AUGUST 29, 2023 - Ki Tavo: Why Would God Curse Us for Not Being Happy?

Parshat Ki Tavo lists the blessings that will come if we keep God’s commandments and the curses that will follow if we don’t. But it also says that to be blessed, we need to serve God “with joy.” Isn’t it enough to keep the commandments? And what is this “joy” supposed to look like, anyway? The key to answering these questions may be in two seemingly unrelated commandments from Parshat Ki Tavo itself.

Join Beth Lesch and Ari Levisohn as they uncover a startling pattern that links first fruits and a stone altar to this mysterious verse about rejoicing while we serve God.