Three Pillars

Parashat Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1–29:8)

“And you shall rejoice in all the good that God, your God, has given you…”



This simple directive, found in Parashat Ki Tavo (Deut. 26:1–29:8), is HaShem’s command for Israel to rejoice when bringing the bounty of their First Fruits (Bikkurim) to the Holy Temple three times a year. Each person would bring their basket and gratefully declare how God’s miracles brought their ancestors out of Egypt and into the Land promised to their forefathers.



Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch expands on the gratitude that animates this declaration of Israel’s unfolding destiny:



“Now, he looks back to these early beginnings of the Jewish People, and expresses the historical facts that attest for all time to come that, at the establishment of Jewish national existence, only God’s will and almighty power were active; no other factor participated in creating Jewish nationhood.”
(Hirsch Chumash on Parashat Ki Tavo)



As the Sages teach, “The heart follows action.” Actively practicing thankfulness engraves gratitude on our hearts.

In this Torah portion, God commands Israel to inscribe the Torah on twelve stones upon entering the Land. Rashi explains there were three sets of stones: in the Jordan, at Gilgal, and on Mount Ebal.

 In Torah, the number three represents balance and harmony. Consider just a few examples:



The three pilgrimage festivals celebrating the agricultural bounty of Eretz Yisrael: Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot.
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The Patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov — the foundation of the nation

The daily prayers — Shacharit, Minchah, and Ma’ariv — binding each day in service to God.


Three pillars of the world — Torah, Servce and Charity (Pirkei Avot 1:2).



The aforementioned three sets of inscribed stones fit this same pattern of divine harmony and a perpetual reminder never to forget God, the Source of all blessing.

The stones—a kind of national mezuzah—also function as a mark of ownership for the Land of Israel, the home of a very real nation, with Torah as its Constitution. It is also the eternal deed to the holiest ground on earth.



Parashat Ki Tavo takes a darker turn. HaShem warns the nation what will befall them if they forget His covenant and stray after idols. There is terrifying list of curses spelled out in detail. Even so, God will never forget His people. We see that in the Haftarah for this portion, with God's promise of restored joy and continuing destiny:



“And your people, all of them righteous, shall possess the land forever; they are the shoot that I planted, My handiwork in which I glory. The smallest shall become a clan, the least, a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.”
 -Isaiah 60:21–22)


No wonder the prophet Zechariah echoes this hope for Israel’s future:



“Thus said the LORD of Hosts: In those days, ten men from nations of every tongue will take hold of every Jew by the corner of his garment and say, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
 - Zechariah 8:23)



And so, the pattern of three reminds us that Israel’s joy will be complete: rooted in the faith of their ancestors, lived out in daily service, and destined to blossom in the final redemption when all nations will recognize the God of Israel. May it come speedily in our day.