Appreciate Your Grocer – Parshat Ki Tavo

I am sometimes astounded by what is 'hiding in plain sight'. (Through a quick search on the internet, I found at least three different books with that title.) I remember the first time I learned the concept with the "watch test".* And I am surprised time and again how I get caught overlooking these things.

So it was with a passage in this week's parsha, Parshat Ki Tavo. I have read and reread the same explanation of Rashi for years yet this year I noticed for the first time something that was hiding in plain sight. When a person brings his first figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives or dates to the Temple, he gives the fruit-filled basket to the Kohen and says: "I have arrived at the land which God swore to our forefathers that He would give to us."1 Rashi quotes the Midrash which points out that this is kind of obvious. If I'm standing here, then obviously I have arrived! Then why indeed do we need to say this verse? Rashi answers that it is to show that we are not ungrateful.

But who are we thanking? Who is the object of our gratefulness? He is giving the basket to the Kohen but is praising God. So are we thanking God? So why say this to the Kohen – say it directly to God!? Perhaps someone else? Rabbi Weinberg quotes a wonderful answer from the 18th century commentary of Rabbi David Pardo, Maskil Ledavid. He explains that we are, in fact, expressing our thanks to the Kohen. Thanks for what? What has the Kohen done for us? He answers that the Kohen works in the Beit Hamikdash performing rituals on our behalf, sometimes leaving his house for weeks at a time to serve on our behalf. For this service he is deserving of our thanks and that is why we speak to the Kohen and even offer these first fruits to him.

We benefit from work that other people do. Yet we often take people for granted. There are so many people who are deserving of our thanks. We often think of the more obvious ones – family, close friends, co-workers. But there are so many more…starting with your grocer (it could also be your electrician, your banker, your kids' bus driver, your accountant…you get the idea). We have spoken before of the virtues of gratitude, keeping a gratitude journal, expressing gratitude and more.2 I would be happy to hear from you how you find this helps in your lives.

I wanted to try this out and this week I approached the owner of a kiosk near work. He often seems bothered and even a bit grumpy. When I expressed my gratitude to him for the service he offers his face lit up and he broke out with a huge smile. His wife who was also there seemed even more in shock. This in turn made me feel better. Surprisingly, he then turned to me and thanked me for thanking him. That was a shocker! It is important for us as well as the recipient.

We all want to know that what we do has meaning. Just as we like to hear this from others, it is important for us to say this to others – for our own growth as well as their well-being.

The Torah doesn’t often repeat themes yet here we find a second commandment to show thanks.3 Hmmm…maybe the Torah is trying to tell us something.

Notes

  • Simply put – the 'watch test' is when you ask someone to look at your watch and tell you when a minute has passed. You then ask them a detail about the watch – what company made the watch, does the watch have Arabic or Roman numerals, etc. Most people are generally so focused on the task that they don’t notice the other details which are 'hiding in plain sight'.
  1. Devarim 24:3
  2. http://bit.ly/vayeitzei78; http://frumtherapist.com/AvrahamAllanFriedman/Taking-For-Granted---Parshat-Tzav.html; http://bit.ly/ekev77e
  3. The first and more well-known is the birkat hamazon – Devarim 8:10

Have A Great Shabbat!laughing

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