Karen Berg
AUGUST 27, 2023
This article was previously published in 2018.
As we come to the end of the kabbalistic year and are fully immersed in the final month known as Virgo, we experience the fruition of the year. Now is the time when the fruit of a year’s spiritual work manifests. As this year comes to a close, it is a good practice to ask yourself: What do I want more of in my life? What aspects of life do I love? What aspects of my life would I like to change? This is a valuable time of reflection and vision, to become aware of what we wish to take with us into the new year and what we wish to leave behind. This week, the fruits of our lives are delivered to us. We see our blessings and the challenges we possess. What do you see? What are your blessings? What in your life needs work? What fruits are ripe, and which have become spoiled? During these next 7 days it will behoove each of us to take a spiritual inventory of our lives and make the decision on a future course. What blessings do we wish to increase? What challenges do we wish to finally surmount? This week, the universe bestows upon us a vital chance to release the negative and embrace the positive, so that we may be renewed, cleansed, and ready to face the coming year.
"The cosmos is sending to us the gift of renewal & cleansing this week."
Our portion this week is Ki Tavo. Ki Tavo means “when you enter.” In this portion, our loving teacher, Moses, continues to teach the Israelites the path of spirituality as they begin to enter the Promised Land. His words are alive for us all this week. Moses explains to the Israelites that when they enter the Promised Land, they are to fortify their spiritual path and continue in the ways of the Creator. He advises them that following a spiritual path will be at times challenging as their natural inclination is to think of themselves and not others. Moses reminds the Israelites the magnitude of importance in adhering to the laws set forth by the Creator if they wish to experience the very best in life. He teaches them that when they act with positivity, positivity is what they will receive. Conversely, when they act with negativity, negativity will boomerang back to them. This portion is known for its listing of blessings and curses. Moses teaches the Israelites that the power to create a blessed life lies in their own hands. Moses promises them they will rejoice in a life of blessings and of good fruit, if they follow the path the Creator has laid out for them with all their heart and soul. He guarantees for us all an endless flow of blessings when we choose to walk in the way of love and human dignity. Moses then describes the potential negative consequences of behaving with intolerance, hatred, or walking against the path of the Creator. Moses actually lists a total of 98 curses in this portion. The kabbalists teach that 98 is the numerical value of the word tzach, which means clean. This is an indication to us that the cosmos is in fact sending to us the gift of renewal and cleansing this week. We are afforded the ability to eliminate what is unwanted in our lives, be cleansed of the past, and embrace only the good. Any negativity we have accumulated and manifested from the prior year is washed away. Like bad fruit, we toss it out of our baskets and take with us only good. We gain the astonishing power to transform our negative fruit into positive fruit. This special gift from the Creator ensures for us the best future possible. Moses reminds us to always follow in the path of the Creator, so that we may always prosper.
If we are lucky, we have moments in life when we are given the clarity to see where life is taking us. Sometimes these moments are not so pleasant. They can be “a midlife crisis,” “hitting rock bottom,” or a “wake-up call.” It can be a painful time, but in the pain lies a great opportunity. The only way for us to ever know what we need to change is to be able to acknowledge what is not working. We were created to live a blessed life of joy and fulfillment. It is OK to admit when we are off course and need help. It is OK to wish for more and want the best out of life. Ki Tavo gives us the energy and desire to choose the blessed life. The Creator wants us to be happy even more than we wish it for ourselves.
"The blessings in your life are overflowing."
In this month before Rosh Hashanah, the new spiritual year, we are beckoned to embrace the Creator and walk with Him on the spiritual path. We are called to treat one another with human dignity and plant seeds of love so that we may experience the very best in the coming year. We choose love because we want to experience love. We see where we have gone astray, and we are given the needed nudge to return to the path of spirituality. Our negativity is removed and our path illuminates before us.
This week in your meditations, take yourself to an abundant apple orchard. Walk down the lush green path where tall trees surround you on both sides. The vibrant red apples are numerously scattered like stars in the sky. The abundance of healthy good fruit is all around you. The sweet smell fills the air and you know of nothing but prosperity and blessings. This is your life. You are blessed. As you walk through the orchard, you are overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciate your every single blessing. As your appreciation builds, so does the good you see. The more good you focus on, the more it expands. The blessings in your life are overflowing. You know in your heart that the more love you give, the more love that will continue to come your way. For when we choose the path of love, blessings are a part of life today, tomorrow, and forever.
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