This week’s parsha, Ki Tavo, begins with the first fruits.   The Torah tells us that the farmer in the Land of Israel must bring a basket of the first fruits of the orchard to the Temple, give them to the Kohen to wave, and make the following declaration:  “An Aramean tried to destroy my father. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation.  The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us.  We cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression.  The LORD freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and wonders.  He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O LORD, have given me.” You shall leave it before the LORD your God and bow low before the LORD your God.”

You probably recognize this from the Haggadah as the words of Magid, the words we use to describe the exile and redemption from Egypt.   But it is actually the declaration of the farmer in Israel 40 years later as he brings his first fruits of the season.

The mitzvah at the seder is to relive the slavery and the redeption.  It is perplexing that if we zoom out we see that the words we use to describe the slavery are not the words of a slave, and the words we use to describe the redeption are not the words of the redeeemed, but rather the words of the farmer in Israel bringing the first fruits.  Why?

The exile and redemption were for a purpose.  The goal is not just to relive the exile or the redemption, the goal of both of those, is rather, the grand purpose of the Jewish people-  to live an everyday holy and religious life of the Jewish people in the land.   There, to be a model to the other nations and a blessing to them, as God said to Avrohom in Birashit.  If we think that exile is just about getting to redemption we are mistaken, if we think that redemption is an end in itself we are mistaken, we must keep our eyes on the prize, on the purpose, which is years hence- sanctifying the mundane through living a Jewish life.

We tell the story from the point of view of the already redeemed because the danger of getting caught up in exile and redemption is great, these are overwhelming experiences of difficulty and joy.   The Torah is teaching us to see beyond them to their purpose..   What happens after the redemption is over is the most important thing.

This is true for us also in our exile within exile – our experience in this era of Corona.  We can easily get caught up in the here and now, with surviving “exile” and finding redemption.  But what then?   We need a plan for what comes after redemption.  We must see our time and the time of cure that will come speedily in our days, from the point of view of the Jew living one or two years hence.   We must be sure not to forget to prepare for that future while we are muddling through this present.  We must continue to build the community even as we find ourselves in this strange holding pattern of sorts.

Here are a few ways we can begin to make sure we are retaining our life as a community of observant Jews even as we are presently within this strange exile.   In a limited way now we are moving back to daily prayer services in shul and, of course, High Holiday services.   If you are comfortable signing up for those please do.  If you are physically compromised do not, God forbid, put yourself at risk, but if you are healthy come out to pray together with the community to help retain the spirit of connection and tefilah that are so foundational to who we are.   Shabbat Shalom!