part of the Bible that many Christians label as irrelevant, outdated, or cancelled.
Matthew 5:18 (Yeshua is speaking) Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif will ever pass away from the Torah…The earth still appears to he here, so perhaps it hasn’t quite passed away yet.
Paul says in Romans 7:7 I would not have known sin except through the Torah. Paul is telling us that Torah informs us how to identify sin.
We are called to be set apart – to actively repent.
Titus 1:14 He gave himself for us so that He might redeem us from every lawless deed so that He might purify for Himself a chosen people zealous for good deeds.
Let’s give John the last word:
1John 1:8-9 If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know Him by this – if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this – whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
Shabbat Shalom
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat29-Aug 2026 16th of Elul, 5786 Parashat Ki Tavo
De 29:2-9[1-8]Isa 60Ro 8:31-39
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