Parashat Ki Tavo 5768

In this week’s Torah portion Ki Tavo, Moses asks the people to imagine the land they will soon occupy. Like any good leader, Moses instructs the Israelites to envision what life will be like once they enter the Land of Israel. He contextualizes this exercise by helping the people to reflect first on their past, then of their present, and finally to their future. Moses says:

The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to Adonai, the God of our ancestors, and Adonai heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. Adonai freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. God brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, as you see, I now bring the firstfruits of the land which you, Adonai, have given me. (Deuteronomy 26:6-10).

In this visioning exercise, notice how Moses quickly glosses over the particulars of how the people will come to possess and inhabit the Promised Land. Moses moves deftly from slavery to freedom (skipping much of the in between) and then delights in how the people will give thanks to God with their firstfruits, celebrating their deliverance. And, what of the forty years of wandering? And, what of the people that occupy the “Promised Land”?

Some argue that Moses’ omissions serve as good motivating tools. “Why dwell on the negative?” Moses seems to say. “Let’s just focus on all that we have.”

Others read Moses’ speech differently. The key to unlocking his omissions, they say, are the words “milk and honey.” These scholars point out that the phrase “milk and honey” is repeated 15 times in the Torah. These bible scholars suggest that “milk and honey” might not refer to the sweet future and rich land their simple meaning suggests. These scholars suggest that instead of referring to an abundance of agricultural products, “milk and honey” refers to an abundance of dangerous wild animals (N. Hareuveni). According to this reading, Moses does not gloss over the particulars of how the people will come to “possess and inhabit” the land, at all. Rather, by stating that the land will flow with “milk and honey,” Moses seeks to acknowledge that the Israelites will still have much to contend with once they enter the land.

This dual reading reminds me of one of the wonderful characteristics of Torah. Our Torah has no issue with contradictions! Both of these ways of understanding—positive and negative—may very well be intended in the meaning of the verse.

Today, we find ourselves in the month of Elul. This is a time for introspection. This is a time for reflection. I believe that, this week, Torah calls us to look upon our lives through “milk and honey” glasses. What of our lives is sweet and calls for gratitude? What of our lives is challenging and calls for further struggle? As we look backwards and forwards to what has passed and what is yet to come, let us remember that all of life is “milk and honey.” What changes is how we perceive it. What changes is how we grow from it. What changes is how we respond to it.