Parashat Ki Tavo 5784

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

Towards the conclusion of Parashat Ki Tavo, we read, “You have seen all that God did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his courtiers and to his whole country; the wondrous feats that you saw with your own eyes, those prodigious signs and marvels. Yet to this day God has not given you a mind to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear” (Deuteronomy 29:1-3). The Etz Hayim Torah and Commentary quotes Abraham Joshua Heschel when explaining to this day God has not given you a time to understand: “The ability to understand, to see or hear the divine significance of events, may be granted or withheld from man. One may see great wonders but remain entirely insensitive.” Let us make sure we are not insensitive and not unaware of the many wonders in our world.  Where have you seen the Divine Presence in your life? Just look around at the faces of your sisters in your Sisterhood Affiliate, and you will see God’s wonders in our world. Am Yisrael Chai! The People of Israel Live!