This week's Torah portion, "Ki Tavo," describes the ceremony of the first fruits (bikkurim). The farmer goes out to the field, sees the first fruit that has ripened, and instead of taking a bite – he sanctifies the moment: he places the fruit in a basket and goes up with it to Jerusalem in a great, festive procession.
The holy Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, explained that this commandment is part of a whole worldview: all beginnings, all first moments, all the "first fruits" of our lives – deserve this kind of special treatment and great attention.
He asked, for example, that we relate this way to the "first fruits" of every day – to the first minutes after we wake up – and stated: ”One must pay attention to the 'beginning' of the day: the first thought, the first speech, the first action.”
Do we wake up with an optimistic thought or a pessimistic one? What's the first thing we say, the first sentence out of our mouths – a complaint, or something positive? And what's the first thing we do – is it an action that will pull all our subsequent actions in a good direction?
The "ceremony of the first fruits" is not distant history – it happens again and again in our lives, even this morning. We just need to pay attention. Have a good day.
