Parshat Ki Tavo begins with the mitzvah of bikkurim. A farmer enters his field and notices the first fruit beginning to ripen. He ties a thread around it and later brings it to the Beit HaMikdash. Standing before the Kohen, he recounts the story of the Jewish people—from our difficult beginnings, through the slavery of Egypt, until Hashem brought us into the Land of Israel.
What is striking is that the farmer does not merely say “thank you” for the fruit. He tells an entire story. Why?
Genuine gratitude requires context. If we look only at the fruit in front of us, we may take it for granted. But when we remember how far we have travelled, what we have endured, and how much had to happen for this moment to become possible, gratitude comes naturally.
This is true in our own lives. We often focus on what is still missing: the goal we have not yet reached, the problem that has not been resolved, or the blessing that someone else seems to possess. Ki Tavo teaches us to step back and see the larger picture. The life we live today may contain many things for which we once prayed.
The Hebrew words for gratitude—hakarat hatov—literally mean “recognising the good.” Gratitude does not mean pretending that everything is perfect. It means training ourselves to notice the goodness that exists alongside the difficulties.
Interestingly, the Torah instructs the farmer: “You shall rejoice with all the good that Hashem has given you.” Happiness is presented not merely as an emotion, but as a responsibility. We cannot always control what happens to us, but we can choose what we notice and where we place our attention.
This message is especially appropriate as we approach Rosh Hashanah. We naturally arrive with requests for the coming year—health, livelihood, peace and success. But before presenting our list of what we still need, Ki Tavo reminds us to acknowledge what we have already received.
Perhaps each of us can identify our own “first fruits”—one blessing we have taken for granted, one person we have not thanked sufficiently, or one aspect of life that deserves greater appreciation.
A grateful person is not someone who has everything; it is someone who recognises that everything is a gift. When we learn to notice those gifts, ordinary moments become sacred, and our lives become immeasurably richer.
Good Shabbos
Rabbi Rodney