Torah Commentary Archives

Ki Tavo  (When You Come)

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

Isaiah 60:1-22

Matthew 13:1-23

Acts 28:17-31

Romans 11:1-15

Are We Waiting Or Running?

We are rapidly approaching two major events. One is Sukkot and the other is the beginning of another Torah Cycle. Think back to last Sukkot. Where were you when you looked at the words of Genesis 1:1 a year ago? For me it seems like ages ago, yet at the same time, the days have flown by at a break-neck pace.

As we consider the days we are standing in, let us first consider where we have been. For the Hebrews, forty years of walking in the wilderness was just a glance over their shoulder. The manifestation of promises spoken in Egypt were now just a few steps away. To walk those steps would mean changes. They would have to do things they had not done, in order to take them to a place they had never been. They would have new leadership and a new way of thinking and living. Transitional times, in general, are not easy, but how much more so for the Hebrews!

I believe that today, many of us are standing on the edge of something. Is that something The Kingdom coming next week or next year? Crystal balls are against Torah, so I have no idea. Is this really the right question, though? Let's take the question from a different angle.

On my last trip to Israel, I heard something which has been resonating with me for months, but I haven't understood why. At least, not until reading this week's Torah portion. Let me explain.

It was a Friday afternoon when Hanoch and I arrived with the tour group at the house of a Jewish friend. He had agreed to meet with us just prior to Shabbat, because that was our only time available. With his wife present, he shared how she'd not been very happy about the timing of our visit. Why? Because she would be focusing totally on preparing for Shabbat. In the end, it was great (praise Yah!), and we all enjoyed each other's company. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

As my friend was explaining why his wife had been upset, he began to describe their Shabbat preparations. He told us about all the cooking and cleaning they would be doing, sometimes frantically, to get to the place of lighting candles 18 minutes prior to sundown. The next thing he said is what is still resonating with me.

I have heard about and been a part of candle lighting with Jews in their homes for many years. I had always thought it was just another “fence.” Here is what I learned on that particular Preparation Day.

As my friend explained the candle lighting 18 minutes prior to sundown, he said it was their way of not just waiting for Shabbat to get to them, but rather them running toward Shabbat. Think about those words for a moment while considering your household this past Friday evening. Were you and your family running toward Shabbat, or just sitting and waiting for it to get to you? When Shabbat was ending, were you running toward sundown, or savoring every moment of Yah's set-apart-day? My rigorously honest answer is not one I am thrilled about. How about you?

What does this week's Torah portion have to do with the story I just shared? To answer that question, let's consider the following:

The first verses of Deuteronomy 26 speak of our Sukkot offering. Is out Esrog and Lulav already on order? Are we considering and putting aside our offering so we do not show up empty handed? As 28:47 infers, are we running toward Sukkot with gladness? Are we running toward the other instructions of Torah with joy, as well? Or are we longingly looking over our shoulders at what we left behind? Selah.

For many people, the words of the blessings listed in chapter 28 will be their main focus. But I want you to notice something: the words of blessings follow the words of curses. Is this possibly communicating an overlooked Truth where we will not enter the fullness of His blessings, until we walk away from the curses of disobedience? If that is true, then how many curses are in our lives (and the lives of our families), because we have refused to turn our backs on the actions and attitudes causing the curses in the first place? Before continuing, let's all go back and re-read that again, this time allowing Yah to shine His Amazing Light into any areas of darkness in our lives.

Now, regarding His Kingdom and the blessings which it will bring, are we just sitting around waiting for it to come to us, or are we focused on joyfully running towards it? Are we willing to faithfully exercise a Kingdom-focused mindset while still in exile, or are we just settling for exile while waiting to be “zapped” to the other side sometime in the future?

The Hebrews had forty years of living in exile, because they refused to live Kingdom-minded. [THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME: In their recorded stops along the way had they affected the people they had met with Kingdom principles or just waited for the Kingdom to come to them?] Are we doing any better?



In order for a Hebrew to live in The Promised Land, they would have to do things they had not done, in order to take them to a place they had never been. Let us not be a people who wait until we can see the other bank of the river to make the necessary changes. We can live more Kingdom-minded today, by choosing to run towards His Kingdom to come. AMEIN!